Cortina D'Ampezzo, Host 1956

After leaving Innsbruck on an expensive (20 Euros in Tolls) but very scenic drive, we arrived at the winter playground of Italy’s upper classes, Cortina D’Ampezzo.  Cortina, unlike nearby Val Gardena, is primarily a domestic, very Italian tourist destination.  Fur coats, or shiny puffy down jackets are the order of the day when walking down Corsa Italia.  There were few foreign tourists and I don’t think the Italians were too bothered about this, I think they are content in making Cortina their own secret.  While most resorts have changed with ski-in ski out condos/ hotel spread on a mountain-side without character and a standard base area, Cortina refuses to change and has older independent hotels catering to Italy’s affluent classes.   It is a rather large ski town and most ski areas must be driven to or take a bus to.

Cortina hosted the 1956 Olympics, and fifty years on much of the infrastructure is still here.  The Olympic stadium is still used for its original purpose.  I think it has actually aged quite well, even with the new roof on it. The gondola to the Olympic pistes doesn’t look like it has changed much in 50 years, the bobsled run is still there but a little worse for wear and the ski jump is still standing but has been abandoned.  The Olympics here were a success except for one thing, a lack of snow.  The Italian Army was brought in to truck snow down from higher elevations for the skiing to take place.  We too experienced snow scarcity, I think this a common theme in the Dolomites. Nonetheless most of the runs were open.   On the flip side we had fantastic weather, never a cloud in the sky and enjoyed the spring skiing in the +15C temperatures.

Stadio Olimpico then and Now

We got the Dolomiti Superski Pass which allows you to ski on an incredible 1200km of pistes.  The same distance of London to Oslo or for Canadians Toronto to Halifax.   With so many ski areas, on-piste ski touring is the order of the day here.  Unlike Austria, where people seem to skin up pistes, Italians prefer to install moving walkways to help them up the uphill parts.  The Grande Guerra retraces a World War 1 Battle line, but involves a few short bus trips. We did the Sella Ronda, which involves skiing around the imposing Sella Massif on easy Red and Blue Runs.  It is a must do for those visiting the Dolomites, and one must also take breaks at the numerous rifugis on the route and sample the cuisine.  We started the Sella Ronda from the Ski town of Arabba which has some great skiing on the gondola served runs.  In fact the drive from Cortina, to Arabba is a highlight of the day and has to be one of the most scenic hour long drives in the world. 

Ski touring - Italian Style

We actually found the best skiing to be around Cortina, with the large Tofana area and Faloria area on the opposite side the best days skiing we had this year.  Tofana, has great views and a wide variety of intermediate skiing.  The 1956 Downhill course, which is still used as a women’s FIS Downhill tour stop, is great, it starts with a steep descent between two Dolomite “towers” then is a challenging red run to the bottom.  We spent the morning in Col Rosa where the conditions were great. 

Downhill Course Start

Faloria didn’t look promising from the lift station, but as we explored the area more the more impressed we were.  It is a small’ish area with a lot of variety of runs cutting through a pine forest.  Even though it was at least 15C the runs held up quite well as the area is more or less North facing.  It was so warm, when I had a break in my deck chair with an iced tea, it felt more like a beach holiday than a ski holiday.

 Me skiing the crowded Cortina Slopes

The weather we had in Cortina was simply amazing, the best I have experienced skiing, if anything it was too hot and sunny!  Best of all there was still snow on the slopes, although I don’t think it would be around much longer. 

An interesting side note for linguists, Cortina D’Amprezzo has a population that continues to speak Ladin a derivative of Vulgar Latin.  According to Wikipedia there are only about 15,000 native Ladin speakers. 

Skiing: Silver

For intermediate skiers and families, this place is without a doubt a gold.  There are so many ski areas to explore in the Dolimiti Super Ski Pass.  Most are small and not linked- as I mentioned in my Innsbruck entry, I don’t mind small areas.  All of these areas have great cruising runs in spectacular scenery. The linked areas, such as Val Gardena and Arabba, where we did the Sella Ronda, were noticeably busier than those near Cortna and had a more international crowd.  However, many of the unlinked ski areas are small and must be driven to but the reward is no lines and runs that are not chewed to pieces by midday.  Even areas in Cortina had limited lines as it seems the locals only ski for a few hours then leave after having lunch.

