Santa Cristina Ski Resort
Santa Cristina sits in the heart of Val Gardena in between the two other villages of Selva and Ortisei. It is the smallest and most laid back of the villages within the Val Gardena ski area. It is a cosy, welcoming and incredibly picturesque village that has a rich, cultural South Tyrolean history which it displays through various outlets such as its building architecture, traditional artefacts and ancient spoken Ladin language. The ideal resort for a quiet ski getaway, Santa Cristina offers visiting holidaymakers a calm and relaxed atmosphere where they can unwind and focus on spending quality time; whether it be time to themselves or with family. If you were after smaller crowds and chilled out vibes in the evening, you would be most welcome at Santa Cristina.
Santa Cristina offers a range of facilities to ensure a comfortable and enjoyable stay. Visitors can find cosy accommodations, ski rental shops, ski schools with experienced instructors, and restaurants serving delicious Italian cuisine. Modern amenities and efficient services contribute to a seamless skiing experience.
Santa Cristina offers a range of facilities to ensure a comfortable and enjoyable stay. Visitors can find cosy accommodations, ski rental shops, ski schools with experienced instructors, and restaurants serving delicious Italian cuisine. Modern amenities and efficient services contribute to a seamless skiing experience.
The resort's location within the Val Gardena ski area is perfect, granting very easy access to slopes and runs on the mountain as well as making an ideal base for exploring the Dolomites ski area. Skiers here will be pleased to learn the close proximity of the Sella Ronda and Pic Mountain. It also sits favourably, on the sunny side of Val Gardena with its slopes receiving a bit more sunlight than the others. It offers up to 175 kilometres of skiable pistes locally including the well known and sought after Sella Ronda ski circuit. Santa Cristina is also under the Dolomiti Superski area, granting its visitors access to up to 1200 kilometres of pistes to explore on one ski lift ski pass. The area is also served by an efficient network of up to 79 ski lifts in the Santa Cristina area alone. The quieter of the Val Gardena villages, head to Selva or Ortisei for more lively apres ski vibes. However, if you are here to soak in the beauty of the Dolomiti Superski area and appreciate the calmness of the mountains, you are at the right place in Santa Cristina.
The resort sits at 1430 metres altitude with the highest lift in the area going up to 2450 metres altitude. The vertical drop is approximately 1,088 metres. The ski area is mostly made up of blues and reds and is best suited to intermediate level skiers.
There are up to 175 kilometres within the Val Gardena local ski area but with the wider Dolomiti Superski area covering over 1,000 kilometres of pistes, the possibilities are quite literally endless and just about suitable for all ski ability levels visiting the area. The local area has some interesting blues and reds and a number of off-piste circuits that could tempt advanced skiers.
Beginners' slopes and nursery areas can be accessed via the Plan da Tieja drag lift and the Monte Pana chairlift. Beginners can also take the free shuttle to Selva and access the nursery slopes in the Dantercrëies area. Upon progression, try out the Plan de Gralba for some gentle and easy blues. Children can also visit the Monte Pana Kids Fun Park for child-friendly, themed slopes.
The Sella Ronda circuit is a big attraction for intermediates and advanced skiers and can be accessed from Santa Cristina however, there are additional interesting intermediate runs to checkout within the area. There are some challenging long reds coming down the top of the Dantercëpies gondola, back to Selva, which intermediates will certainly find interesting. There is also a 10.5 kilometre run from the Seceda down to Ortisei as well as the Saslong Val Gardena World Cup piste, which is constantly kept in good condition.
There are up to 24 snow parks spread out across the Dolomites ski area. The most highly rated among freestylers is arguably the 2 kilometres long terrain park at Alpe di Sussi, which is easily accessible from Ortisei. A favourite among freestylers, the park has a good amount of hits and drops.
The world snowboard guide refers to the Val Gardena ski area as piste heaven and it's not hard to see why. There are long cruisy reds and blues all across the area that free riders will absolutely fall in love with. Thanks to a large number of available runs, there is pretty much enough for all ski ability levels.
The ski season lasts from December to April with great snow conditions lasting the whole season. The area is also very well equipped with snowmaking facilities.
The Santa Cristina night scene is pretty calm, with the focus more on evening aperitifs, nice restaurant dinners and sampling very good wines. There are a few bars to visit in the village as well as quite a few hotel bars. There are evening meals in restaurants, with evenings spent chatting to the locals and sipping aperitivos in hotel bars. If you're after something a bit more lively, you can catch the night bus to Selva, which has a thriving nightlife scene. We have listed a few places in Santa Cristina where you can enjoy an evening out and have a great time.
Snowbar Ruacia
Aprés Ski Snowbar Ruacia is located right at the foot of the slopes, at the bottom of the Saslong World Cup run. It is the ideal meeting spot to grab a drink after finishing your last run for the day. It offers a traditional apres-ski experience, with a large open terrace and is often the scene of a lively event. The fantastic atmosphere is felt both indoors and outdoors; with the bar known to organise regular activities and events such as themed parties, live DJ sets, and live music bands. There is also an extensive drinks menu as well as finger food, burgers and pizza.
Hotel Interski House Bar
The bar at the Hotel Interski is home to the Eguia Craft Beer brewed locally in Santa Cristina by the owners of the hotel. If you are looking to sample the Eguia craft beer, your bet is to visit the Hotel Interski bar as production is limited. While you are there, you may as well sample other beers, wines and cocktails from the extensive drinks menu. The bar has a welcoming atmosphere with friendly and professional staff. You can also enjoy a lovely evening meal along with your drinks. Not your typical raucous bar, it is perhaps the ideal spot for an evening drink, meal and a bit of a chat.
Luis Keller ( Selva Gardena )
Santa Cristina has a chilled out apres ski scene and most nights are quite mellow, however, if you are after an evening of partying in the Val Gardena area you cannot afford to miss out on a night visiting the Luis Keller. A famed underground bar in the Selva Gardena that offers some of the very best apres ski experiences across the Dolomites. Open every day from 3 pm, the Luis Keller is one of the best places to experience an authentic Alpine apres-ski night of partying.
Bar Café 2000
A lovely bar and cafe located in the village centre, they are open every day ( except Tuesday) in time for breakfast. The cafe’s tasty menu serves food all day and is open until late evening. In the evening it is more bar than a cafe as the atmosphere changes and a few more people come for an evening drink. There is an outside terrace and upper floor with live sports on both floors. They are open until midnight so you can stop by for a nightcap on your way back to your accommodation.
The facilities at Santa Cristiana are fantastic. Sitting on the Sella Ronda, Santa Cristina benefits from having a very efficient, modern lift system, connecting skiers across the ski area. Santa Cristina also has very good accommodation options ( hotels, apartments and B&B’s), excellent restaurants and cafes and more. As a tourist village, there are quite a few local souvenir shops and other cultural attractions where you can go on an afternoon or evening stroll and soak in the environment.
Santa Cristina and the Dolomiti Superski area, in general, are well-recognised tourist attractions that have always welcomed families and especially had facilities to ensure that children are entertained and catered to.
