Skiing in Dolomites

The Dolomites hold a piece of skiing that exists nowhere else: a full lift-linked circuit around the Sella massif, skied as one continuous loop in either direction, anchoring the vast Dolomiti Superski network. You spend a whole day working your way around a mountain by lift and piste, ending where you began, with those pink limestone walls towering over every run.

The appeal is the combination of gentle skiing and outrageous scenery. The circuit suits a confident intermediate — it's about linking runs and reading the map, not steep terrain — and takes the best part of a day to complete, so it's an outing in itself rather than just another lift pass. Mountain huts along the way serve some of the best food in the ski world.

Start early to be sure of closing the loop before the last lifts, and pick your direction with the guidebook in hand. Few days on skis anywhere feel this much like a journey through a landscape.

A confident intermediate can complete the loop in a day; no off-piste, no touring gear, follow coloured signs.

Buy a Dolomiti Superski pass and follow the orange (clockwise) or green (counter-clockwise) Sella Ronda signs from any of the four passes; start early to close the loop before the last lifts.