Why go?
With 40 wide, meandering and stunningly pretty blue runs, the skiing is gentle and confidence boosting. The piste-to-mountain pit stop ratio also ensures that you’re never more than a few snowplows or parallel turns away from a hot chocolate or bombardino (a local speciality of hot advocaat, whisky and cream). What’s more, the Italians take a far more laid-back approach skiing, and a far more serious approach to food.
Who is it good for? Children aged four and over can learn how to ski. This is a nation that loves children, is singularly responsible for pizza and makes pretty special icecream, and the Alta Badia builds on this by making family skiing hassle-free.
Activities
Food, while comparable in price to French resorts, is in a league of its own in terms of quality. And after lunch, the locals like to take it easy on the terraces – resulting in picturesque, wide and wonderfully empty pistes for the rest of us.
Resorts: La Villa, San Cassiano, Pedraces, Colfosco and Corvara, make up the Alta Badia region and also form part of the Sella Ronda, a circular ski loop that runs around the massif of the Sella mountain range. If your children are reasonable skiers you can complete this 26km circuit in a day.
The lowdown
Best time to go: The season runs from November to April and, as the area is high, you should get good snow throughout that time.
Travel time: Fly from London to Innsbruck; flight time 1 hour and 55 minutes, or from London to Venice; flight time 2 hours. Transfers, depending on resort, take 1 hour and 30 minutes from Innsbruck, and 2 hours and 30 minutes from Venice.
How to get there: British Airways flies from London Gatwick to Innsbruck; from £100 return, and from London Gatwick (from £78 return) and London Heathrow (from £99 return) to Venice Marco Polo. easyJet flies from London Gatwick to Innsbruck; from £57.91 return, and from London Gatwick to Venice Marco Polo; from £53.48 return.
Travel tip: It’s worth bearing in mind that Innsbruck is a small airport and often shuts in bad weather.
More information: Luxury family tour operator Powder Byrne offers holidays to San Cassiano, including complimentary ski guiding, shuttle services, ski programmes for children and adults, and a concierge.