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Eighty kilometres of history and nature along slopes covered in perfect snow, exhilarating altitudes, views unequalled anywhere in the world, and frozen waterfalls: this, in essence, is The Great War Ski Tour.
In winter, you can do the entire Tour in one day: skibus, slopes and lifts create a ring touching the Giau Pass, the Falzarego Pass, the Badia Valley, Arabba and Alleghe, completely skirting the Col di Lana.
It is a spectacular route, suitable for everyone, winding around the bases of the most famous peaks.
No other place is so rich in history as the Lagazuoi 5 Torri area (Super8 Ski Tour), where you can see the emplacements of the open-air museums. You can start out from the Civetta on a bus which takes you to the Fedare refuge at the Giau Pass, from where the chair lift goes up to the Averau refuge.
At the 5 Torri, you can see the Italian trenches. The terraces of the refuges offer stunning views of the Col di Lana, the Tofana di Rozes, the Castelletto and the Col di Bos. At the Falzarego Pass, you can get up to Mt. Lagazuoi by cable car to reach the highest point of the Tour: 2800 metres.
From the cable car cabin, you can see the entrance of the Italian mine tunnel and the Tre Sassi Fort on the road to the Valparola Pass.
Since winter 2021-2022, the Falzarego and Lagazuoi 5 Torri Giau ski area can be reached on skis thanks to the new Cortina Skyline gondola lift.
On Mt. Lagazuoi, you can visit on skis the Austrian machine gun post and just below the guard post with the officers’ huts.
You then descend the Armentarola slope, in one of the most fascinating environments of the Dolomites. At the bottom, a horse-drawn tow takes the skiers to the slopes of the Badia Valley, where they proceed to Arabba, Padon and Marmolada.
The Great War Ski Tour from Falzarego to the 5 Torri
If you follow the Tour in a clockwise direction, you can reach the slopes of the 5 Torri from Falzarego on skis.
From here, you can first take the modern four-seater chair lift to the Scoiattoli Refuge and then the second lift to the Forcella Nuvolau.
You then ski down the Fedare slope to the homonymous refuge, where a shuttle service provides the connection with Pescul, the Civetta, and the continuation of the Tour.
The Great War Ski Tour starting from Badia
You can start from Alta Badia using a paying taxi bus leading from Hotel Armentarola to the Falzarego Pass.
From the Pass, you can take the cable car to the top of Mount Lagazuoi.
From there, you descend along the Lagazuoi slope to reach the Gallina Ridge ski lifts and then the 5 Torri chair lift, continuing the Tour in the Giau Pass direction.
The Great War Ski Tour starting from the Civetta
The 5 Torri ski area can be reached counter-clockwise with the shuttle buses (on payment) departing from Pescul in the Civetta ski area.
Then, take the Fedare chairlift to the Averau saddle, descend the Fedare piste, and turn right to the Croda Negra chairlift, which leads to a small saddle, the starting point of the Croda Negra slope.
This beautiful panoramic piste leads first to Col Gallina, then to the Falzarego pass, where you take the Lagazuoi cable car. On Mt. Lagazuoi, you can visit the emplacement FW 4 and then descend on the Armentarola slope to the Val Badia.
The Great War Ski Tour requires an early morning ski start
Distances including one hour for lunch:
Clockwise
Length of the route: 78-100 km
on skis: 25-41 km
with lift facilities: 17-23 km
by ski bus: 36 km
required time: 6.30-7.30 hrs
Counter-clockwise
Length of the route: 84,5-99 km
on skis: 34,5-43 km
with lift facilities: 20-26 km
with the horse-drawn lift: 1,5 km
by ski bus: 28,5 km
required time:7-8 hrs
Connections to reach the access points to the Lagazuoi 5 Torri Giau ski area
To reach the Lagazuoi - 5 Torri - Giau ski area from Badia and Cortina d'Ampezzo and do the Great War Ski Tour, you can take the ski bus, the public bus service and the new Cortina Skyline gondola lift, which connects Son dei Prade with the Tofana, 5 Torri, Giau and Lagazuoi ski areas - adjustments are being made to the Winter 2023-2024 timetable.
