The Dolomites in Winter Without Skiing: What to Do, Valley by Valley

Valley by valley: what you'll find if you don't ski

Each valley has its strong point. Below, one line per valley tells you what it offers people who don't ski. The figures, times and prices are in the activity sections that follow.

• Val Gardena: the Resciesa sledge run above Ortisei, cross-country skiing at Monte Pana and in Vallunga, cable cars for non-skiers up to Seceda, the Pranives ice rink in Selva
• Alta Badia: the sledge run from Piz Sorega to San Cassiano, the Alta Badia cross-country centre, more than seventy kilometres of snowy trails, the frozen Lake Sompunt
• Alta Pusteria, between Sesto, San Candido and Dobbiaco: the 5 km Croda Rossa sledge run, the 120 km of cross-country trails at Dobbiaco, Prato Piazza, the Dobbiaco ice rink
• Cortina d'Ampezzo: the free cross-country trails at Fiames, the old railway line towards Cimabanche, the Cinque Torri chairlift for non-skiers too
• Val di Fassa and Val di Fiemme: sledge runs with a gondola at Passo Costalunga and Bellamonte, cross-country skiing at Lago di Tesero, Passo Lavazè and on the Marcialonga trail, the Sass Pordoi cable car, two indoor ice rinks
• Val di Funes: natural sledge runs you walk up to, no lifts for non-skiers
• Brenta Dolomites: the Monte Spinale sledge run, cross-country skiing at Campo Carlo Magno and the frozen Conca Verde pond, at Madonna di Campiglio
• Plan de Corones: gondolas with pedestrian tickets to the summit and the mountain museum, open in winter too
• Alpe di Siusi: 80 km of cross-country trails and four sledge runs, covered in the dedicated guide

Sledging: runs with a lift and runs you walk up

The easiest runs are the ones served by a lift: you ride up and sledge down, several times a day if you like. A helmet is compulsory for everyone on a sledge, adults included, and sledging down ski slopes is forbidden. In Val Gardena the tourist board also points out that, as a rule, you may not walk up or down a sledge run.

Above Ortisei the Resciesa run starts at the top station of the Resciesa funicular and ends at the middle station, so you can repeat it without going back down to the village. The official route sheet measures it at 2.8 km with a 408-metre descent, between 2,100 and 1,692 metres, while the tourist board page rounds it to 3 km. From the top station you can also walk to the Resciesa hut, where a link track joins the sledge run. Sledges can be hired at the valley station. In winter 2025/26 the funicular cost non-skiers 21 euros up and 32 return.

In Alta Pusteria the longest lift-served run is on Croda Rossa, above Moso in Sesto: 5 km with a 600-metre descent, and the gondola from Moso to the Croda Rossa meadows takes you to the start. In San Candido the Monte Baranci run is 2.1 km long, designed for families, and starts from the hut at the top of the chairlift. On Tuesdays and Fridays, from 7pm to 10pm, you can also sledge in the evening, with a head torch. The operator rents sledges on site and does not allow plastic sledges.

In Alta Badia the Tru dla liösa Foram run comes down from Piz Sorega, at 2,003 metres, to San Cassiano, at 1,537, through meadows and woods, and the Piz Sorega gondola takes you to the start. The official route sheet rates it easy. The official pages disagree on its length, so we do not give one. On three winter evenings, one in January, one in February and one in March, the run is lit and the gondola runs from 7.30pm to 10.30pm: the 2026/27 dates have not been published yet.

In Trentino the Hubertus run, at Passo Costalunga between Val di Fassa and Val d'Ega, is 1 km long: you ride up on the Hubertus gondola from Pra di Tori, and it is open from mid-December to the end of March thanks to artificial snow. The Fraina run, at Bellamonte, is 2 km long with a 235-metre descent, starts at 1,785 metres and is reached with the first section of the Le Fassane gondola. Both have sledge hire. Some pages for these runs still say helmets are only for minors: the law applies, and it requires them for everyone.

Above Madonna di Campiglio the Monte Spinale run is 2,743 metres long, with a 340-metre descent between 2,070 and 1,730 metres, and is open from 9am to 4pm. In winter 2025/26 the day ticket cost 24 euros in low season and 26 in high season, and included a return trip on the Spinale gondola and rides on the Spinale 2 chairlift. Sledge hire cost 10 euros. No walkers or skiers are allowed on the run, and bobsleds and plastic sledges are not permitted.

In Val di Funes there are no lifts: the runs are natural and you walk up. From the Gampen hut, at 2,065 metres, to Zannes, at 1,676, it is 3.5 km with a 389-metre descent. The longest in the provincial route sheets runs from the Geisler hut to Ranui, 6.4 km and 683 metres. The tourist board counts seven natural runs between Funes and Luson.