 A ridge run on the Sella Ronda

 For the advanced skier, lack of challenging pistes might cause boredom, there are very few black runs in the area.  (I think this is due to the topography, it appears it is either sheer cliff or gentle slopes).  Most of the runs could be bombed down with minimal turning required to stay in control. For all skiers, lack of snow may cause problems apparently this has been a recurring theme in the Dolomites, and compared to Austria, the scarce snow was very noticeable.  We came up with a new piste classification, “The Italian Brown Run.”

Apres Ski: Silver

There are lots of things to do in Cortina, if you have a few hundred Euros burning a hole in your pocket each night, for those with a more limited travel budget (like your truly) your options are somewhat more limited.  Cortina and the area has lots of high-end restaurants, some Michelin starred.  We ate a few nights at a reasonable pizzeria complete with a wood-fired pizza oven.  For traditional Northern Italian (Trento) cuisine, we went to 5 Torris restaurant.  Regional cuisine here is more like German food than Italian food that can be found further South.  It is simple, but I enjoyed it.  We also seemed to always have a cake available at breakfast with the ubiquitous cheese and some sort of cured pork meat that always seems to make an appearance at every meal on this trip.   It goes without saying the coffee in Italy was excellent, however the service… not so much.  At meals, things would start okay and then at some point during the meal the table service would inexplicably seem to stop, particularly when it was time to pay for the bill or be offered coffee/ desert. 

Apparently things really start kicking off around 2300, but I prefer après ski starting soon after you are done skiing, like Chamonix & Val D’Isere.  The pruchetto bar we dined at (easiest meal in the world: take cured leg of pig, thinly slice said leg into 6 pieces, cut 2 slices of crusty bread, put on plate, charge patrons 10 Euros, + service charge) granted the pruchetto was really good… anways I degress… the pruchetto restaurant complete with numerous pig legs hanging in the window turns into a Cocktail bar with a DJ spinning tracks late in the evening.  There are few other small dance clubs.

One night we watched the local hockey time SG Cortina play fairly low quality hockey, which was entertaining.   Fefreshments at the intermission consisted of mini pizzas and mulled wine (vin brule)!   

In short, designer clothing stores, expensive restaurants, night clubs that start at 2300, and people walking in fur and designer ski suits/clothes isn’t my scene but if it is, Cortina is the place for you.

Overall: Silver

Marc says: “If these rankings are based on natural beauty, Cortina D’Amprezzo comes out tops, it also comes out tops for the sheer variety of intermediate cruising runs, and weather. I loved driving around here too and the Olympic venues were relatively un altered.  The village has the similar traditional feel as Chamonix with many ski areas nearby but not immediately accessible but the village itself lacked Chamonix’s lively atmosphere.  A car is essential for a ski holiday to Cortina, if I could do it again I would probably get half-board.”

Mike says: “The skiing is awesome, there is nothing like this in North America.  I would come back here but probably stay at Arabba or Corvara.  Marc’s rating system is right out of 'er. To equate Cortina skiing with Nagano and Innsbruck is misleading! It is more on par with Val D'Isere"

Innsbruck, Host 1964 & 1976

Garmisch is only a 60-minute drive away from Innsbruck on fairly major highways. Soon we found ourselves in a proper European city complete with an extensive tram network and the standard bewildering inner-city European traffic pattern.  When we arrived it was low clouds and dusk.  The following morning the skies cleared and revealed a historic city with stunning mountain scenery as the backdrop. We stayed at the modern and classy Hotel Maximilian which is right in the city centre.  It has parking… but it costs 13 Euros a day.  Regardless the Maximilian is highly recommended and its Continental Breakfast, complete with, star fruit, kiwifruit and fresh ground coffee is the best I have had on my ski adventures to date.

