Introduction
Cortina d'Ampezzo is the most famous ski resort in Italy and in the world. Whether you love downhill skiing or snowboarding, whether you prefer cross-country skiing or you are a fan of ski mountaineering, on this page you'll find all the information you are looking for to ski in Cortina d'Ampezzo.
Downhill skiing
Maybe not everyone knows that the skiing tradition in Cortina has roots firmly anchored in the past: the first ski school in Italy was founded in Cortina d'Ampezzo in 1933. Since then, the Pearl of the Dolomites has always been at the center of the international ski scene.
Internationally renowned athletes have trained on these mountains; the 1956 Winter Olympics took place here; many competitions of the 2026 Winter Olympics will be held here, and athletes of the caliber of Kristian Ghedina have been forged here.
... over one thousand kilometers, or sixty miles, of downhill ski runs...
Cortina d'Ampezzo offers over one thousand and twenty kilometers, or sixty miles, of downhill ski runs, with thirty-four cableways and eighty-six slopes suitable for skiers and snowboarders of all levels, both more or less experienced. The sky areas are equipped with artificial snow systems to allow Cortina's guests to ski even in the less snowy seasons.
In order to ski, first of all, you need to have a ski pass. For this reason, the first place you should see is the Skipass office in "via Marconi," which you can also reach on the official website of the consortium. Once the bureaucracy is sorted out, you can finally think about where to go skiing.
If you need to rent or buy equipment, you don't have to worry; there are several rentals and sports shops that can help you.
On Cortina slopes, it's possible to train on technical ski runs, such as those of the Ski World Cup, or relax by eating in a mountain lodge and skiing on easy slopes, suitable for everyone, even children. Cortina's ski areas are divided into three main locations: the Mount "Tofane," the Mounts "Faloria and Cristallo," and the Mounts "Cinque Torri and Lagazuoi."
- The "Tofane" ski area is divided into 37 ski slopes, of which 6 are black diamonds (advanced), 12 are blue squares (intermediate), and 19 are green circles (beginner). It is served by 11 lifts, consisting of 1 cable car, 1 gondola lift, and 9 chairlifts. The slopes can be easily reached both from the locality of Socrepes and from the "Freccia nel Cielo" cable car. The "Tofane" ski area hosted most of the competitions of the 1956 Olympic Games and still hosts some international competitions, such as the female Ski World Championships. However, there are also easy slopes, such as those of "Socrepes" and "Pocol."
- The "Faloria" and "Cristallo" ski areas are subdivided into 15 ski slopes, of which 5 are black diamonds (advanced), 8 are blue squares (intermediate), and 2 are green circles (beginner). It is served by 7 lifts, consisting of 1 cable car, 5 chairlifts, and 1 skilift. The slopes can be easily reached both from the "Rio Gere" parking lot and the "Faloria" cable car. Every year, on the "Faloria" slopes, the Snowboard World Cup takes place.
- The "Cinque Torri" and "Lagazuoi" ski areas are subdivided into 16 ski slopes, of which 9 are blue squares (intermediate), and 7 are green circles (beginner). It is served by 7 lifts, consisting of 1 cable car, 5 chairlifts, and 1 skilift. The slopes can be easily reached from the "5 Torri" chairlift, from the "Lagazuoi" cable car, and also from "Col Gallina."
In addition to the ski lifts Cortina also offers many ski schools, with qualified instructors for every level, from the beginner to the most experienced and trained customers. In addition to ski instructors, there are also several rentals where you can rent your equipment if you need it.
If you need more detailed information about the ski slopes or the ski lifts, we suggest you contact the tourist information office in the town center. In addition to being qualified and professional, they also have a useful map of the ski facilities, which you can also see by clicking here.
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Cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a very pleasant and rewarding sport, with several positive sides. First of all, it is a discipline that allows you to use all the muscles in your body. Secondly, it is practiced by fewer people than downhill skiing, so the trails will probably be less crowded during the peak season. Thirdly, it's a sport that gives you more contact with nature and allows you to practice sport in a more sustainable way, without the need for ski lifts. As a last thing, it's also more accessible. The costs, compared to other winter disciplines, are certainly lower.
The place to be for cross-country skiing in Cortina is the Fiames Sport Nordic Center, where it's possible to buy ski passes, rent equipment, and enter the main cross-country skiing trails. From there start two illuminated rings, the trail of "Pian de Loa," the one of "Pian de ra Spines," and the trail of the former railroad, which allow you to ski along the same track of the "Dobbiaco-Cortina" race, a 42 km, or 36 miles, long classic technique race that has been held since 1977. It is one of the most important races on the Italian cross-country scene.
