3 Zinnen Dolomites: the ski area of Sesto and San Candido

Figures and altitude

The ski area gives 115 km of slopes and 30 lifts, with blue, red and black runs, but it does not say how many kilometres there are of each. The highest point, 2,200 m, is on Monte Elmo. The lowest altitude is not on the website: the South Tyrol Open Data Hub puts it at 1,154 m.

The Open Data Hub, shown in the box on this page, gives 110 km and 32 lifts, and splits the kilometres as 44.1 blue, 53.7 red and 12.2 black. On those figures red runs outweigh blue ones here, the opposite of Alta Badia.

The official website says the Helmissimo gondola at Versciaco was closed in summer 2026 for building work. Before you travel, check the official timetable to make sure it is running in winter.

The runs and who they suit

The ski area presents itself as family-friendly, with wide runs and children's areas, but it also has steep terrain: the Open Data Hub entry mentions the Holzriese, with a 72% gradient, as one of the steepest runs in Italy.

The Giro delle Cime is the route the ski area suggests if you want to ski several mountains in one day: five mountains, 35 km of slopes and 11 lifts, on a single pass. The website advises against doing it on a snowboard because some runs are unsuitable, and it also offers a guided tour. The stages:

• Go up from Versciaco, or with the Helmjet from Sesto, to 2,200 m on Monte Elmo, then ski down the sunny side to the Stiergarten gondola
• From Stiergarten the Tre Cime run goes down to the valley station of the Signaue gondola, which takes you up to Croda Rossa
• From Croda Rossa, home to a family of giant snowmen, ski down to the Monte Croce Pass and the Marc Girardelli run; after a stretch on a drag lift, carry on towards Bagni di Valgrande
• The SALTO ski bus takes you to the Val Comelico Ski Area, where the Col d'la Tenda chairlift goes up; the bus then brings you back to Signaue
• The Tre Cime gondola takes you back to Stiergarten; after a short ride on the Stiergarten gondola, a black run leads down to the Helmjet, which climbs to the top of Monte Elmo
• The tour ends on the 4.75 km Helmissimo run down to Versciaco, or on the run down to Sesto

Getting there and where to park

Sesto is reached from San Candido or, from the Comelico side, over the Monte Croce Pass. Bus 446 runs from San Candido and stops at the valley stations: Sesto Funivie Monte Elmo, Cabinovia Croda Rossa, Signaue and Passo Monte Croce.

Car parks at the valley stations listed on the official website:

By train: Versciaco station, about 3 km from the centre of San Candido, is linked to the Monte Elmo lifts, and bus 447 runs from there to San Candido and Prato alla Drava. With the South Tyrol Guest Pass, which you get when staying with a member of a local tourist association, public transport across South Tyrol is free, and in winter so is the Ski Pustertal Express. More options in our guide to the Dolomites without a car.

• Helmjet, Sesto (Via Dolomiti 45): paid; the Waldheim drag lift car park, at the same address, is open in winter only
• Croda Rossa: right at the gondola, at the entrance to Val Fiscalina
• Signaue: at the gondola valley station
• Monte Croce Pass: paid
• Monte Baranci, San Candido: free with a valid lift ticket

Lift passes

As of mid-September 2026 the ski area has not yet published its winter prices, and it recommends buying tickets through the 3 Zinnen Dolomites app.

Dolomiti Superski is valid here as in the other areas, and you need it if you also want to ski Kronplatz via the Ski Pustertal Express. In 2026/27 it costs €80 a day for an adult in early and regular season and €89 in peak season (price list published by Kronplatz). Everything on the single pass is in our Dolomiti Superski pass guide.

For night skiing on Monte Baranci, lift tickets and multi-day passes of 4 days or more are valid; day passes are not.

Beginners and children

Monte Baranci is the mountain the ski area recommends for first-timers: five lifts and 23 km of easy runs, with a four-seater chairlift leaving from the centre of San Candido. Under-18s get reduced prices here, and parents can watch their children from the terraces of the huts beside the slopes.

For the youngest there are also the drag lifts on the valley floor, with gentle slopes and few people according to the ski area: Waldheim at Sesto, Rienza at Dobbiaco and the lift at Braies. The local ski schools run children's courses and equipment hire is available on site.

Beyond downhill skiing

Tobogganing: from the top station of the six-seater Croda Rossa gondola, a 5 km run with a 600 m drop leads back down to the valley station. On Monte Baranci the run is more than 2 km long and suits children. Children under 10 must be with an adult, and sledging on the ski slopes is not allowed.

Night skiing and tobogganing on Monte Baranci: last season, from 26 December 2025 to 14 March 2026, every Tuesday and Friday from 7pm to 10pm, under the floodlights used for the World Cup, with a toboggan run of about 3 km. You need a head torch for tobogganing. On those evenings the ski area suggests a stop at the Rifugio Gigante Baranci.

Cross-country: the area has more than 200 km of trails, with the Nordic Arena stadium at Dobbiaco and the trail from Dobbiaco to Cortina d'Ampezzo; among its routes the website mentions the Landro valley, with views of the Tre Cime, and Val Fiscalina. For snowshoeing see our snowshoe guide, and for the rest cross-country and tobogganing.

Links to other ski areas

Kronplatz: the Ski Pustertal Express runs from Versciaco station, below Monte Elmo, to the Ried gondola station at Kronplatz in about 35 minutes. Together the two areas have more than 200 km of slopes; to use the lifts of both on one ticket you need Dolomiti Superski. The train ticket is not included in the lift pass.

Comelico: the Giro delle Cime crosses into the Val Comelico Ski Area, in the province of Belluno, by SALTO ski bus.

The ski area is close to the Austrian border, but the five mountains of the Giro delle Cime are all in Italy, between South Tyrol and the Comelico.