Two cauldrons for the two olympics (the one on the left

is for 1976 and the one on the right 1964)

A third cauldron added in 2012 for the first Winter Youth Olympic Games

Innsbruck hosted the Olympics twice in 12 years. The first time in 1964 and then again in 1976, in 1964 the theme was  “a simple Olympics”.  So how did Innsbruck get two Olympics Games so close together?   Well, the 1976 Winter Olympics were originally awarded to Denver however with 2 years to go the good people of Denver Colarado had a change of heart about the excessive cost necessary for hosting the Olympics and after a referendum, public funding was withdrawn for the games.  The IOC had to scramble.  Innsbruck, which already had the infrastructure from 10 years ago stepped in and agreed to host the games again, which they did successfully.  All of the infrastructure from the games is more or less intact.

We spent 4 days exploring the city and the nearby slopes.  Basing your ski holiday from a city as large as Innsbruck makes for a unique but worthwhile vacation.  The city centre is very historic with old gothic buildings linked by narrow streets, lined with trendy cafes, struddle shops and endless supply of stores selling overpriced beer steins and cuckoo clocks to tourists.  The centre is compact and most sites can be walked to.  It is a nice change from a typical resort town.   It is quite trendy, but you get good value for money and the city can easily be explored on foot.

This city has skiing in its heart. Two large ski areas can be reached by public transit on the J Bus.  If you are in ski gear the bus ride is free.  There is also an underground funiculair thing (a Skubway if you will) linking the city centre to a ski slope, Nordkette in 8 minutes!  Finally, coaches picked you up right outside our house for free to many ski hills.

The daily "commute" to Nordkette

 On the "Sk-ubway" to Nordkette

Skiing: Silver

There are a total of 9 ski areas covered by the Innsbruck Olympia World most can be accessed by a free coach service from the city centre or even a tram. In the 1964 Olympics, snow cover was an issue and the Austrian Army had to transport 40 000m³ to cover the downhill pistes with adequate snow and 20 000 blocks of ice from the mountains for luge and bobsled.  For us although it was mild, snow coverage was not a problem.

On Patcherkofel with Innsbruck in the background

 Our first day of skiing was on Patcherkofel, the venue of the Men’s Downhill.  We had spectacular views of the Innsbruck and the Inn valley.  Conditions were great and for only two major runs, I was occupied for the entire day until the last lift.  It has a vertical of 2900’ (870m), the cable cars are from the Olympics and one must change at an intermediate station before getting to the top.   For us the sun was shining and the scent of pine was in the air as the piste take you through the forest to the base of the mountain.

 Franz Klammer (AUS) on his legendary downhill run

that led to gold at Patcherkofel, 1976

The next day we went to Nordkette, the local hill.the weather was grim and nobody was around. The skiing was disappointing the highlight here was walking thorough Innsbruck to the Funicular/skubway to get to the hill.  The conditions were the worst I have experienced.  I think there was a recent avalanche and the debris had frozen making for ungroomed runs littered with ice boulders.  It was a treacherous run down.  The runs at Nordkette are easy with one major exception, there is a second cable car that goes to Hafelekar where you can descend among the steepest marked runs in Europe with a 70% grade (40-50 degrees) apparently there is a warning sign that says a fall on this run is hazardous to your life.  Considering the conditions on the red run, which pushed my limited ski abilities to the limit, I didn’t even bother going up.

 Axamer Lizum

In complete contrast, the following day at Axamer Lizum was among the best conditions I experienced.  There was a snowfall overnight with fresh powder and the pistes were in good shape.  Axamer was where all the Alpine events were held except the men’s downhill.  There are some great intermediate runs to keep you occupied here for a day and the scenery is amazing.  There is a modern, almost all glass chalet with good food and views at the top of the resort.

Innsbruck has hardly any expert runs and the ski areas are fairly small and disjointed.  For an intermediate they make for a great day out but an expert may want to go to the large resorts elsewhere in Austria that attract skiers from around the world.  The skiing around Innsbruck is certainly good and the crowds are minimal

Apres Ski: Gold

 Supper! Austrians get straight to the point and 

don't faff around with starch and vegetables. 

