Dolomites Iconic 4: Private Guided Ski Safari

Welcome to the Dolomites. Settle into your 4-star hotel in Alta Badia, nestled in the heart of the Ladin valleys. Take the afternoon to explore the charming village, enjoy the crisp mountain air, and savor a welcome dinner featuring regional specialties.

Rest well – tomorrow, you will meet your private guide, and the adventure begins!

Ladin people are descendants of ancient Alpine tribes who have preserved their unique Rhaeto-Romance language and culture for over a thousand years, mainly through isolation in these mountain valleys. Today, their influence is everywhere – from the melodic language you’ll hear in villages to the traditional cuisine served in mountain huts born from centuries of Alpine farming life.

Accommodation: 4-star hotel in Alta Badia

After breakfast, meet your guide and head onto the slopes of Alta Badia. With 130 kilometers of perfectly groomed terrain stretching beneath the pale dolomite towers, today is about finding your rhythm and experiencing why this area is beloved by skiers worldwide.

Your guide can tailor the day to your group’s ability, perhaps starting on Piz La Ila’s wide cruisers before progressing to more challenging terrain. If you’re up to it, tackle the legendary Gran Risa – the steep, technical World Cup slope where champions are made. Since its 1985 World Cup debut, the Gran Risa has seen victories from Alberto Tomba (4 wins), Marcel Hirscher (6 wins), Bode Miller, and Ted Ligety – a true hall of fame of alpine skiing.

Your guide knows the best mountain huts for lunch. Perhaps it’s Club Moritzino at 2,100 meters, or Ütia Bioch Piz Sorega with Europe’s highest wine cellar, where Michelin-level dishes meet traditional Ladin recipes.

The afternoon continues exploring hidden runs and quieter corners of the ski area that only locals know. By day’s end, you’ll understand why Alta Badia is considered one of the finest ski destinations in Europe.

Accommodation: 4-star hotel in Alta Badia

This morning, a private transfer delivers you to Plan de Corones (Kronplatz), one of South Tyrol’s most celebrated ski areas. Rising to 2,275 meters, Kronplatz offers something Alta Badia doesn’t: wide-open, treeless slopes with 360-degree panoramic views stretching from the Austrian Alps to the north, the Dolomites to the south, and the Zillertal Alps to the east.

Your guide leads you onto Kronplatz’s signature runs – long, confidence-building cruisers perfect for carving. The skiing here feels different: expansive, exhilarating, freeing. We’ll explore the best of Kronplatz’s 119 kilometers of terrain, perhaps including a run down one of the famous “Black Five” challenging slopes, if the group is game.

At the summit sits the Messner Mountain Museum Corones, designed by Zaha Hadid and embedded into the mountain. Known for its viewing windows strategically framing the peaks from Reinhold Messner’s mountaineering career. I you can spare some time off your skis, then pass a little time here.

The summit is a great spot to take lunch, surrounded by cutting-edge architecture and alpine history.

Ski out the rest of the day before returning to Alta Badia by private transfer, where another evening of comfort and cuisine awaits.

Accommodation: 4-star hotel in Alta Badia

Today brings one of the week’s highlights: the Marmolada, known as the Queen of the Dolomites. Ski from Alta Badia through Arabba, warming up on some more challenging runs before reaching the first of three cable cars starting at 1450m.

In minutes, you ascend to 3,265 meters – the summit of Punta Rocca on the Marmolada Glacier. Step out onto the viewing platform and the entire Dolomites unfold: the Catinaccio, Sassolungo, and the Sella.

Now comes the main event: La Bellunese, the legendary 12-kilometer descent down the glacier. La Bellunese is not only the longest ski run in the Dolomites, offering a total of 1800m of vertical drop,  but is also the highest skiable point in the range. Your guide will set the pace, leading you down this iconic run through snow-covered glacier terrain, past icy seracs, and into the valley below.

You can choose to do it again and again, if time and energy allow – there’s something addictive about skiing from 3,000 meters!

Lunch is at one of the glacier-side rifugios, where the views are as satisfying as the food.

When the day is done, a private transfer brings you to Val Gardena, where your next hotel awaits. Tonight, you’ll dine in a different valley, experiencing the subtle shifts in Ladin culture and cuisine.

Accommodation: 4-star hotel in Val Gardena

Your first morning in Val Gardena begins right on the slopes. Today, your guide will introduce you to the Val Gardena Ronda, a scenic circuit that winds through the villages of Selva, Santa Cristina, and Ortisei. The skiing here is beautifully varied – wide groomers, tree-lined descents, and dramatic views of the Sassolungo and Odle mountain ranges.

Next, you might explore the slopes beneath Seceda, where the exposed rock faces create one of the Dolomites’ most photographed backdrops. Your guide will read the group’s energy and interests, crafting the rest of the day around what excites you most.

We suggest stopping for lunch slopeside, at a traditional Ladin rifugio, where you’ll taste local specialties – perhaps cajincí ravioli, barley soup with smoked bacon, or tutres (fried pastries stuffed with spinach).

The afternoon continues exploring hidden gems that only a local knows and can find so easily.

By evening, you’ll return to your Val Gardena hotel, ready for another night of mountain hospitality.

Accommodation: 4-star hotel in Val Gardena

The final day of skiing brings the tour to its grand finale: a section of the world-famous Sellaronda. This 40-kilometer circuit loops around the Sella Massif, connecting four valleys and four mountain passes in one continuous ski day.

Your guide will lead you through either the clockwise (orange route) or counterclockwise (green route) direction, depending on conditions and crowds. We’ll ski from Val Gardena through the Passo Gardena, descend into Corvara in Alta Badia, climb to the Passo Campolongo, drop into Arabba, ascend the Passo Pordoi, and finally circle back via the Passo Sella.

Along the way, your guide will point out the best photo stops, suggest a memorable lunch stop, and share stories of the Ladin people and their homeland. The Sellaronda is more than just a ski circuit – it’s a journey through culture, history, and some of the most breathtaking mountain scenery on earth.

By afternoon, we complete the loop back in Val Gardena. Tonight’s farewell dinner is a celebration – five days of incredible skiing, breathtaking scenery, and memories that will last a lifetime.

Accommodation: 4-star hotel in Val Gardena

After breakfast, it’s time to say arrivederci to the Dolomites. Depart when you are ready, taking with you the satisfaction of having skied four of the Alps’ most legendary areas, guided every step of the way by a true mountain expert.

Until we meet again…next winter!