Asking which is the finest ski area in the Dolomites gets you nowhere: they are all fine, and whoever answers is selling something. The question you can take on with numbers is a different one: which area is built for the kind of skier you are.
Here are the kilometres of piste, the number of lifts, the lowest and highest point and the opening and closing dates of the last recorded season, area by area. They come from the open data of the autonomous Province of Bolzano and we checked them on 11 August 2026.
One caveat that changes how you read the table: that source covers South Tyrol. The Trentino and Veneto areas are not in it, and we have not invented them.
One ski pass, twelve consortia
Almost all the areas discussed here belong to Dolomiti Superski, the federation that brings twelve valley consortia under a single ski pass. That is why you can ski different areas on the same card, and also why the price of the pass was the subject of a competition authority case, closed in August 2026: we wrote about it in the piece on the refunds.
For anyone choosing, the practical consequence is that comparing areas is not comparing tickets: with the multi-day pass you use them all. What really changes is where you sleep, how far you drive each morning and what kind of pistes you have on the doorstep.
The numbers, area by area
Kilometres of piste, lifts, lowest and highest point, plus the dates of the last recorded season, 2025/26. The dates help you sense when an area usually opens and closes, they are not a booking: the new season always has to be checked locally.
- Alpe di Siusi and Val Gardena: 175-181 km, 80-81 lifts, from 1,220 to 2,520 m, 5 December to 6 April
- Alta Badia: 130 km, 53 lifts, from 1,324 to 2,778 m, 4 December to 4 April
- Kronplatz: 120 km, 32 lifts, from 950 to 2,275 m, 29 November to 19 April
- 3 Zinnen Dolomites: 110 km, 32 lifts, from 1,154 to 2,200 m, 30 November to 21 April
- Gitschberg Jochtal: 55 km, 15 lifts, from 1,300 to 2,500 m, 5 December to 16 April
- Obereggen: 48 km, 18 lifts, from 1,550 to 2,500 m, 30 November to 21 April
- Carezza: 40 km, 14 lifts, from 1,182 to 2,337 m, 7 December to 30 March
- Oclini: 7 km, 4 lifts, from 1,850 to 2,220 m, 6 December to 10 April
Why Alpe di Siusi and Val Gardena have two figures
The source publishes two separate records for the same area, one with 175 kilometres and 81 lifts, the other with 181 and 80. We do not know which is the current one, so we give both rather than pick one and present it as certain.
This kind of detail usually gets hidden, and to us the opposite seems right: if an official source contradicts itself, the reader has a right to know. The gap is three per cent anyway, and it changes no decision.
What the numbers say about who fits where
The lowest point is the most underrated figure in the table, because it decides the snow. Kronplatz starts at 950 metres: it has the lowest valley run of them all, and at the start and end of the season that is the part that suffers. Obereggen starts at 1,550 and Oclini at 1,850: small, but high, and they hold.
The kilometres matter if you ski all day and get bored repeating the same runs. Below fifty kilometres, like Carezza and Obereggen, you have seen everything in three days: perfect for beginners, families and half days, much less so for anyone clocking up mileage.
The ratio of lifts to kilometres says something else again: Alta Badia has 53 lifts over 130 kilometres, Kronplatz 32 over 120. More lifts per kilometre means tighter connections and less time lost, but also more crossings and more queueing on busy days.
The highest point, finally, is the thermometer for sunny days in March: Alta Badia reaches 2,778 metres and is the area in this table that copes best with spring.
What this table does not say
It says nothing about Trentino and Veneto, because those areas are not in the source we use. Val di Fassa, Val di Fiemme, San Martino di Castrozza, Arabba, Marmolada, Civetta and Cortina stay out, and estimating them would be dishonest.
It says nothing about this year's snow: these are structural figures, not conditions. For those we keep a separate series on the measuring stations, visible on the page about the data we check, which in winter also appears on the valley pages.
And it says nothing about prices, which change by day, season and card type. How the ski pass works and what it costs is in the Dolomiti Superski ski pass guide, while the general picture of skiing here is in the guide to skiing in the Dolomites.
Frequently asked questions
Which is the largest ski area in the Dolomites?
Among the South Tyrolean areas we can verify, Alpe di Siusi and Val Gardena, with 175 or 181 kilometres of piste depending on the record published by the source, and around eighty lifts. Then come Alta Badia with 130 kilometres and Kronplatz with 120.
Do you need a different ski pass for each area?
No. Almost all of them are inside Dolomiti Superski, the federation bringing twelve valley consortia under a single pass: with the multi-day version you use them all. What changes is where you sleep and how far you drive each morning.
Which area has the most reliable snow?
The lowest point is the best indicator. Obereggen starts at 1,550 metres and Oclini at 1,850: small but high. Kronplatz starts at 950, has the lowest valley run and suffers most at the start and end of the season.
When do the lifts open and close?
In the last recorded season, 2025/26, openings ran from 29 November to 7 December and closings from 30 March to 21 April, depending on the area. They give a sense of the usual window: the new season always has to be checked before you leave.
Why are the Trentino and Veneto areas missing?
Because the source we use, the open data portal of the autonomous Province of Bolzano, covers South Tyrol. Val di Fassa, Val di Fiemme, San Martino, Arabba, Marmolada, Civetta and Cortina are not in it, and we would rather say so than estimate figures we do not have.
Where does this data come from?
From the South Tyrol Open Data Hub, the open data portal of the autonomous Province of Bolzano. We checked it on 11 August 2026 and every figure sits in our public dataset with its source and its check date.