Mike and his "kinder" sized beer

For Innsbruck, I use this term very liberally, it should really be “night out in a small city after a day of skiing”.  The Innsbruck scene is not like the hard-partying après ski scene like at Whistler or Val D’Isere, it is more sophisticated with a great choice of good restaurants with a variety of cuisine.  We had excellent, reasonably priced Thai at the Rathaus Platz.  The following day we had homemade Indian at Little India (which was literally like being a guest at someone’s house and sitting in the breakfast nook while watching them make a meal – there was only two tables.  The mango shake was very good).   We had hearty local cuisine at a brau hause in the market.  There was only one disappointing night at restaurant recommended by the hotel desk staff, the White Horse, service was poor and the food unspectacular. 

After eating there is quite a bit of choice, of course there is a selection of night clubs, but there is also a casino, Irish pub, brau hauses… well you get the idea.  We went to the Irish Pub but felt too old so we made our way to a bar called 360 which is a glass circular bar serving drinks, mainly wine where I felt too young.  360 is recommended, but word to the wise: if you want to avoid being the laughing stock of the bar, make sure you let the sliding glass door open before walking out.

Overall Silver

Marc Says: “Innsbruck is a skier’s city, to say the least. You can have the urban experience or with a 10 minute drive you can be in a quaint Alpine village such as Ingls at the base of Pacherkofel.  The actual skiing in the Olympia World Ski Pass is not top rate, the areas are small and cater to intermediates. I don’t mind small areas to be frank.  In short, there is lots of good skiing, good beer, good views, good food and good times to be had.  What more could you want?

Combining Garmisch with Innsbruck would make for an easy, and unique car-free ski holiday. Take the train from Munich Airport, base yourself at Partenkerchin, near the Hauptbahnhoff/ Zugspistebahn station then take the spectacular Mittenwald Railway to Innsbruck.  At Innsbruck you can rely on free ski buses and public transit to get you to the hill. Then hop back on the train to Munich Airport”

Mike Says: “Rock on dude. I love trams”

Olympiahalle 1964

Olympiahalle 2012

Garmisch Partenkirchen, Host 1936

I had excess annual leave at the end of this year so it resulted in another multi-destination ski trip.  The first stop was Garmisch Partenkirchen aka Ga-Pa.  When Garmisch was awarded the games in 1931, Germany was still a democratic country, however by the time the games were held 5 years later, Germany’s political climate had dramatically changed for the worst to say the least.  The Nazi’s abhorrent ideology certainly put a cloud over the games. Democratic nations petitioned the IOC to have the games removed from Germany. And the Nazis didn’t really want them either.  “At first it was uncertain whether Germany would agree to host the Winter Olympics, which Hitler dismissed as "an invention of Jews and freemasons" and vowed that a Nazi government would never stage them.” (CBC 2009 Garmisch http://www.cbc.ca/olympics/history/story/2009/11/25/sp-1936-garmisch.html) but they then thought it would be good to the games have for propaganda. It didn’t work. Norway ended up doubling Germany’s medal tally.  Also “the Canadians, like athletes from most other countries, had grown tired of ubiquitous Nazi propaganda. In front of a crowd that included Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels and Hermann Goering and 10,000 German fans, Canada treated the opposition to what the Toronto Globe euphemistically termed ‘a lesson in the art of body-checking,’ and cheerfully proceeded to thump the German team nearly senseless.” (CBC 2009) 

Go Canada!

In a major upset, the British Ice Hockey team, which was mainly made up of British born Canadians with British Passports (I can’t relate at all), ended up winning the gold medal.

75 years later much has changed and the Americans have a large presence in the area.

