One of the most famous resorts in Italian skiing with a prime location on the Sella Ronda circuit, Arabba has some of the country's most testing terrain. If you're planning a visit to the Italian Dolomites - and you should be! - and want a steer on which resort best matches your skiing level, Arabba would be at the upper end of the intermediate range, as, along with some cruisey pistes it also has some of the steepest runs in the region, both locally and on the Sella Ronda circuit, which is the centrepiece of the Dolomiti Superski ski pass area which covers 15 ski resorts and 1,200km of superbly groomed runs.
Sitting at 1,600m in the heart of the Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage area dominated by the spectacular Sella massif, at the base of Passo Pordói and Passo Campolongo, Arabba ski resort is part of the Valle di Fodom, one of the four valleys that form the well-known Sella Ronda tour. It's a traditional and relatively compact old mountain village with buildings in the Tyrolean chalet style, making it rather picturesque beneath its white spired church.
Its location bang on the Sella Ronda is undoubtedly a huge attraction for the many visitors who come here. The 40km circuit takes skiers clockwise or anti-clockwise around the Sella massif via four famous Ladin valleys - Alta Badia, Arabba, Val di Fassa and Val Gardena - and crossing over four mighty passes – Campolongo, Pordoi, Sella and Gardena. It's a bit of a rite of passage that takes around 3 hours at a reaqsonable lick, or a full day if you throw in coffee stops and a good lunch!
Arabba is also a staging post on the 80km Great War ski tour which takes in the former battlefields, museums and artefacts of the Austro-Italian conflict during the First World War. Finally, it's the jumping-off point to get down to the Marmolada glacier which gives more excellent high-altitude skiing.
A Dolomiti Superski pass gives you unrivalled access to the interlinked ski areas that make up the Sella Ronda, as well as the Armentarola (Hidden Valley) & Great War Tour ski trails.
Arabba - Ski Map & Pistes:
What's the skiing like in Arabba? Well, for confident intermediates and above it's great, but it's not ideal for beginners. The nursery area at the foot of the Burz lift is steeper than most nursery slopes, and if a novice has then headed up the mountain the runs back down will definitely test their new skills. For example, the Rientro blue route back to the village can get very tricky, especially later in the day when it's cut up after having several hours worth of clockwise Sella Ronda traffic on it. Beginners are better off staying in neighbouring Alta Badia where the runs are much gentler.
Working out how big is Arabba's ski area is deceptive. It only has 62km of 'local' runs, but you have access to so much more, via the Sella Ronda. You can split Arabba's skiing into three/four sectors - the runs on the Sella route linking to Campolongo and Corvara in Alta Badia; the opposite side of the Sella route linking to and from the Passo Pordoi and the Val di Fassa and the web of runs - mostly black and red - beneath Porta Vescovo and the stretch down to Malga Ciapela and the Marmolada glacier.
Skiers heading to Corvara need to take the Burz chairlift from where it is a short run through to the Le Pale chairlift up to the Bec de Roces and the junction with the run down to Passo Campolongo - a crossroads, where you can go on to Corvara, or detour up to Monte Cherz and the 'backdoor' into Alta Badia. Those coming from Corvara can ski all the way to Arabba from the top of the Bec de Roces chairlift, on fast reds and blues.
Heading up and out from Arabba in the opposite direction is via any of the three cable/gondola routes towards Porta Vescovo, from where the direct routes back are red and black (great fun for confident skiers!). The only 'easy' route back is to work your way via the reds to the Fodom chair (the Sella Route) and take the long Pordoi blue back down to Arabba. There are also a couple of blue runs between Fodom and the Passo Pordoi to Val di Fassa and some reds up to the Belvedere peak above Val di Fassa. Back in Arabba, the Arabba Fly chair takes you across town to link up with the Sella runs out towards Corvara
The final sector of the Arabba-Marmolada ski area is the out and back route to the glacier. The starting point for this is to take the Pescoi gondola out of Arabba and then the Sass de la Vegla two-man chair lift, the first of a few slower, older chairlifts and blue/red runs which will eventually bring you down past Fedaia to Malga Ciapela, from where a three-stage cable takes you up to the 3,269m high point of the Marmolada glacier. It's worth taking time here to enjoy the panoramic viewing platform before skiing the absolutely glorious red run back down; it's also best skied as early as possible as, on a good ski day, long queues develop for the cable car up.
Freestyle fans will enjoy the Arabba FunPark.
Arabba - Off-Piste, Backcountry & Ski Touring:
There are some good testing descents from Porta Vescovo - and, to be fair, most of the terrain around Arabba offers some decent off-piste on a powder day. However, advanced skiers looking for the best backcountry should hire a guide and head towards the Passo Pordoi, then take the Sass Pordoi cable car onto the Sella massif, and to the famous Val Mezdi ski route through to Colfosco, as well as a few extreme ski descents.
Arabba - Restaurants, Bars & The Town:
Visitors should not expect a rocking nightlife or any OTT après-ski, but this traditional Italian mountain village has some good value restaurants and a range of three and four-star hotels. For après ski there is an excellent selection of cafes and bars in the village centre, including Bar Peter, which has an outside area that catches the afternoon sun as well as a spacious bar area which doubles as a restaurant.
On the mountain, the Rifugio Burz restaurant (at the top of the Burz chair) has great food and great views! In town, Miky's Grill at the Hotel Mesdi offers superb meats char-grilled before your eyes, authentic fresh pasta dishes, elegant starters, exquisite desserts, soft focaccia and crunchy breadsticks made on site.
To spend a few relaxing moments we recommend Lounge Bar Pico Café or Snack & Wine Bar Heidi, both located in the centre of Arabba.
Arabba - Ski Hire:
For ski rental check out Ski Service da Nico, Top Ski Service, Sport Samont, Okay rent Ski & Bike or MSA Sport & Rent. More info here: arabba.it
Arabba - Ski School:
There are two ski schools in Arabba, the Scuola di Sci di Arabba, and the Scuola Sci & Snowboard Dolomites Reba.
