Ski the Italian Alps this winter

The south-facing Italian Alps is one of the premier ski areas outside of the Rocky Mountains. You'll find that the resorts all have abundant snow, plenty of sunshine, and that sophisticated European flavor to the after-ski (or maybe I should say “après-ski”) entertainment. So for an alternative ski trip this winter, try out one of these Italian ski areas in the Alps:

The Dolomites

The Dolomites mountain range holds exciting resorts such as Cortina D’Ampezzo, Alta Badia,Val Gardena, Val di Fassa, Val di Fiemme, and San Pellegrino among others. There are slopes for skiers of any ability to take ski holidays in Italy and enjoy themselves. The star of the skiing show in the Dolomites is the Marmalado glacier, the highest slope at 3,342m.

For a real upscale experience, Cortina d’Ampezzo offers outstanding intermediate and advanced ski slopes with some of the best dining in the world, all located in what's a very elegant resort.

Milky Way

The Milky Way ski area is formed from 5 villages in Italy; Cesana, Claviere, Sansicario, Sauze d'Oulx and Sestriere. Taking an Italy skiing vacation here means you'll get to sample 400km of pistes, 140 ski slopes, 93 lifts, and 1 snowboard park.

There are quite a large number of food venues, and this being Italy, the fare on offer is typically delicious. Scattered among the villages you'll also find a fun range of bars and clubs to expend any left-over energy after a day on the slopes.

Matterhorn

Matterhorn covers a large area which is justifiable called a skier's paradise. From easy learners' slopes to double-diamonds, the 313km of pistes over 4 lift systems offers a real challenge. That challenge being sampling all the different slopes before your vacation is up. These are some seriously high altitude slopes as well, with Rothorn at 3103 m , Gornergrat at 3089 m, Matterhorn at 3883 m, and Schwarzsee paradise at 2583 m.

After-ski in this area is well taken care of, with plenty of late night clubs and good restaurants catering to a youthful crowd of hardcore skiers as well as families.

Booking your trip

If you're wanting to ski Italy, check the current deals from the UK from directline skiing. You'll have to get yourself a plane ticket to London for most of these, but you'll be well taken care of after this.

- By Mike on 30 August, 2008 in Travel.