Garmisch-Partinkirchen is quite large for a resort town.  Historically it was two separate towns that were forced to merge for the Olympics by Hitler. Partinkerchen, where we stayed was the smaller and quieter of the two.   Garmisch has a pedestrian mall with lots of indepedendant stores selling various wares.   The actual resort, called Zugspitze (also the name of the mountain – Germany’s highest) has two ski areas, Garmisch Zugspitze and Garmisch Classic that are linked to the Garmisch town centre by the Zugpitzebahn, a 15km cog railway.  I still have yet to come across a logical reason why a railway was built in such difficult terrain, but it makes for a very scenic rail journey and culminates with a 4.5km tunnel straight up to the top of the mountain.  The journey to the summit takes approximately 70 minutes and is a unique skiing experience.  The Zugpitze also has a very long cable car to the top of from Eibse, it has an elevation gain of 1950m, and among the highest such gains in the world

Zugspistebahn

We drove straight from Munich Airport to Garmisch in 90 minutes and stayed at the Atlas Sport Hotel, which features typical German functional design and clean lines.  Here we missed the excellent ski conditions by a couple of weeks and on the first day it was raining.  We went to the Zugpistebahn train station and after a leisurely train ride we were skiing in white out conditions on a glacier.

Ski Jump Stadium then and now. 

The Olympic Ski Stadium is still as it was in 1936 by and large but the actual jump is new and looks very modern, the Olympic Arena is still standing but looks like it has been modified 40-50 years ago.    

Garmisch Town Centre

Walking around the town, there are many typical wooden alpine buildings, it is difficult to say how old they are I think there were some signs saying some were at least 300 years old. Garmisch-Partenkirchen also has its share of German non-descript modern buildings. I wouldn’t say the town is spectacularly quaint or scenic. We couldn’t see the surrounding scenery due to the low cloud cover during the two days we were there.

Skiing: Bronze

The marginal weather we experienced over the two days may have impacted my rating for this area.  There is some great skiing to be had here for sure.  The highlight of Zugpistzplatz was getting there on the mountain train, the skiing itself, which is on a glacier at 2600m elevation is marginal.  It didn’t help we experienced whiteout conditions; I am sure the view here would have been spectacular.   Most skiers tended to ski only on the two runs near the only chairlift so it got bumpy quite fast.  I went to the areas served by numerous t-bars and the runs were great, but my legs got tired quickly, carving in powder then going up monster long t-bars.  This ski area only held my attention for 4 hours.  Mike had two white hot dogs in salty water for the bargain price of 7 Euros/$10(USD) while I covertly/smugly ate my $3 sandwich bought at the train station.

Garmisch Classic is where most of the skiing occurs and is more entertaining.  The 1936 Olympic Downhill run is a highlight, great run.  The black rated FIS course is good too.  There seemed to be no moguls here.  Mike and I spent a long time skiing Bernadien Downhill, behind the main runs, which had spectacular scenery.  Garmisch is difficult to get around, sometimes requiring rope tows and ski skating and there are only 4 main runs to the bottom.  When I skied the trails closest to the town were in rough shape due to the recent weather.  There are a couple of black runs, but is by and large this is a ski area for intermediate skiers.  I don’t think there are enough runs to hold my attention for much longer than a couple more days.

Apres Ski:  Silver

Mike samples the local Beirlikor

Gapa, is larger and older than a typical ski resort town.  There are two restarauant areas really, the Partenkirchen main street and Garmisch’s downtown and pedestrian street.  Parenkirchen was essentially, dead the two nights we were there bar for two brau-hause.  One, Gasthof Fraundorfer made the nights interesting; here there was good traditional food, live traditional Bavarian music and folk dancing.  Here we also sampled some Bierlikor, warm shots that look like mini-beers.  The place was busy even on a Sunday and Monday night.  We never made it to Garmisch for apres-ski, but I think it was largely restaurant based with a handful of brau-haus oh and a small casino.

The Olympic Arena

Overall:  Bronze        

Marc Says: “The skiing terrain on the Zugpiste lift ticket is not as large as most modern resorts and our visit was hampered by marginal weather.  The après ski was good fun, but there were not that many lively places around town. I could keep going back to the Fraundorfer Brau Haus, and I discovered a new favourite beer Pauliner.  Garmisch seemed to be both functional and touristy at the same time. Also, if you are challenged to drink wurst-vasa (the water the boiled sausages come in) don’t, it is very salty. “

Mike says: ”It was alright, it was worth the trip.”