Cross country skiing holidays in the Dolomites

The Dolomites is famous for its dramatic mountains – soaring, rose-tinted limestone peaks that scrape the sky at 3,000m, with a huddle of simple villages, glacial lakes and Alpine meadows at their feet. Needless to say, it’s a massive draw for outdoorsy types whatever the season, but it’s at its most dazzling in the winter, when the snow covered mountaintops come to life against bright blue skies.

Cross country skiing holidays allow you to take in some of the area’s highlights at a relaxed pace, exploring the cross country skiing tracks around the Alta Pusteria region as well as the landmark Three Peaks Nature Park, now a UNESCO site and world class cross country skiing location. Even better? During peak winter season, the Dolomites are not too crowded, and the area's unique culture – a blend of German and Italian, which also has a language and cuisine all its own – is wonderfully preserved.

Our Dolomites cross country skiing holiday lasts for a week and is based in Dobbiaco, a pretty traditional village in the South Tyrol, set at 1,200m altitude, where jaw-dropping views are par for the course. Across the week, you’ll have five full days of cross country skiing as well as a free day to wander the local area or take in some further winter sport action. There are plenty of easy and accessible tracks around these parts, so it’s a great option for newbies or those that want to work gently on their technique. Full instruction will be given if you are new to the trails, including learning the snow plough technique, and you’ll stick to pre-cut loipes (tracks).

Each day your guide will choose a trail to follow based on local snow conditions and the range of abilities in your group and you’ll head off, following tracks deep into the mountains, and stopping off for lunches at traditional cafes or huts where you’ll get to sample some of the region’s unique cuisine. Example routes could include passing through the sweeping Sexten and Prags valleys or along the 2,000m-high Plaetzwiese Plateau. More advanced cross country skiers can take on more challenging routes, including a track that heads south through the mountains to Cortina d'Ampezzo. Our Dolomites cross country skiing break is a small group holiday, so you’ll have a readymade group of between four and 20 friends along for the ride. You’ll be based at a small, family run hotel in the centre of town complete with a pool and a sauna for the entire week, from where you’ll get daily public transport to the start of the trails.

The Dolomites are in northern Italy, cover some 1,600km² next to the Austrian border, and are home to 18 major peaks and a collection of photo-ready mountain towns. Europeans come here in winter for the gorgeous snowy landscapes and the top notch winter sports, including downhill and cross country skiing and snowboarding.

Riding high at 1,200m, Dobaccio gets snowfall from around December to mid-March, with a chilly average daytime temperature of -5°C in winter, though they can fall to a shiversome -15°C. A big plus point of the Dolomites is that it receives sun eight days in ten during the winter, more than any other Alpine region. It’s colder the higher you go, of course, so layers should go in the suitcase along with shades.