Arabba

High in the Ladin Dolomites

Arabba lies within the comune of Livinallongo del Col di Lana, in the province of Belluno in the Veneto, about 120 km north of Venice and 45 km north-west of Belluno. The municipality is known as Fodóm in Ladin and Buchenstein in German, and roughly half of its population speak Ladin as their mother tongue. Arabba is one of the higher villages in the Dolomites, with the lifts starting at 1,602 m.

The skiing

The numbers for Arabba’s own sector look compact on paper, 63 km of pistes and 26 lifts, but the vertical tells a different story. The top station is at 3,269 m, which puts it more than 1,000 m above the 2,200 m line at which altitude starts to secure snow, and 1,667 m above the base. That is a big drop for a small area, and it is why Arabba carries both a snow-sure tag and an off-piste tag: the terrain is high and serious, and it holds its snow.

With 26 lifts on 63 km, the network is dense, so you are rarely far from the next ride up, and the base village is well connected to the upper mountain, so the day starts high rather than with a long haul out of the valley. The absence of a published difficulty split matters less here than elsewhere, because the character of the resort is clear from its altitude profile: this is a resort that suits strong skiers, and a fine base for anyone who wants to be certain of snow. Beginners may prefer to base themselves lower down in the valley and visit Arabba on the shared pass.

Dolomiti Superski

Arabba is part of Dolomiti Superski, and for a resort of 63 km that membership is the whole point. The single pass opens up the ski areas linked across the Dolomites, and Arabba’s high base and altitude make it a natural place to start each day from, particularly late in the season when lower areas are struggling; a 3,269 m top station is about the best insurance a skier can have.

Setting and practicalities

The Dolomite scenery earns the resort its scenic-views tag, and the Ladin identity of the valley gives it a character of its own. Venice, 120 km to the south, is the nearest large city, and the distance says something about how tucked away this corner of the Veneto is; Belluno, the provincial capital, is 45 km to the south-east. The season runs from December to April. Bolzano airport is roughly 48 km away as the crow flies. The comune’s official website carries local information.