Skiing

Just back from Alta Badia in the Dolomites.

A good area for skiing but less so for snowboarding due to the high number of traverses that sit in the middle of pistes and at the ends. If you go there, expect to do some poling/skating from time to time. A bit blueish but overall, I would recommend it as a resort worth going to. You'll probably get sold the superski pass which allows you to roam into all of the other areas that are linked up by lifts including the Sellaronda route around the massif. Not a lot of snow at the start of the week but there is a lot of snow generation going on to almost all the pistes are open all season. When the snow did come, it opened up a lot of edge-piste/off-piste options (note technically illegal in Italy without a qualified guide) We went with Neilson and the area reps are middle aged and have been in place for years so very good at getting you to places that suit your style of skiing and less interested in trying to flog you cheap boozy nights out. Not too much of that in the area anyway.

First time on touring skis so quite a learning experience. Trail skiing needs some work on the technique. Uphill climbing came to me much easier. We started on the edge of a piste and I ventured into the trees to find out the full capability of the skis and skins. Same sort of effort as fell-running so I'm lucky to have done some of that. Still quite knackering though and being a fat bastard isn't helping. Still need to get used to the flexibility of the skis. The reds and blacks were getting very mogully/lumpy to the end of each day and I found it hard to get out of old habits so ended up getting thrown around a lot. Once there was some powder on the edge/off-piste I was pleased with how they travelled over that. Did face plant into one hidden drift but really it was only my dignity that suffered. Other than that, I almost looked like I knew what I was doing.

Might look at doing a beginners guided touring holiday next year to get some skills/technique coaching.