If you want something more difficult, it's also possible to practice this beautiful sport on the trails of "Passo Tre Croci," a very difficult trail only for experienced cross-country skiers. Remember that on the cross-country skiing trails, there is also a ticket fee that you have to pay.
If you want to start this discipline from scratch, it may be a good idea to contact an instructor. The coaches can be reached on the Cortina Dolomites cross-country ski school official website or at the Fiames Sport Nordic Center, the hub of cross-country skiing in Cortina.
You probably need to know that there is a free map of all cross-country skiing trails that you can find by clicking here. If you prefer to have it printed on a sheet, it should be available, free of charge, at the tourist information office in the town center.
Ski mountaineering
The history of ski mountaineering is much older than that of downhill skiing. Seal skins were used by the Nordic peoples long before the construction of the first ski lifts. For this reason, we could consider ski mountaineering the "purest" form of skiing in the mountains because it involves "earning" every descent with sweat. It is a complete sport, like cross-country skiing, because you also use the upper part of your body.
For lovers of ski mountaineering in Cortina, there are several off-piste routes that allow you to reach mountain lodges and peaks with the possibility of being accompanied by experienced guides.
To be practiced, ski mountaineering requires a fair amount of training as well as some experience descending on fresh snow. If you decide to approach this discipline, we recommend that you start very calmly and then gradually increase the length and difficulty of the trails.
In Cortina, it's easy to find a place where you can practice ski mountaineering. If you don't want to take the most impervious and wild trails, many mountain lodges, such as "Malga Federa," "Rifugio Dibona," or "Rifugio Mietres," are equipped with dedicated trails for the ascent with climbing skins. If you want to know more about these easy trails, you may read our page about the winter hikes in Cortina d'Ampezzo, which you can see below:
If you want to tackle more technical trails, we strongly recommend you seek a professional escort. The risks that you could run into while going ski mountaineering in inaccessible places are many, from falls to avalanches. We invite you to visit the official website of the Cortina Alpine Guides to find the professionals that will safely accompany you skiing off-track.
Hopefully it won't be necessary to remind all ski mountaineers that it is always necessary to have all the safety equipment with them: the famous Artva/Recco with probe and a shovel, as well as water, something to eat, a charged phone, and an emergency battery, as the cold temperatures will probably shorten the duration of the battery charge.
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Snowboard
Snowboarding in Cortina has been practiced since it started to spread in Italy. Initially, it was practiced with hard boards, creating some hussles for skiers who considered it dangerous. Today, these disagreements are a funny memory of the past
Snowboarding is practiced on the same slopes as downhill skiing, so much of what is written in the chapter on downhill skiing also applies to this discipline.
Unfortunately, in Cortina, there are still no specific trails for snowboarding, and although some ski resorts have tried to organize something in recent years, the thing has never consolidated into a definitive trail dedicated only to snowboarders.
On the slopes of Mount Faloria, at the end of the Franchetti slope, in the past years a small snow park with a half pipe of one hundred meters, some jumps, and some rails has been built, but we are not able to confirm that this will be done again in future years.
All the services related to snowboarding you may need are available in Cortina, such as instructors specializing in this discipline and the possibility of renting equipment.
For the lovers of this sport, since 2015, Cortina has hosted the World Cup of snowboarding at night on the slopes of Mount Faloria. This is one of the best occasions to celebrate a day on the snow, alternating sport and fun, as in the best tradition of snowboarders.
Safety tips
Always remember that winter sports, if practiced without consciousness, can be dangerous. If you are not sure of your abilities, the help of a sports instructor will allow you to safely get better results in less time. There are many ski schools in Cortina, as well as instructors, so you'll be spoilt for choice.
If you want to try skiing off the beaten trails, we strongly recommend that you always check the avalanche risk. Don't underestimate the danger of snow slides; you should rather overestimate them by a lot. Virtually every year, someone dies buried by an avalanche or a snowslide. We also recommend that you be accompanied by a guide, preferably a local one. The risks in the high mountains are many, and the experience, in this case, is priceless.
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More than skiing
Cortina in winter is not only skiing. On cold winter days, the sun goes down quite early, so you need to have plans to fill your evenings.
We have written several articles on this website, but there are two that should be more interesting than the others.
The first one we feel like recommending is about other things to do in Cortina in the winter. You can find it below:
The second article we want to recommend is dedicated to those who want to celebrate and have some fun in the various bars and clubs or in the mountain lodges. You can find it below:
Conclusion
We hope you liked this page on skiing in Cortina d'Ampezzo. Before saying goodbye, we would suggest you read our home page, with all the articles we wrote about Cortina d'Ampezzo.
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