A quiet friendly village in the Valfurva Valley above Bormio. The architecture is very Italian and the scenery unspoilt and tranquil. The skiing is best suited to intermediates, but there are several testing blacks and the option for late season off-piste with a guide or high mountain touring.
Mountain
Santa Caterina's skiing covers over 1000 vertical metres descending from the Mount Sobretta slopes at an altitude of 2800 metres to 1738 metres right in the centre of the town. The resort has 40 kilometres (25 miles) of slopes suitable all ability levels. There are two blue, six red and three black runs. The latter offers 15km of terrain - a much higher percentage than at most ski areas and reflecting Santa Caterina's heritage in ski racing. However beginners are well looked after too, with a ski stadium which incorporates a completely enclosed nursery slope for beginners. There is also a short handle tow to ease the ascent back up the slopes for those first runs. New lifts recently installed include an eight-seater gondola which ascends more than 1000 vertical metres from the resort at 1,730m right up to Sobretta 2,775 m. This serves the new Deborah Compagnoni racing slope created for the World Championships in 2005 as well as other terrain. There's also a new six seat chairlift which ascends from Valle dell'Alpe, the sunniest part of the ski area, up towards the Sobretta Cres. Every Thursday through the season there's a challenging guest's giant slalom ski race. In Spring it's possible to ski the Valle dei Forni valley, which is an amphitheatre between beautiful peaks such as Sobretta, Tresero, S. Matteo, Confinale, Pasquale and Cevedale. The resort takes part in a regional lift pass covering half a dozen ski areas including Bormio. There are also weekly excursions for a day over the border in St Moritz, don't forget your passport. Santa Caterina is also a major centre for cross country skiing, particularly at a competitive level. The Valtellina track has five and ten kilometre circuits where important international competitions and numerous World Cup races have been held. The track winds at an altitude of 1800 metres, across a wide plane and through thick woods, it has demanding ups and downs with vertical drops between 109 and 390 metres. Near to this competition track there is an eight kilometre tourist track where for a distance they coincide, the tourist track has two circuits, one three kilometres and one five kilometres in length. It is much less strenuous and offers beautiful landscapes and views through the old pine woods. The "Centro La Fonte" building was constructed to help support cross-country skiers. It is fitted out with changing-rooms, showers, clothes and equipment deposit and waxing room. Technical assistance is available from the ski-instructors who can give expert advise on the type of equipment and wax to use.
Families
Santa Caterina is a very relaxed, family friendly resort. There are often special family prices to be had in the hotels. There's a Mini Club centred on a free play-ground dubbed "Children on the Snow" That operates for children aged three to ten years, Monday to Saturday from 9 am to 1.30pm with qualified supervision at the Centro Polifunzionale. The service is free to Guest card holders.
Eating Out
There are four restaurants and pizzeriasa with several more based in the hotels. Look out for local specialities including Pizzoccheri, sciatt, game, polenmta and mushroom based meals. The Hotel Nordik's restaurant is typical serving a wide choice of typical, national and international dishes. It's in the village centre, close to the ski lifts and the cross-country track. Don't miss the weekly evening Cheese Flavouring course and tasting of the local cheeses run by experts from the ONAF (National Organisation of Cheese Tasters) of Valfurva at the "Centro Polifunzionale."
Apres
Night life is mostly low-key and centred on the few hotel bars. The Hotel Genzianella's is one of the more popular with a rustic wooden affair whilst the Hotel Sport has a typical "stube" and a collection of wines stored in the cellar which proprietor Norberto Pedranzini will be happy to choose you a bottle from, perhaps one of the local Valtellina wines. Evening activities are organised by the tourist board through the week. They include as moonlit snowshoe walk suitable for everyone through the woods of the Stelvio National Park. There's also a weekly torchlit downhill ski run with the resort's ski-instructors, followed by mulled wine for everybody
Boarding
There are no terrain parks or other facilities especially for snowboarders here but the ski schools will teach boarders and there are excellent freeride opportunities with a guide in the powder fields. The fast modern gondola uplift to access more than 1000 vertical metres of terrain has to be a draw too.
