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The SeiseralmEurope's biggest high mountain plateau and the perfect winter wonderland
The ideal all-round destinationStaying in Kastelruth, we took the ski bus up to the plateau on our first morning. Once on the Seiseralm, we collected our skis from one of several hire shops, and had an energising cappuccino before setting out on the easy trail to the cross-country centre, about 30 minutes away. We passed the first two days cross-country skiing, with tremendous trails through a mix of scenery open plateau and wooded valleys.
HotelsWe offer two hotels from which to enjoy the Seiseralm Plateau. The Urthaler is a luxury 4-star hotel with a superb spa complex located right on the plateau, while the 4-star Posthotel Lamm in picturesque Kastelruth suits those who prefer to stay in a village. |
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We
first 'discovered' the Seiseralm Plateau on a trip to northern Italy in
1992. It was summer, and we enjoyed some excellent walking in some of
the most beautiful scenery of the Dolomites. We were struck immediately
by this unique landscape in what is perhaps Italy's most surprising region,
the German-speaking Südtirol. The plateau stands at an altitude of
1,800-2,300 metres in an immense bowl, surrounded by startling jagged
summits. Below the plateau, at an altitude of around 1,000 metres, are
delightful, historic villages, of which the loveliest is Kastelruth. The
walking was good, but when we returned in the winter, we realised that
the skiing was even better!
On the third day, we decided to have the day off from skiing and instead
set out on a four-hour winter walk. On the Seiseralm, as in most parts of
the Alps, winter walking is taken very seriously, and paths are prepared,
the snow flattened so that the going is easy underfoot. We had a splendid
lunch in one of the many cosy restaurants that have been established in
the huts and farms on the plateau. On day four, we changed our cross-country
skis for those of the downhill variety, and spent the day on the slopes
that take advantage of the steepest parts of the plateau. The downhill
skiing is ideal for beginners and intermediates, with a well-organised
network of blue and red runs, wide pistes and excellent, easy-to-use chair lifts.
You could quite happily spend a week on the slopes here, and there is
a welcome absence of screaming teenagers. During our skiing, we noticed
that another favourite activity is tobogganing - you can hire sledges
from the rental shops and there are several special runs. It looked great
fun, so next visit, we'll try this, too. On the final two days, we returned
to our cross-country skis for more splendid trails to complete a perfect
winter week.