• Resciesa, Ortisei: 2.8 km, 408 m descent; Resciesa funicular
• Croda Rossa, Sesto: 5 km, 600 m descent; gondola from Moso
• Monte Baranci, San Candido: 2.1 km; chairlift; also open on Tuesday and Friday evenings
• Tru dla liösa Foram, San Cassiano: from 2,003 to 1,537 m; Piz Sorega gondola
• Monte Spinale, Madonna di Campiglio: 2,743 m long, 340 m descent; Spinale gondola and Spinale 2 chairlift
• Obereggen, below the Latemar: 2.5 km, 280 m descent; Ochsenweide gondola; lit on Tuesdays and Fridays from 7pm to 10pm
• Fraina, Bellamonte: 2 km, 235 m descent; Le Fassane gondola
• Hubertus, Passo Costalunga: 1 km; Hubertus gondola
• Gampen hut to Zannes, Val di Funes: 3.5 km, 389 m descent; on foot
• Geisler hut to Ranui, Val di Funes: 6.4 km, 683 m descent; on foot

Cross-country skiing: centres, distances and tickets

The widest cross-country ticket is the one from Dolomiti NordicSki, the circuit that links eight areas across South Tyrol, East Tyrol, Cortina and Comelico. For winter 2026/27 the weekly pass costs 65 euros at sales points and 75 if you buy it on the trail from the ticket inspector; the season pass costs 145 euros, with 10 euros off if you buy it by 5 December 2026. Under-14s ski free. Day tickets are sold by each area separately, and insurance is not compulsory for cross-country skiing.

Val Gardena declares more than 133 km of trails. The Monte Pana centre, above Santa Cristina, has more than 30, from the easy 2.5 km Mont Dessot to the 7.5 km Val Scura with a 272-metre climb, and an 8 km black trail links it to Alpe di Siusi. Vallunga, a 15-20 minute walk from the church in Selva, has 19 km between 1,600 and 1,800 metres, with 1.5 and 3 km loops for beginners and a 10 km trail that runs to the head of the valley. The Monte Pana/Alpe di Siusi ticket costs 10 euros a day, 52 a week and 125 for the season: these are the prices published in September 2026, with no year given, and they do not include lifts.

In Alta Pusteria the 3 Zinnen tourist board declares more than 200 km of trails, and the Dobbiaco centre, the Nordic Arena, 120. From there trail 11 runs to Cimabanche, on the road to Cortina: 17.3 km according to the official route sheet. In Val Fiscalina, above Sesto, there is a 4.5 km loop, and at Prato Piazza you ski at 2,000 metres.

In Cortina the Fiames trails are free, and from there you climb towards Cimabanche along the old railway line. The most technical trail, 10 km, is at Passo Tre Croci, at 1,800 metres: tickets there are sold on site or at the tourist office. With the Dolomiti NordicSki pass the ski bus from Cortina to Tre Croci is included.

In Val di Fiemme the tourist board counts more than 150 km. The Lago di Tesero centre is open from December to mid-March thanks to artificial snow, on Tuesdays and Thursdays the trails stay lit until 9pm, and the provincial listing describes it as free. At Passo Lavazè there are more than 80 km of trails: in the 2025/26 season a day ticket cost 13 euros and a weekly one 65. The Marcialonga trail, which climbs from Molina di Fiemme towards Moena and continues into Val di Fassa, is groomed all winter on alternate days, from 8am to 5pm, and is reserved for skiers except for a signed stretch between Mazzin and Canazei.

In Val di Fassa the trails at Pozza, 10 km, and Mazzin-Campitello, 12 km, are free, and at Passo San Pellegrino there is the Alochet centre, which charges a fee. At Campo Carlo Magno, above Madonna di Campiglio, the centre declares 22 km on certified loops. In Alta Badia the cross-country centre, between Armentarola and San Cassiano, has 26, of which 6 with artificial snow. Other areas are on the cross-country and sledging page.

• Val Gardena: more than 133 km; Monte Pana more than 30, Vallunga 19
• Alta Pusteria: more than 200 km according to the tourist board, 120 at the Dobbiaco Nordic Arena
• Val di Fiemme: more than 150 km; Passo Lavazè more than 80
• Val di Fassa: Pozza 10 km and Mazzin-Campitello 12 km, free
• Alta Badia: 26 km at the cross-country centre
• Madonna di Campiglio: 22 km at Campo Carlo Magno
• Alpe di Siusi: 80 km, in the dedicated guide
• Dolomiti NordicSki pass 2026/27: 65 euros a week, 145 for the season, free for under-14s

Walking on snow: the groomed trails

On groomed winter trails sturdy winter shoes are enough. Snowshoes are for fresh snow, and for those there is the snowshoeing guide. You do not walk on ski slopes: Dolomiti Superski explicitly forbids it. Also check how a route is classified: many route sheets in Val di Fassa and Madonna di Campiglio are snowshoe routes, so they are not necessarily groomed.

