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Resort Guide

Suitability	Resort height: 1883m
Families:		[Yes]
Glacier:		[Yes]
Beginners:		[4]
Intermediates:		[5]
Advanced:		[3]
Snowboarding:		[4]

Passo Tonale is one of Italy's highest ski areas, and thanks to its own Presena glacier, one of the most snowsure, with a season lasting from autumn to late Spring. Located on the edge of the Val di Sole, recent investment in a new gondolas link to the valley town of Ponte di Legno below has opened up one of the world's biggest lift-served verticals, of more than 1,900 metres.

Passo Tonale itself sits in a huge natural amphitheatre high above the treeline on the border on the Italian Trentino and Lombardy regions. Its altitude, again one of the highest resorts in Europe, makes it snowsure all season long, but it is architecturally unappealing with some ugly concrete tower blocks although modern buildings are much more attractive.

So a good choice for guaranteed snow right through the season and for convenience with doorstep skiing the norm from most accommodation and a relatively compact centre. But not such a good choice if you are looking for a cosy, romantic ski village.

As well as its own extensive ski area, Passo Tonale participates in several multi-ski-area passes, the largest of which is the Dolomiti Adamello Brenta pass which covers 340km (212 miles) of runs at a dozen neighbouring resorts including chic Madonna di Campiglio.

Beginners

An excellent choice for beginners looking for a low-hassle, snow sure, high value experience on skis or snowboard, Passo Tonale is surrounded by gentle nursery slopes with half a dozen lifts especially for first timers right next to the village.

The ski school is also highly regarded and the icing on the cake is that tour operators can offer exceptionally good 'learn to ski' packages including tuition, beginner area lift ticket and boot rental at a third to a quarter if the cost of some other major resorts in the Alps.

Intermediates

Marketed primarily as an intermediate's ski area, Passo Tonale certainly is an excellent choice with a huge choice of runs in the open snowy bowl and tree skiing down below the resort.

The new gondola has opened up spectacular ski run possibilities including a full 11km (7 mile) run down from the top of the lifts to Ponte di Legno.

Once there you have a whole separate ski area to enjoy above the old town. Regional pass holders will want to make a day trip to Madonna di Campiglio's wonderful ski area which can be accessed from the valley town of Mezzana.

Advanced

Although known primarily as a resort for beginners and intermediates, Passo Tonale does have several good blacks on the glacier and now the lift-linked separate area above Ponte di Legno offers several challenges including the Temù through the fir tree forest.

Unusually, the glacier contains exclusively intermediate and advanced level terrain (most of Europe's glacier ski areas are rather flat with gentle slopes). The run going down beneath the cable car that goes up to the glacier is a particularly notorious thigh burner.

There are also several off piste routes down from the glacier and high mountain touring in the region is popular with local mountain guides leading the way.

Snowboarding

Passo Tonale is popular with boarders thanks in good part to the wide open powder bowls making for superb free riding terrain, and the network of high speed chairs and gondolas making uplift fast and easy too.

There's a snowpark under the Tonale-Valena ski lift as well as half and quarter pipes.

Other Activities and Facilities

A centre for outdoor activity sports, Passo Tonale offers high altitude cross country ski loops, a natural ice rink, dog sledding, snow shoeing excursions, tobogganing, tubing, snowmobiling and cleared winter walks.

There's an indoor swimming pool down in Ponte di Legno which offers free admission to lift pass holders although you must wear a bathing cap. Several of the larger hotels in Passo Tonale have their own pools and the resort has a fitness room if you need added exercise.

Après Ski and Dining Out

There's a good range of friendly and relaxed bars and high value restaurants in the resort. The Miramonti, UFO bar and Club Heaven which plays good music and has a great atmosphere are all popular. There are two nightclubs, the Antares and Paradiso.

In addition to the hotel restaurants there are quite a few small, friendly and high value cafes and pizzerias to try in addition however. La Torretta is great for pizza or for traditional Italian food the wood-lined El Bait or the Focolare are both good.

Families

Passo Tonale's 'Fantaski' ski kindergarten accepts children aged three and over for fun and games in the snow playground which includes a practice slope in a sunny and fenced in area that has a magic carpet especially for children (a conveyor ski lift), gigantic puppets, enchanted castles, friendly snakes and special instructional aids that turn skiing into an exciting new game.

There's also a tubing hill and a special ride that children can hook their snow tubes on to as if they were on a ski lift.

Accommodation in Passo tonale

• Adamello - 3 star, half board
• Cielo Blu - 3 star, half board
• Cielo Blu - 3 star, half board
• Dahu Apartments - 3 star, self catering
• Dahu Apartments - 3 star, self catering
• Delle Alpi - 3 star, half board
• Dolomiti - 3 star, half board
• Dolomiti - 3 star, half board
• Dolomiti - 3 star, half board
• Eden - 3 star, half board
• Flora Alpina - 3 star, half board
• Gardenia - 3 star, half board
• Hotel Cielo Blu - 3 star, half board
• Hotel Edelweiss - 2 star, half board
• Hotel Eden - 3 star, half board
• Hotel Miramonti-tonale - 4 star, half board
• Hotel Mirandola - 3 star, half board
• Hotel Orchidea - 3 star, half board
• Hotel Panorama - 3 star, half board
• Hotel Paradiso - 4 star, half board
• Hotel Vittoria - 3 star, half board
• La Torretta - 3 star, half board
• Miramonti - 4 star, half board
• Miramonti - 4 star, half board
• Miramonti - 4 star, half board
• Miramonti - 4 star, half board
• Orchidea - 3 star, half board
• Residence Top - 3 star, half board
• Savoia - 3 star, half board
• Savoia - 3 star, half board
• Sport Hotel Vittoria - 3 star, half board
• Sporting Hotel - 3 star, half board
• Vittoria - 3 star, half board
• Vittoria - 3 star, half board
• Vittoria - 3 star, half board

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