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The
Ladins have always called it this, from the time when there
were a few mud tracks and no ski-lifts. It was the circuit
on skis around this massif in the Dolomites, the Sella, across
the four passes, which the Ladins used in order to keep in
contact with the other inhabitants in the area. Nowadays the
name still means the circuit around the Sella massif but it
has also come to indicate what amounts to a sort of merry-go-round
for skiers, the only one of its kind, a series of ski-lifts
and downhill runs, all linked to one another and set against
a background of woods, rocky peaks and expanses of snow that
is no exaggeration to call extraordinary.
Joining
the skiing circuit is easy: just follow the roads that take
you to one of the four villages around the Sella mountain:
Selva di Val Gardena, Corvara, Canazei, Arabba. The length
of the circuit, including both, ski lifts and ski runs, is
a little less than 40 km and it is an easy route to ski along.
But, because it is high up in the mountains, you need to check
the weather forecast in order to avoid running into snowfalls
or high winds which can turn what is supposed to be an enjoyable
day out into an unpleasant and risky enterprise, with the
danger of getting stranded. Any skier interested in doing
the Sellaronda must be fit, even if the runs themselves are
of middling difficulty rather than advances.
The
time spent on ski lifts of teh Sellaronda is about two hours
altogether, without counting the time spent queuing for them
or having a break in one of the many refuges dotted along
the circuit.
Some more instructions: you are advised to start the circuit
no later than 10.00 in the morning, although it is a good
idea to start even earlier, especially if it is the first
time you have tried it. Another word of warning: you must
reach the last Pass by 15.30 otherwise you will miss the last
ski lifts; they close between 16.00 and 16.30. All of the
runs together take about one and a half hours, depending on
how good a skier you are.
Text:
Dolomiti Superski
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