Arabba Marmolada

Our Take

Arabba sits at the junction of the Dolomites' most dramatic terrain, with the Marmolada -- the Queen of the Dolomites at 3,343 meters -- providing the area's signature glacier skiing and visual backdrop. The Arabba ski area itself is the steepest and most technical in the broader Dolomiti Superski network, with challenging pistes that attract experts who find most of the Dolomites' intermediate-weighted terrain underwhelming. The Porta Vescovo peak at 2,476 meters provides the main area's technical black runs. Arabba connects to the Sella Ronda circuit -- the famous 40km ski route linking four Dolomite valleys -- which means it's simultaneously a technical expert base and a starting point for one of skiing's great cross-resort adventures. The Marmolada glacier is accessed via a separate gondola system and adds summer skiing to the area's repertoire. The village of Arabba is small, authentic, and free of the synthetic luxury that characterizes some Dolomite resorts -- the skiing is the attraction, and the accommodation serves the skiing rather than the reverse.

Nerd Stats

Fun Facts

• The Marmolada glacier summit at 3,343 meters is the highest point in the Dolomites -- and a sobering reminder that Alpine glaciers are shrinking rapidly.
• Arabba is one of four towns on the Sella Ronda circuit -- you can ski the 40km loop connecting Arabba, Corvara, Canazei, and Selva Gardena in a single day.
• Porta Vescovo's black runs have average gradients of 30-35% -- steep by Dolomite standards where most terrain is emphatically intermediate.
• The Dolomiti Superski pass covers 1,200km of pistes across 12 ski areas -- Arabba is the technical anchor of the network.