The livelier, slightly better choice in Val di Fassa, on the Sella Ronda, with some ski-in and a piste back to the village.
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1,465 mForecast at 1800 m today: low / high, modelled snow depth, and new snow in the last 24 hours.
Canazei, if you're choosing between the two. It has the same position on the Sella Ronda as Campitello next door, but the village is livelier, there's some ski-in, and there's an actual piste back to the village at the end of the day.
It's a bit cheaper than Selva, so it suits value seekers who still want some life in the evenings.
The two best Sella Ronda reds end near here: the orange coming down from the Belvedere and Pordoi side, and the green coming down from Passo Sella, both into Plan Frataces (Lupo Bianco). Long, wide and scenic, with an amazing vibe.
5 day routes from here, with how to start each one from Canazei.
From here: Join the circuit from the village and ride it round. Plan your finish so you're back on this side before the last links close.
The circuit around the Sella group, clockwise. It's our preferred direction: a bit steeper and faster than the green, though the difference isn't big. The long, wide red from the Pordoi side down to Plan Frataces, near Canazei, is one of the best runs of the day.
Start before 10:00 and cross the last pass before 15:30. That's the official advice, and missing a link means a long taxi ride home.
From here: Join the circuit from the village; Passo Pordoi and Arabba come early in the day.
The same circuit the other way round, through the Città dei Sassi boulder field under the Sassolungo. The red down from Passo Sella to Plan Frataces is long, wide and scenic, with an amazing vibe.
Same timing as the orange: start before 10:00 and cross the last pass before 15:30.
From here: Arabba is closer from here than from Val Gardena, which makes this a slightly easier Marmolada day.
The big one. Ride either Sella Ronda direction to Arabba, cross to Malga Ciapela and take the three-section cable car up the Marmolada, with restaurants and souvenir shops on the way. From the observation deck at Punta Rocca you see the Marmolada glacier and the whole Sella group in front of you, often with the clouds below. Then ski La Bellunese down, about 12 km, long, steep and bumpy, and finish the Sella Ronda you started. If you have time, the Porta Vescovo detour from Arabba adds a couple of nice reds through the forest.
The difficulty is pace. Leave by 9:00 (10:00 at the latest, and only if you're well prepared), have lunch in or near Arabba, ideally after the Marmolada, and leave Punta Rocca by 14:30 at the very latest, only if you're fast and skip lunch. It can be very windy at the top even on a clear day.
From here: Too far for a day on skis from here.
Across the valley from Seceda lies the Alpe di Siusi (Seiser Alm), Europe's largest high-alpine meadow. The runs are mostly basic blues, so beginners and intermediates will love it. Strong skiers should head for the far edge near Compatsch: the combined gondola-and-chair lift goes up to the Puflatsch (Bullaccia) plateau at about 2,100 m, where you ski along the top on a red and turn left onto a short black. It's very steep, streamlined and usually well groomed, a chance to just full send it and check your top speed in your app.
From here: Half a Sella Ronda each way: a long day.
A nice, easy day trip with lots of blues. From Corvara, take the Col Alt gondola and ski down into the valley where many pistes meet: a good place to just ski and explore. Cross to Piz La Ila and take the red or the black down to La Villa (both are good), ski through towards Badia, then two gondola sections take you up to Santa Croce, the furthest point, by its pilgrimage church. Ski the same way back.
From Val Gardena, Corvara is half a Sella Ronda away, so count the time to get back over Passo Gardena.
Not sure Canazei is right? These villages share the same lift pass and link on skis.
From Bolzano and Trento, regional buses run up Val di Fassa to Canazei. Verona and Venice are the usual airports, and Bolzano has the closest railway station on the Milan to Munich line.