In Val Gardena the classic walk is in Vallunga, 7.5 km with a 200-metre climb in 2 hours, on easy ground, and for snowshoes there is the Vallunga snowshoe hike. From Ortisei to San Giacomo it is 6.1 km with a 365-metre climb, in 1 hour 57.

Alta Badia declares more than seventy kilometres of snowy trails. The artists' trail from La Villa to San Cassiano is 5.2 km long, with a 235-metre climb, in 1 hour 40. From Corvara to Colfosco it is 6.1 km in 1 hour 41, on easy ground.

In Alta Pusteria the easiest high-altitude walk goes from Prato Piazza to the Vallandro hut: 2 km with a 40-metre climb, in 31 minutes. The toll road from Ponticello has restrictions that change with the season, and in winter a shuttle runs from Ponticello. From Val Campo di Dentro, above Sesto, to the Tre Scarperi hut it is 5.3 km with a 364-metre climb, in 2 hours. In Dobbiaco the lake loop is 1.7 km long, in 45 minutes.

In Cortina you reach the Ra Stua hut from the Sant Hubertus car park on a groomed road: the official route sheet gives 6.3 km return, a 332-metre climb and 3 hours. To the Mietres hut it is 5 km with a 340-metre climb, in 2 hours.

In Val di Fiemme, from Passo Lavazè to the Costa hut it is 5.2 km with an 80-metre climb, in 2 hours, on an easy route. In Val Venegia the forest road from Pian dei Casoni to the Venegia hut is groomed in winter, and the full loop suggested by the Fiemme tourist board is 14.9 km long, with a 500-metre climb and 5 hours of walking. In Val di Funes the loop from Zannes to the Gampen hut, on a groomed forest road, is 6.9 km with a 400-metre climb, in 2 hours 13.

• Vallunga, Selva di Val Gardena: 7.5 km, 200 m climb, 2 hours
• Ortisei to San Giacomo: 6.1 km, 365 m climb, 1 hour 57
• Artists' trail, La Villa to San Cassiano: 5.2 km, 235 m climb, 1 hour 40
• Prato Piazza to the Vallandro hut: 2 km, 40 m climb, 31 minutes
• Val Campo di Dentro to the Tre Scarperi hut: 5.3 km, 364 m climb, 2 hours
• Ra Stua hut from Sant Hubertus, return: 6.3 km, 332 m climb, 3 hours
• Passo Lavazè to the Costa hut: 5.2 km, 80 m climb, 2 hours
• Zannes to the Gampen hut, Val di Funes: 6.9 km, 400 m climb, 2 hours 13

Going up without skiing: cable cars and pedestrian tickets

Dolomiti Superski does not sell a pedestrian pass. Its rules say gondolas and cable cars can be used without skis, that not all chairlifts take pedestrians and that walking on the slopes is forbidden. In practice you buy single rides at the ticket office, or a points card: in winter 2025/26 it cost 50 euros for 600 points, 80 for 1,000 and 150 for 2,100, it was transferable and valid only in the season it was bought.

In Val Gardena the pedestrian price list for winter 2025/26 included, among others, Seceda from Ortisei at 43 euros up and 59 return, Col Raiser at 21 and 32, Ciampinoi at 20 and 28, and Dantercëpies at 19 and 28. The 2026/27 list was not online in September.

On Plan de Corones the 2026/27 prices are already out. On the Kronplatz 1+2 and Ried-Gipfel gondolas, or on the Olang 1+2 from Valdaora, the ride up costs 25 euros and the return trip 36. Young people born between 2009 and 2018 pay 13 and 18 euros. On Kronplatz 1+2 and Ried-Gipfel, children born between 2019 and 2023 ride free with an adult holding the same ticket; on the Olang lifts they pay the youth fare. From San Vigilio di Marebbe the Corones Ticket covers the four lifts to the summit: 24 euros up, 36 return. At the top the Messner Mountain Museum Corones is open from 28 November 2026 to 11 April 2027, 10am to 4pm, every day.

