Bormio Skiing
Situated in the heart of the Retiche Alps where Lombardy joins Switzerland and the Alto Adige, this was once a county of significant political importance that stood guard over strategic Alpine passes.
The area still features countless monuments and ethnographic museums that bear witness to the past. This Upper Valtellina district first entered the winter tourism sector in the late 1930’s and its facilities have been constantly up-dated ever since. In 1985, it hosted the Alpine Ski World Cup and the finals of the World Cup in 2000 for all disciplines. In February 2005, after numerous World Cup races, it hosted the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup.
The ski resorts of Bormio and Santa Caterina Valfurva were recently enlarged with the addition of Valdidentro-San Colombano is serviced by new ski-lift plant and features new artificial snow-making equipment. During winter, skiers can always count on excellent ski-lift facilities. The Stelvio/Bormio piste deserves a special mention. It opened for the 1985 World Cup and starts at 7,380 feet with a difference in altitude of 3,362 feet and 33% mean gradient.
This piste is one of the most beautiful pistes in the world and rivals the best-known runs on the skiing circuit. Bormio probably offers the most complete skiing packages of anywhere in the Alps: with more than 30 miles of pistes, visitors can ski from heights of 9,900 feet down to villages at 4,000 feet with a difference in altitude of nearly 6,000 feet that makes this the longest run in the Alps. The pistes are serviced by 1 cable car, 2 gondolas, 6 ski-tows and 6 chairlifts with a total carrying capacity of 21,550 passengers per hour. The ski-lift system was recently renewed with the implementation of 2 four-seater chairlifts with automatic hook-up and 1 eight person gondola. There are numerous runs for cross-country skiers and ski excursions.
Some of the pistes, two of which are black runs, are equipped for competition use and often host national and international events.
Competition skiers can use the pistes that are serviced by the ski-tows and chairlifts that leave from Bormio 2000. The pistes are accessible from 6,500 feet using the three-seater chairlift from Pian dei Larici and the four-seater chairlift from Bormio 2000-Cimino from which they can continue the journey upwards with the new four-seater at Valbella-Bormio 3000 to the highest point in the mountains at 9,880 feet. At 6,500 feet there are also ski-lifts for beginners: the new Nevada Est and Ovest ski-tows and the “moving carpet” at Marmotta for children.
Leaving from 9,880 feet from the Cima Bianca, the apex of the Bormio triangle, skiers can make a single descent of 5 miles using 3 different pistes: Sant'Ambrogio, Martinola and the Ermellini.
The route drops down to the right along the slopes of Vallecetta towards Valfurva: 6,000 feet of piste with a mean gradient of 16% leads to La Rocca. A rapid descent from here leads to the Ermellini piste at 2,700 feet over a difference in height of 810 feet and this winds downwards, without particular problems, to Ciuk, the lowest point on the Bormio runs at 5,375 feet.
The Martinola piste and swerves off in a giant left-handed curve that leads to to the gondola at 5,480 feet at Bormio-Ciuk. Bormio also has more capacity for making artificial snow than any other ski resort in Europe. A visit to the town centre is a must to fully appreciate some of the architectural legacies from the past: the “Torre Civico” from the 15th-16th centuries, the Kuerc, the Collegiata dei SS. Gervasio and Protasio with its frescos and paintings from the 16th and 17th centuries, the 17th century church of Sant'Ignazio not forgetting the Museo Civico and, in summer, the Museo Donegani at Passo dello Stelvio, the Alpine Botanical Gardens at Rezia and the Centro faunistico at Isolaccia Valdidentro.
Altitude: 1225
Skiing season: from December to April
How to get there
From Milan: Lecco (SS36)-Colico-Sondrio (SS38)-Tirano-Bormio (120 miles). From Brescia: Iseo-Edolo-Aprica (Aprica Pass 3,930 feet)-Tirano-Bormio (110 miles).
Nearest train station
From Milan: Lecco (SS36)-Colico-Sondrio (SS38)-Tirano-Bormio (120 miles). From Brescia: Iseo-Edolo-Aprica (Aprica Pass 3,930 feet)-Tirano-Bormio (110 miles).
Downhill pistes
2 difficult, 5 intermediate and 4 easy pistes. 14 ski-lifts with a carrying capacity of 21,550 passengers for a total of 30 miles of piste of which 21.7 miles can be covered with artificial snow. Valdidentro/San Colombano: 10 ski-lifts with a carrying capacity of 11,500 passengers per hour; for a total of 18.8 miles of piste.
Summer skiing from late May until early November on the Stelvio glacier.
Skiing itineraries excursions.
Cross-country pistes
At Bormio, the Alù piste with two intermediate/easy circuits of 3 and 4.6 miles each - ski hire available; At Valdidentro, the Viola piste with circuits ranging from 1.2 to 15.5 miles. The piste has a "Centro Sci Fondo" at Baita Noa where there are ski services and a cross-country skiing school.
Snowboard
Excellent conditions for snowboarding on all the pistes.
