Italian Dolomites Ski Mountaineering

Overview

The Dolomites do ski mountaineering like nowhere else in the Alps: pale walls of dolomite rising sheer from white valley floors, with couloirs threading improbably between the towers. The classic descent is the Val Mezdì, dropping 900 vertical metres through the heart of the Sella group from the Sass Pordoi cable car — a north-facing corridor of cold, protected powder walled in by orange rock. Across the Fedaia Pass, the Marmolada glacier gives the range's only true glacier descent from Punta Penia at 3,343 metres, the highest point in the Dolomites. The variable that catches people out is snowpack: the Dolomites are drier than the western Alps, and shallow, rocky early-season cover keeps the couloirs lean until February. Late February to April is the window, when freeze-thaw consolidates the steep lines. Hire a guide for the Marmolada and the tighter couloirs — crevasses and abseil entries are part of the deal. Base yourself in Cortina d'Ampezzo or Arabba. Around £2,000 per person covers a week with a guide split between four, lift passes and half-board in a valley hotel; the cable cars mean you earn descents without long approaches.

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Prefilled for 1 February 2027 — the next best-season window. Search on partner sites — opens in a new tab.