Ski tour “Giro della Grande Guerra”

The “Giro della Grande Guerra”, also called “First World War Ski Tour”, is a tour on skis that takes you round Col di Lana, venue of the First World War. This area bears traces of several battles and there are numerous findings from these times, for example fire trenches, defensive corridors and forts.

However, if you would like to do this tour, you should be provided with the Dolomiti Superski Pass, which also enables you to use ski shuttles for free. There is an extra charge for taxi bus and horse-drawn-carriages. This tour takes about 6 hours and can even be made if you are not familiar with the area and territory.

Starting from Alta Badia by car or taxibus service, you proceed to Passo Falzarego, where you take the funicular in order to reach the Lagazuoi peak. Following the Lagazuoi ski slope you reach the lift facilites of Col Gallina. From this point you just have to follow the signpostings. :-) Enjoy the striking landscape! The Civetta ski area, with Alleghe, Palafavera, Zoldo and Selva di Cadore, covering an eighty kilometre network of ski runs connected to each other by modern ski lifts, now offers an alternative skiing experience: The Great War Tour 1915 - 1918.

The idea was conceived ten years ago thanks to the link by skibus between the Ski Civetta and Passo Giau/Fedare chairlift. Since the 2008-09 season a new 2-seater chairlift joins up the Cinque Torri complex with Passo Falzarego, with no need to use the skibus from Cinque Torri to reach Passo Falzarego. The Great War Tour has now become such an established weekly itinerary for groups of expert and medium-level skiers, clock-wise or anti-clockwise on skis or snowboards, that it is now considered an excellent alternative to the classic "Sella Tour". The route passes below the most beautiful summits of the Dolomites (Civetta, Pelmo, Nuvolau-Averau, Cinque Torri, Tofane, Lagazuoi, Cime di Fanes, Conturines, Sasso della Croce, Settsass, Sassongher, Sella, Marmolada), and at its heart the symbolic mountain of the Great War: the Col di Lana, which the trail goes around. The expert eyes of the guide will point out war relics, walkways through the rocks linking trenches, tunnels, artillery
emplacements and all that the Italian and German armies constructed to face up to the enemy and the bad weather of that particular period. The continually changing panorama will fully satisfy the excursionist who will be enchanted by the silence of the descent from Lagazuoi to Armentarola, entertained by the horses pulling skiers along behind them and amazed in the final section by the impressive ice walls along the "Grand Canyon" of the Serrai of Sottoguda.

Total length of tour: 82.5 km
Total length with skis on: 31 km
Length of lifts: 18 km
Horse sledge section: 1.5 km
Ski bus section: 32 km
Time of departure: 9am
Total time of itinerary: 7 hours (including lunch break)