Ortler Ski Traverse

The Ortler Ski Traverse Itinerary

Arrival/Travel day: Sulden, Bolzano, Italy

Arrive at our hotel in Sulden/Solda, Bolzano, reachable by car or public transport from Innsbruck (2½ hrs), Munich (3½ hrs), Bozen / Bolzano (1¼ hrs), Verona (2½ hrs) or Venice (3½ hrs).

Day 1: Sulden to Marteller Hut 

Breakfast at the hotel. Be ready to meet your guide in the lobby of your hotel at 8:30am for an equipment check and trip briefing. You will depart the hotel to begin the trek directly following the briefing. Gondola ride to the Schaubach Hut, then a chairlift to the Madrtischjoch at just over 3,100 m. It is a short climb to the Hintere Schoentaufspitze (Jorg, the head guide’s first ski touring summit at the age of 11, when the lifts didn’t go quite so high…..), then we will descend to the Zufall Hut (Rifugio Nino Corsi, 2,265 m) for a short break. From there, a well-trodden track leads in about 1½ hrs to the higher Marteller Hut (2,600m). Time and fitness allowing, we often manage an ascent of the Cima Marmotta (3,330 m) followed by a fun, north-facing run back down to the hut for lodging and dinner.

Day 2: Marteller Hut to Branca Hut 

Many options can get us to the Branca Hut (2,493 m): 1) Either via the Casati Hut (stop for cappuccino!) and via Pizzini and Forno Huts or 2) climb the Monte Cevedale (3,760 m) and descend the Cedec Glacier, then re-ascend steeply to the Monte Pasquale Col (and take a short side trip to the summit) or 3) climb the summit of the Palon del Mar (3,690 m) and descend straight down to the Branca Hut which is famous for its great food and ambiance. This is only one reason why we will stay there for three nights.

Days 3 and 4: Branca Hut 

Day trips from the Branca Hut, which offers many excellent options including ascents of Pizzo Tresero (3,550 m), Punta San Matteo (3,680 m), Monte Cevedale (3,760 m) or Palon del Mar (3,690 m). The Branca Hut is one of the very best bases for day trips in glaciated terrain in the eastern Alps, offering plenty of northerly-aspect skiing, which tends to preserve good powder snow well into the spring.

Day 5: Branca Hut to Pizzini Hut

Move to the Pizzini Hut (2,700 meters) via a steep climb to the Cevedale / Pasquale Col (3,430 m) followed by a climb of Monte Pasquale (3,553 m). We can choose between a rewarding descent down the north-facing Cedec Glacier or take more mellow terrain in the Cedec Valley. The latter would give us the option for afternoon skiing around the hut. The Pizzini Hut has a great sauna – towels provided!

Day 6: Pizzini Hut to Sulden

Climb via Casati Hut (with the option to ascend Monte Cevedale (3,780 m)), then to the Sulden Spitze (3,200 m) and descend (eventually on the ski runs of the resort) all the way to Sulden for lodging in our hotel.

Departure/Travel Day:

The trip officially concludes after breakfast. Not ready for the fun to end? Continue with one of our other ski touring trips in the Alps.

Inclusions

Included: 

• 6 days of guiding by an internationally (UIAGM/IFMGA) certified, multilingual, mountain guide or guide aspirant under supervision
• Guide expenses
• 2 nights hotel accommodation in a double room with breakfast
• 5 nights hut accommodation with halfboard (breakfast and dinner)
• Luggage storage
• Equipment rental (harness, rope, carabiner)
• All trip organization and assistance with your pre-and post-trip arrangements.

Not Included:

• Gondola ride
• Flights, airport shuttles and taxis
• Dinners not mentioned above
• Drinks, lunches, snacks
• Avalanche safety equipment (shovel, probe and avalanche transceiver)
• Boot crampons
• Rental equipment (if necessary)
• Insurance
• Additional costs in case of itinerary changes (adverse weather or mountain conditions, preferences, fatigue, lack of skills etc…)
• Single room (surcharge applies)

Transportation

Transport Options / Travel Logistics

Our Ortler Ski Traverse begins from Sulden / Solda (BZ) at the Gondola Station.  Sulden/Solda is reachable by car or public transport from the Airport Bozen / Bolzano (95 km, 1.5 hrs), Airport Innsbruck (160 km, 2.5 hrs), Verona Airport(240 km, 3 hrs),  Venice Marco Polo Airport (360 km, 4 hrs) Munich Strauss Airport (300 km, 4.15 hrs) and Milano Malpensa Airport (410 km, 4.45 hrs). Most of our guests seem to fly into one of the the latter three airports as they tend to offer much higher volumes and lower fares, which Munich probably being the most popular and economical.

