Since life is certainly an adventure (and so is love!) Sally and I decided to celebrate Valentine’s Day by heading off on an all-day ski tour of the famous Sellaronda.  The Sellaronda is a 42 km tour around the Sella massif.

Massif is a French word for “massive” and this chunk of rock is certainly that.  In plate tectonics, a massif is a section of the earth’s crust that moves as a whole; it maintains its structural integrity while the land around it becomes a series of peaks and valleys.  The Teton range in Wyoming is an example in North America.  The Sella massif is plateau-shaped, and lies between 4 valleys.  Its highest point is almost 10,400 ft.  The tour is really a ski lift carousel, requiring you to take 15 different lifts and cross through 4 different ski areas: Val Gardena, Alta Badia, Arabba and Val Di Fassa.

We started our tour in the town of Corvara.  We had to catch an 8 AM bus from Cortina to get started early so we had plenty of time to traverse the last pass before the lifts closed.  You can either take the tour in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction – we chose clockwise to better follow the sun.

 

Each of the four passes provides a unique view of the Sella massif.  I loved all the views and the different lifts we had to take, including five gondolas.

Of course we had to stop at two refugios along the way for food and drink.  This one was particularly lively as the skiers partied in the sun on the outdoor deck.

It was a fun day and I am happy to report we did not get lost and we made it back in time.  We ended the day in a bar in Corvara where we waited for our 6 PM bus back to Cortina.  Audi has advertising throughout all the ski areas, but this bar actually has an Audi R8 mounted on the roof!

We hope you had as much fun on Valentine’s Day as we did.  A belated Happy Valentine’s Day to you!

Bob