ortler ski tour - (Northern italy)
The Ortler-Cervadale group lies in northern Italy, just below the Austrian and Swiss borders. This area is the border between Italian and German speaking areas and was the front line in World War 1. Evidence of the battles can been seen at some of the passes with barb wire and machine gun placements. Large parts of this range are now protected in a National Park. Although this is a high, mountainous and heavily glaciated area, there are no peaks above 4000m. This makes the area less famous and less crowded than the nearby Haute Route.
Although some of the strategically located huts started as military bases, they are anything but Spartan. The Ortler traverse is sometimes known as the Cappuccino traverse, the Italians know how to live well. Good food, good drink and comfortable rooms are the trademark of this tour. Many nights we will sleep two people to a room, sometimes even with your own washroom. All huts have showers.
This tour focuses more on skiing, than traversing from one area to another. In fact the tour starts and finishes in the same town, Santa Caterina. There are many high peaks to bag and long ski runs down. We seldom have to carry our skis and we often spend two nights in the same hut, which eliminates the pressure of having to make it to the next hut. There is a lot of skiable terrain in this area and many different options for loops. When the tour is finished you can visit the 2000 year old Roman baths in Bormio.
Dates: April 4-10, 2010
Price: $2075 Canadian, minimum 4 people
Meeting Place: Santa Caterina, Italy
- IFMGA mountain guide
- Group safety equipment; rope, radio
- Hut fees
- Breakfast and dinner
- Use of avalanche transceivers
- Airfare
- Lunch, snack food and drinks
- Trip or rescue insurance
- Ground transportation
Also see guides, accomodation, requirements and gear that you will need.