Public transport, specifically the bus transfers, can be a challenge for some participants to navigate (bus timetables posted online are not always accurate) as well as time-consuming. Our guests recommend renting a car for easier travel.

Public Transport: From the South (Bozen / Bolzano, Verona, Venice, Milan)

1. Train with via Trentitalia to Bozen / Bolzano – Meran / Marano to Prad am Stifserjoch / Prato Allo Stelvio (Venosta Valley)

2. Then Public Bus to Stilfs / Stelvio and on to Sulden / Solda: STA – Sudtiroler Transport for train & bus timetables.

Public Transport: From the North (Munich / Innsbruck / Vienna)

1. Train to Landeck

If you arrive Munich, then train with Deutsche Bahn DB to Landeck-Zams

If you arrive Innsbruck, train with OEBB services to Landeck-Zams

If you arrive Vienna, train with OEBB services to Landeck-Zams:

2. Public Bus from Landeck / Zams to Sulden/Solda

From Landeck then Bus to Nauders, Mals / Malles, Prad / Prato, Stilfs / Stelvio and Sulden / Solda

Click Here for current bus schedules from Landeck to Sulden/Solda

For detailed bus schedules with the relevant carrier for each leg, you can also use the following links of each national bus carrier (Please enter departure and arrival into the web site and adjust for your travel date):
1) Landeck Zams Bahnhof – to Nauders Muehle
Departures are roughly hourly and there is a direct connection (takes about 1 hour) or a connection that requires switching to a Swiss bus coming across the Swiss border (“confin”) and then going to Nauders (1.20 hrs). In either case, in Nauders the bus connects with the Italian / South Tirolian bus, which tends to be waiting there.

2) Nauders Muehle to Sulden / Solda via Mals / Vinschgau Bahnhof (Malles / Venosta Stazione) and Stilfs / Stelvio

The first leg from Nauders to Mals features hourly departures through the main valley named Vintschgau / Val Venosta to Mals. This leg takes about 37 minutes to Mals Bahnhof, where one connects to the bus to Stilfs / Stelvio and Sulden / Solda. Unfortunately, there are only 3 bus departures to Sulden from Stilfs, the last one departing Stilfs at 17.02. Total trip duration from Nauders is a little over 2 hrs to Sulden / Solda and requires two or three bus switches. Should you miss the last departure to Sulden / Solda your options are to take a taxi (cost around Euro 70) or we can recommend the Hotel  Traube in the center of the village of Stilfs / Stelvio right next to the bus stop, which offers excellent food and good value rooms. The first bus leaves shortly after 7 in the morning.

The public transport sounds very complicated requiring quite a few switches from bus to bus, especially when arriving from the north (Munich and Innsbruck) but it works surprisingly well as continuing buses are usually already waiting such as when switching in Nauders from the Austrian to the Italian / South Tirolian public bus system.

Private Transport: We can also arrange airport/train station pick-ups/drop offs and we gladly assist our participants to coordinate their local transport.
An example of costs: Innsbruck airport to Sulden: starting from euro350 one way

Often our guides can provide a ride or pick you up at a train station/airport from either Innsbruck or Brixen / Bressanone.

For private groups/custom itineraries we also offer to start the trip in St. Caterina di Valfurva (230 km, 3.15 hrs) close to Bormio on the southern side of the Ortles / Ortler range.

Public Transport –  Bormio Departure

From the South – Milan airport

Take a train From the Milan airport to Tiano.  From Tirano,take the Perego bus line towards Bormio. It takes about 1 hour. You can check the connections between the train and bus lines at this link:
www.busperego.com/linee-ordinarie.php. There is also a Perego bus from Bormio to Santa Caterina. From Santa Caterina you would take a 15 minute taxi.

Ortler Ski Traverse Private Trip Pricing

Why not find some friends and put together your own group? For private groups, we can offer the following pricing assuming the same inclusions :

2 participants: 60% premium in addition to our advertised per person price
3 participants: 40% premium in addition to our advertised per person price
4 participants: 20% premium in addition to our advertised per person price
5 participants: Our advertised per-person price
6 – 8 participants: 10% discount from our advertised per person price*

*we only confirm a group of 8 with 1 guide if all participants are strong skiers with previous multi-day hut trip experience, and at our discretion. For groups that are not as strong, we recommend 2 guides, in which case the discount does not apply.

For groups larger than 8, please reach out to us for a custom quote.

