Alta Badia or Val Gardena?
These two are close on 6 of 9 measures. That is the honest answer: the numbers will not choose for you, so the difference below that matters to you is the one to decide on.
Italy
Alta Badia
The gentlest way into the Sella Ronda, with wide cruising runs under the Dolomite towers and Michelin stars down in the valley. Snowmaking does most of the work below 1,800 m.
Worth knowing. Snowmaking carries everything below 1,800 m.
Choose it if
Families with young kids
About £1,281 a week from London
Italy
Val Gardena
The Sella Ronda circuit, 1,200 km on one Dolomiti Superski pass, and mountain food that ruins you for the rest of the Alps. Low altitude, but snowmaking coverage here is close to total.
Worth knowing. Low, and snowmaking does the work below 1,800 m.
Choose it if
Budget and après
About £1,236 a week from London
Side by side
| Alta Badia | Val Gardena | |
|---|---|---|
| Snow reliability | 55/100 | 53/100 |
| Size of the ski area | 130 km linked | 175 km |
| Top lift | 2778 m | 2518 m |
| Cost before travel | €1180 | €1135 |
| Families with young kids | 9/10 | 8/10 |
| Snowboarders | 6/10 | 6/10 |
| A non-skiing partner | 9/10 | 9/10 |
| Budget and après | 5/10 | 6/10 |
| Off-piste | 5/10 | 5/10 |
Bold marks the winner. Rows where neither is bold are close enough that the difference would not change a decision. Cost excludes travel, which depends on where you leave from.
Piste kilometres, lift counts and prices are indicative and compiled from public sources — they have not yet been checked against the resort's own figures for this season. Costs are planning estimates, not quotes. Spotted one that is wrong? Tell us.