Val Gardena Ski Resort intermediate

Val Gardena / Intermediate

Val Gardena and the Sella Ronda haven't got the reputation for huge mileage that some of the mega French resorts enjoy but they should be high on any intermediate's list.

It's the bigger skiing picture – great mountain huts with excellent food and on-mountain après-ski, stunning views, and charming villages at the end of the day – as well as extensive and well groomed slopes with great snow-making, that make the area special. And it's not short of mileage either. In fact there’s really nothing that the region lacks for this type of skier: it’s all good, with few no-go areas. None of the major routes are broken by tricky sections requiring advanced skiing skills and in a place where you’ll want to explore far and wide it’s comforting to know that all corners of the region will be within your capability.

Sella Ronda – this 26km circuit (see ‘Ski area’) was built for you. It’s easy all the way as you circumnavigate the large collection of (off-piste only) mountains known as the Sella Group. It’s not the kind of adventure you should lose sleep over – signposts are at every junction, colour coded according to your direction of tour (clockwise or anti) – and is within reach of modest intermediates. But it is a long way - once you approach halfway, remember that it’s the same again and there are no shortcuts, so start early and keep the inevitable pit-stops brief to ensure you make the last lift home.

Selva – this is an excellent ski area in its own right and with some of the best vertical in these parts. The two sides of the valley give hugely different ski experiences, and the steeper pitches to the south side can present a tough, icy challenge which is at odds with the general ski experience, so don’t get caught out by a grim last run down. A better way to enjoy the last sun of the day is to head up towards the Passo Sella, meandering home through the Citta dei Sassi (‘rock garden’), followed by several options for dropping back down into the valley.

Seceda – though the base stations to north and south of Santa Cristina are now linked by underground train, the Col Raiser and Seceda area still feels miles apart from the rest of the valley, with distant views to the Gruppo Sella and across to Sassolungo. The skiing is wide open up top, with a wonderful rolling meandering descent between forest and back to town. Heading dramatically below the massive cliffs of Seceda, the route to Ortisei - a single long red run - makes a splendid onward link and though there are no bail-out options, nervous intermediates should relax and enjoy the magnificent ambience as you ski down into the wide forested valley.

Alpe di Siusi – as good for intermediates as for beginners, there’s a lot of skiing here and a fabulous sense of moving through the landscape. Though the vertical is limited to around 500m, it feels like much more, with several sustained runs taking in a mix of open, wide piste and broad swathes through forested hillsides.