Skiing the Dolomites

After a week of Fresh French powder, Jeff dug our car out of the snow drift and then together with our feisty French GPS, Fifi, we began the journey to Italy.  But first, we had to get out of the parking lot.  An hour later after being ignored, dismissed and argued with by the attendants who wouldn't speak English if you paid them to, Jeff paid a second time for our week's worth of parking.  Apparently we had parked in the wrong lot.  Never mind that our lot was the same price and owned by the same company.  Eventually, we were just glad to get the hell out of France.  Fifi, however, had a different idea.

Since Val d'Isere is almost on the border, Fifi thoughtfully pointed us to the most direct route.  At the end of the Val d'Isere ski area, we found that the pass to Italy was closed.

Take two, we tell Fifi to "Avoid Seasonal Roads", but she apparently didn't translate correctly.  We climbed to the top of Col de Petit St. Bernard to find that the road abruptly ended into a piste.

Luckily we had made an early start since we weren't going to get out of France before noon.  We stopped at the friendly visitors center and found a kind woman who gave us an actual MAP of the area.  We turned Fifi off.  Since I have managed to block most of the switch-back snow covered roads from my memory, I will just point out that it was scary!

We passed some castle ruins along the way and were eventually rewarded to find our hotel, La Caminatha in Zoldo Alto, Italy.  Our 8 hour drive had turned into 13+ again.  We stayed 4 nights and liked the place so much that we wrote our first and only Trip Advisor review of the year.

View from our room

After the welcome drinks of Limoncello, the owners son spent about an hour reviewing the trail map and pointing out his favorite runs.  We eventually got to know the entire family.  The daughter speaks very good English and is the receptionist.  The son and his pretty wife are the wait staff and the mother (God Bless this woman) is the chef.

The first day, we skied the local Civetta Ski Area.  There was not as much powder and even ice in places, but look at that wide, groomed slope!  I was now in heaven.  The Dolomites are craggy and seem to poke up through the snow just above the tree line.  It didn't feel like skiing in the Alps or the Rockies.  The sun was shining and it was on this day that I confirmed in my mind that Jeff has to have some Italian blood in him.  The scenery here is unbelievable, ladies :)

 I only skied a half day the next day and enjoyed walking around our little town taking pictures.  It is tiny and adorable.  Apparently they ski in the winter and hike and mountain climb in the summer while the cows are grazing.  

This is probably the cutest barn I have ever seen.  There are several in the town all with different animals carved into the siding.  The rooster above is in a barn that has been converted into a house and this is a window.  Most of them, however, are still used  as barns.  

Of course the original church is perched at the top of the hill surrounded by simple houses and elaborate barns.

You can see these old water fountains throughout the little town.  I loved the colors on both of these two photos and, of course, I was looking for another door for Sherry.

We love Italy!  Of course, who doesn't, but this trip settled the score on our favorite country in Europe.  From skiing in Courmayeur to Venice, Florence, Siena and Cinque Terre and finally skiing the Dolomites, this country seems to have it all!  Ciao Ciao!!

Full Moon from our hotel