Bormio, Italy Ski Resort Review

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Many individuals would think that Bormio, Italy is one of the most attractive ski resorts worldwide.  It has earned its historic status as a medieval spa town; however, some skiers would find the place bewildering. This old town is a melange of cobbled streets and ancient plazas.  There are guided tours that start from the Piazza Cavour. A 3km trip by bus or cab heads to the Bagni Vecchi, Roman and medieval baths available the public and also provides a vast range of on-site treatments.

There are limited ski slopes -somewhat inconveniently divided in two split up areas on opposite areas of the town. A snowboard area would be difficult to find. Snow cover is poor on the lower mountains which causes queues for the return leg.  Bormio is a place that is visited for its beauty; less for its athletic purposes.  It is a town that will be most appealing to first-timers and tourist families searching to do as much culture as skiing.

On Piste

The concentration of Bormio’s skiing area is the web of red and blue runs going north-west back to town from Cima Bianca which is accessible by the new gondola departing from town via Bormio 2000. The most renowned of these – the Pista Stelvio – is reserved for annual winter competitions, but if accessible forms a steep, long red having good views everywhere. Many of the reds in this area are steeper than usual, and their upper exposure grant winds to whiplash into icy trails closer to black runs.

A long blue run is also available which leads all the way from Cima Bianca back to town (via a quick stretch of red at Ciuk, 1,620m), whilst again the initial leg is not for novices under poor conditions. Beginners may enjoy the slopes at Valdidentro, a quick bus ride outside town but all the more hushed for it, with a range having much less intimidating red and blue runs accessible by lifts at Oga (1,535m) and Le Motte (1,430m).

Hardcore skiers, however, may not find many options here. Bormio’s handful of bonus black runs are merely that. A fair measure of off-piste can be found in good conditions, but advanced skiers searching for a diversity of challenging slopes may be better off some place else.