Alta Badia: skiing (and eating) at the top, the magical winter of the Dolomites

Winter in Alta Badia virtually begins on the Sunday before Christmas when, for many years now, the the men’s World Cup giant on the well-known Gran Risa slope. The track cuts through the forest and the mountain itself above the village of The Villa and it has existed for hundreds of years, long before skiing became a sport: it was the path through which the woodcutters climbed in the summer and brought down the trunks with which they would feed fireplaces and stoves in the winter. The mountain that then seemed to protect and sustain the town is still a source of wealth today because that slope – albeit difficult – is known throughout the world and is the image that represents the beauty of this part of the Dolomites.

Right on top of Piz La Ilaa few tens of meters from the starting gate, there is the Moritzinoa trendy retreat that in the last thirty years has hosted dinners, parties, apres-ski and New Years of Hollywood actors, crowned heads and legendary sportsmen: here, many years ago, the “Moritz” borrowed the helicopter with which a couple of Venetian industrialists had landed on the side of the runway and made a run to Chioggia to buy lobsters for lunch. From then on, everyone began to ask for fresh fish, despite being on the slopes, and he got ready to go there by car every night, returning at dawn.

In the mountains, there have always been great chefs and they have always been capable of transforming poor traditional ingredients into great dishes, but that was a turning point in the gastronomic offer on the slopes which was imitated in many refuges throughout the Alps – from Zermatt in St.Moritz – and which indeed is now flanked by an equally high-level but more authentic cuisine. A few years passed before the Alta Badia valley got numerous Michelin stars: three in San Cassiano al St. Hubertus by Norbert Niederkofler (which also has a “green” star for sustainable cooking) and an a Corvara at the Stua de Michil. These are unequivocal signs of a vocation for the quality of the offer which today can be found in every shelter, in every shelter and on every slope..

The Alpine Skiing World Cup

Usually, Alta Badia hosts only one race during the season but, exceptionally, this year he has two on his calendar – two men’s giants on Sunday 18th and Monday 19th December. On this occasion, thousands of enthusiasts will come to see the great champions (here Alberto Tomba made his fortune with three victories in the early 1990s) and to ski on the slopes of Col Alto, Boè, Pralongià, Cherz or Piz Sorega which are some of the most panoramic of all the Dolomites. Then, at the end of the race, everyone will want to sit down at the table: they will stop in one of the three hospitality areas which have been set up at the finish of the Gran Risa and which can accommodate many fans or they will go back up to enter one of the eight refuges which have a starred dish on the menu. The initiative «Skiing with taste»in fact, provides that throughout the ski season the dishes of some starred chefs from all over Italy are offered at “agreed” prices together with the usual ones: the already youngest three-star in the world Alexander Alajmofor example, has proposed its “cappuccino alla bolognese”, a sort of potato cream with meat sauce served in a cup.

And that’s not all: the weekend of skiing and flavors can well end on Monday morning when the San Cassiano and Corvara ski lifts will be opened early for SunRisa, the event that gives skiers the opportunity to get on the slopes before sunrise and then take a break with a hearty breakfast: in some refuges in the area such as the Tabla, Ütia de Bioch, Piz Arlara and the vegasthere is also the possibility of testing the “breakfast of champions” based on milk, cereals, eggs or fruit proposed with the support of a well-known sports nutritionist who certifies the correct caloric and nutritional intake for a day on the slopes.

Wine on the track

Throughout the winter, opportunities to test the flavors of South Tyrol on the slopes follow one another. For the event Sommelier on the track (January 17, February 7 and 14, March 7 and April 4), skiers will be accompanied on the slopes by a ski instructor and by a professional sommelier who, during the stop in the eight affiliated refuges, will let you taste the wines of the Alto Consortium Adige (reservation required at a cost of €40.00 per person) to the participants. Between 12 and 19 March instead in Badia, the first town in the valley, skiers can try the Roda dles Sausthe event dedicated to strictly traditional Ladin gastronomy – very tasty even if not starred – in the ski area of Ski tour La Cruscin which local producers participate first: don’t miss the potato gnocchi with goat cheese and watercress from the Nagler Hut or the pressed dumplings with gray cheese with hooded salad from the Refuge Le.