Sella Ronda: A spectacular resort in the Dolomites

Overview

The Sella Ronda is a world-famous ski circuit in the Italian Dolomites. A significant and monumental run, it spans between 26 and 27 kilometres and loops around the Sella; a large and domineering mountain that sits in the heart of the Dolomites and Dolomiti Superski area. The Sella mountain range sits on the north of Mount Marmolada, the highest mountain of the Dolomites, and east of Mount Sassolungo. The majestic Sella has four valleys stretching out from all sides which make up the four passes in the winter ski seasons; passing through the lovely valleys of Val Gardena, Alta Badia, Val di Fassa and Arabba. This ski tour is perhaps, one of the worlds most spectacular, thanks to the varying terrain and the uniqueness of each of them, the length and size of the run, the amazing landscape of the entire area and so much more. This circuit welcomes hundreds of skiers from all over the world annually, to visit the Dolomites to experience the Sella Ronda.

The Circuit

The actual length of the full circuit is about 40 kilometres, with about 13 to 14 kilometres covered by ski lifts, leaving between 26 and 27 kilometres of seamless skiing over the entire circuit. The circuit is so unique that you will not ski the same piste more than once and there is very little walking between lifts. You can take on the Sella Ronda tour in either a clockwise or anticlockwise direction. Each direction is colour coded with the clockwise coded in orange and the anti-clockwise colour coded in green. The anti-clockwise green tour is slightly less popular but it is the easier tour as it's quieter and does not include some of the challenging slopes on the orange circuit. It runs through the valleys of Val Gardena, Alta Badia, Arabba and Val di Fassa. The orange colour tour is regarded as the slightly tougher challenge and is generally the more frequented tour which runs through the Passo Val Gardena, Passo Campolongo, Passo Pordoi and Passo Sella.

Pistes

The slopes on the Sella Ronda are perfect for intermediates and are made up of an enjoyable selection of red and blue runs; a lot of which are wide open and on a moderate gradient. Confident beginners can also attempt the circuit to test themselves and advanced skiers may find the real challenge is how quickly they can complete the circuit. The complete pass could take up to 6 hours to complete is also advised to start no later than 10 am and to have crossed the last pass no later than 3 pm, as some of the lifts on the circuit may have to be closed with little or no prior warning due to bad weather conditions such as strong winds or heavy snow.

Resorts with easy access to Sella Ronda

The ski area of Val Gardena has 3 resorts within it all of which have very easy access to the Sella Ronda circuit especially Selva Val Gardena and Ortisei. The Val di Fassa ski area in the Dolomites is made up of seven smaller villages, the closest to the Sella Ronda are Canazei and Campitello; both resorts connect to the Sella Ronda via the Belvedere gondola from Canazei and the Col Rodella cable car from Campitello. There is also similar access from the ski areas of Corvara, Colfosco and Arabba.