Bormio and Santa Caterina: vertical excitement in the Stelvio National Park

Three ski areas, Bormio, Santa Caterina Valfurva and Cima Piazzi-San Colombano, 110 kilometres of slopes, 36 lifts on a single ski pass—all this is skiing in the heart of Valtellina’s Stelvio National Park. The Bormio area has slopes for all levels and tastes: from school slopes for children and beginners to the pistes made famous by the World Cup champions.

While Santa Caterina Valfurva is a paradise where the silence and natural beauty of the mountain can be enjoyed, the Bormio pistes offer vertical excitement thanks to ski lifts that go up as high as 3000 metres and an adrenalin-filled ski area covering a good 1800 metres in altitude difference. Finally, for family skiing there is Cima Piazzi-San Colombano, where the sunny slopes aren’t quite so difficult and the mood is peaceful and relaxed.

Musts for experts are the Stelvio in Bormio and the Deborah Compagnoni in Santa Caterina, both also open for night skiing. Pure fun, meanwhile, especially for kids, on the “Funslope” in Bormio, a new ski area with obstacles, bridges, tunnels, parabolics and changes in direction.

Fun with or without skis
Freeriders will love the fresh snow in spectacular Vallone or magical Posto degli Sciatori. Bormio is also a true paradise for those who enjoy the snow driving a dogsled, or walking with snowshoes, skating or climbing on the ice.

Cross-country skiers are also spoilt for choice: the 5-kilometre circular trail in Alute, with its ups and downs and long flat stretches, suitable for newbies, or the Valtellina piste in Santa Caterina Valfurva, a venue for international competitions, which winds its way through the forests of the Stelvio National Park. Pista Viola in Valdidentro is also a must-try, a trail of about 25 km that takes skiers through woodland following the river of the same name, with no particularly difficult uphill parts to deal with.