One of the most famous resorts on the Sella Ronda circuit, having some of the area's most challenging skiing. Sella Ronda is a huge mountain massif and it is possible to ski around it via Corvara and Canazei. The pink Dolomite rock of the area forms some spectacular scenery.
Mountain
Six lifts depart in two groups of three from Arabba making queues almost unheard of. A two stage gondola and a single span cable car head up to Porta Vescovo and access both the Marmolada glacier and the 26km (17 mile) Sella Ronda circuit heading clockwise via the Passo Pordoi. The third lift, a chair, reaches Portados at the top of the treeline. The runs back down to Arabba from this sector include some steep reds and blacks. Above the village a chair and a drag serve gentler wide sunny slopes protected by snow making. A lift accesses a run down to Passo Campolongo from where you can carry on to Alta Badia's Corvara and San Cassiano on the anti-clockwise route around the Sella Ronda. For beginners the nursery slopes are right by the village and, thanks to snow making, high elevation and an overall good snow record, this area is normally open throughout the winter. Intermediates inevitably have the most to enjoy, with few areas in the world able to offer the wonderful sense of lift-served touring right over to Selva in Val Gardena and back so long as you ensure you start out early and don't leave your return too late. Both this epic journey on skis and the Sella Ronda circuit all the way round can be completed in a day by a reasonable intermediate skier on blues (mostly) and a few reds. An interesting new route, the 'Great War Tour' takes in places in the area of significance to the Italian Resistance of World War One, including the beautiful natural gorge of Serrai. Apart from the huge choice of skiing lift linked around the Sella Ronda, the Dolomiti Superski Pass covers yet more skiing a short bus ride away, including the 80km (50 miles) of mixed terrain above neighbouring Alleghe. Experts have some of the best skiing in the Dolomites in Arabba. The north facing Porta Vescovo runs have legendary snow conditions after a good fall, with a particularly challenging long black beneath the cable car. The World Cup run on the other side of the area down to La Villa is another on most good skiers' 'must do' list and the trip over to Selva also gives access to the Val Gardena World Cup downhill if not closed off for training. The Marmolada glacier is another option, and off piste routes such as the famous Hidden Valley run from the top of Sella down Val Mesdi to Colfosco is not for the faint hearted. If all that's not enough there's always the heli-skiing offered through the ski school.
Families
There is one daycare facility in Arabba accepting children aged two and older. Children aged five and over can join the ski school at the same rate and terms as adult, with no lunchtime cover available. Children's discounts on the Dolomiti Superski Pass have improved dramatically in recent seasons and now kids aged up to 9 ski free depending on their precise birthdate and an accompanying adult buying a ticket. There's a 30 per-cent reduction for children aged up to 15.
Eating Out
The local cuisine is a successful mixture of Austrian and Italian specialities and Arabba's two dozen restaurants are well known for their value and choice. The best pizzerias are the 7 Sass and the Al Tablé, which also serves a full range of Italian cuisine, as does the rustic Al Forte and the Ru de Mont.
Apres
Not known for its lively nightlife, Arabba none-the-less has more than 20 bars - many of them parts of hotels or restaurants - to choose from. Peter's Bar is one of the more popular whilst the Pub La Stube near the Hotel Portevescovo tends to attract most of the 'boarding fraternity. Although there is no night club here the Sporthotel Arabba has a popular Austrian bar that opens at 9pm and stays open until late; live music is performed here regularly. The nearest late night discothèque is in Corvara.
Boarding
Something of a cult 'boarding destination as it is for skiers, Arabba has it all - just about. There's the wild and varied terrain to suit all standards including the high altitude steep powder bowls and glacier runs above; then there are the wide sweeping cruise runs coming down through the woods with natural terrain features all around. Where Arabba may not match the complete wish list of some 'boarders dream resorts is its lack of a thumping nightlife, but on the up side there are plenty of high value bars and places to eat and sleep. Lessons are offered by the ski school.