In Val di Fassa, in winter 2025/26, the Sass Pordoi cable car from Passo Pordoi and the Col Rodella gondola from Campitello cost 17 euros up and 30 return. The Lift&Walk ticket, covering four lifts from Canazei to Sass Pordoi and Col dei Rossi, cost 55 euros, 30 for young people. For winter 2026/27 the Sass Pordoi cable car is listed as open from 22 December.

In Cortina the Cinque Torri chairlift, in winter 2025/26, cost 19 euros up and 26 return, 14 and 17 for under-18s, and children under 8 rode free with their parents. In San Martino di Castrozza, in the same season, the Colverde gondola and Rosetta cable car together cost 27.50 euros return. For Alta Badia, the Tre Cime area and the Tofana and Lagazuoi cable cars we found no winter pedestrian price list with the year stated. The general rules are on the lifts page.

• Plan de Corones, winter 2026/27: 25 euros up, 36 return
• Seceda from Ortisei, winter 2025/26: 43 euros up, 59 return
• Col Raiser, winter 2025/26: 21 euros up, 32 return
• Sass Pordoi and Col Rodella, winter 2025/26: 17 euros up, 30 return
• Cinque Torri, winter 2025/26: 19 euros up, 26 return
• Colverde and Rosetta, San Martino di Castrozza, winter 2025/26: 27.50 euros return
• Dolomiti Superski points card, winter 2025/26: 50, 80 or 150 euros

Ice skating: rinks and frozen lakes

The Dobbiaco ice rink has already published its winter 2026/27 prices: 5.70 euros for adults, 4.80 from 14 to 20, 4 from 8 to 14, free under 8, and 4.20 euros extra for skate hire. It is open from early September to mid-April.

In Val Gardena the Pranives ice stadium in Selva is open to the public from mid-December to early April. In Santa Cristina the outdoor rink at the Iman centre opens in winter from 4.30pm to 6.30pm, weather permitting, and costs 5 euros including skates. In Ortisei there is the Setil rink, open daily from late November, with skate hire.

In Val di Fassa the Gianmario Scola ice rink in Alba di Canazei has an indoor 30 by 60 metre rink. Entry costs 8 euros with your own skates and 10 with hire, according to the tourist board page, which gives no year, and sessions are cut back when there are hockey games. The Cavalese ice stadium is open to the public from December to March and in August. In Madonna di Campiglio, in winter 2025/26, skating on the frozen Conca Verde pond cost 18 euros including skates.

In Cortina the Olympic Ice Stadium has a 30 by 60 metre rink used in winter and summer. In September 2026 the operator's page lists it as closed to the public: check before you go. In Alta Badia you can skate on Lake Sompunt, in Badia, which freezes naturally, with skate hire on site.

Mountain lakes are not a place to improvise. At Lago di Braies, going onto the lake when it is frozen is forbidden.

• Dobbiaco, indoor: 5.70 euros for adults in winter 2026/27, skate hire 4.20 euros
• Pranives, Selva di Val Gardena, indoor: mid-December to early April
• Iman centre, Santa Cristina, outdoor: 4.30pm to 6.30pm, 5 euros including skates
• Gianmario Scola, Alba di Canazei, indoor: 8 euros, 10 with hire
• Conca Verde, Madonna di Campiglio, frozen pond: 18 euros including skates in winter 2025/26
• Lake Sompunt, Badia: natural ice, hire on site

Safety: helmets, avalanches and insurance

Since 10 August 2025 a helmet has been compulsory for everyone, at any age, for alpine skiing, snowboarding, telemark and sledging. This is set by article 17 of Italian Legislative Decree 40 of 2021, which previously applied only to minors. The fine is 100 to 150 euros, and if you are caught again your ski pass can be withdrawn or suspended for one to three days. Under the same law sledge runs are part of the equipped ski areas. If an operator's page still says helmets are only for under-18s, the law applies.

Away from the slopes, article 26 of the same law requires an avalanche transceiver, shovel and probe for anyone walking in snowy terrain, snowshoes included, when snow conditions carry an avalanche risk. At the entrance to Val San Nicolò, in Val di Fassa, there is a transceiver checkpoint. Read the bulletin before you set off. For South Tyrol and Trentino it is the Euregio bulletin on avalanche.report, published every day at 5pm with the forecast until 5pm the next day. For Cortina and the Veneto Dolomites it is ARPAV's Dolomiti Neve e Valanghe, published on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Danger is given on the five-level European scale, from low to very high.

Third-party liability insurance is compulsory for anyone using alpine ski slopes. For cross-country skiing the Dolomiti NordicSki circuit states that it is not, while on the Latemar sledge runs the operator requires it. In an emergency call 112. The general rules, from equipment to rescue, are on the mountain safety page.