Ortler Private Group / Custom trips Itinerary Options:

Additional days:
A great way to acclimatize and to expand your trip by a day or two is to add ski touring days based at the starting point of our Ortler Traverse, the town of Sulden / Solda. The large gondola and two long chairlifts (Kanzel and Langenstein) provide a morning boost into the alpine and also offer really good off-piste skiing options that are available with only relatively short ascents.

For custom departures, we can also extend or shorten the trip. Each hut offers enough ski touring terrain to keep us well entertained for an entire trip in itself.

Itinerary Options:
For groups arriving from the south (Milano) it makes logistics much easier to start and end the trip at the Forni Hut just outside of the Italian resort town of Bormio. If so, we can reverse the entire loop or quite often we stick with the Italian-speaking side of the range only (Forni Hut, Branca Hut, Pizzini Hut and Casati Hut) which makes the traverse less committing and overall a bit easier.

For groups looking for a less demanding itinerary, we recommend starting the trip at the Forni Hut where we spend the first 2 nights, followed by 2 nights at the Branca, and 2 nights at the Pizzini Hut. The trip will culminate at a hotel in Bormio. Luggage Transfer from Forni to Bormio is included in the trip price OR for those renting a vehicle and parking at the Forni Hut, we will include a taxi transfer at the end of the trip to the Forni Hut.

FAQ

Do I need to sign a Release of Liability & Assumption of Risk Agreement (a.ka. liability waiver)?

Yes, you do. Mountaineering, skiing, climbing, hiking, via ferrata and all other wilderness and adventure travel activities are inherently risky with potential for injuries or even death.
It is very important to us that you are aware of those risks before you start the booking process, which includes filling out a booking form and paying a deposit.
With signing the liability waiver, you confirm that you understand the potential risks and hazards, and are willing to accept the risks, which includes giving up legal rights you may have.
This would also be the time to ask questions or address concerns before you book.
For your reference here is a link to our Liability Waiver. Our booking terms & cancellation policy with more details can be found here

What are the current skiing conditions in the Ortler Range?

For the current forecast and current conditions, best refer to http://www.snowforecast.com and specifically to:
1) Conditions in the Sulden / Solda ski resort where we start and end our traverse and
2) Conditions in the St. Catherina di Valfura resort which best represent the conditions on the southern end of the Ortler traverse close to the Branca and Pizzini Huts.

Both pages also have tabs for the current forecast and some webcam images that give you a good idea.

Will we need ski crampons and/or boot crampons?

For spring ski touring in the Alps the ski crampons are imperative for about 70% of all trips. Once the typical spring diurnal weather cycle kicks in you will likely be walking on a melt-freeze crust on any solar aspects. The boot crampons work well for shorter, steep bits that go straight up but you will likely find yourself on extended side-hilling on a melt-freeze crust that carries for skis but you’d post-hole on boots with crampons. Consequently, what travels easily with ski crampons turns into an excruciating nightmare on boots…

That being said, if you end up picking a week that has more wintery weather with snowfall every day you may not need them at all! But if you do need them, you REALLY need them!

Boots crampons are always a delicate subject. Whether clip-binding in front or behind, one fits on one shoe and not on the other or vice versa. The crampons that always fit are paradoxically the ones that are slowest to put on, those with a strap-binding front and back.

The weight is a very important factor, as well as the protective cover to store them safely in the backpack. On Monte Cevedale, for example, we would not make it up to the summit (in certain weather conditions) without boot crampons. And on Monte Pasquale can be challenging without crampons because of 15 meters of hard ground. Please bring a pair along and if the guide feels you do not need them, they can be left with your luggage at the hotel.

Additional extra’s we can purchase at the huts and will need cash for?

All of the huts offer a three to four-course dinner (soup, at times salad, meat entrée and dessert) and breakfast (coffee or tea, bread, butter, jam, cheese, at times also sausage) which is included in your trip price.

Special dietary needs can usually be only accommodated to a limited extent in the huts, be sure to remind your guide each day upon arrival at the huts.

Drinks are also available at the Huts from € 3-6. Good bottled wine is € 20-35/bottle. The water at Branca and Pizzini is officially not drinkable (but our guides say “although it is good”).
When showers are available they cost around € 3, or shower + towel is around € 5. A Sauna is available at Rifugio Pizzini for € 15.

Make sure to take some EUR cash for the extras in the huts (no credit card at Branca).
You can purchase lunch food at the huts no problem! You can also buy lunch food in the valleys before departing on the ski traverse. Snacks and sandwiches are also for sale in the huts from € 14 to 20 (1 pasta or meat + 1 big drink à la carte).

Can the Ortler Ski Traverse be done on a splitboard?

Generally, the Ortler Ski Traverse gets done quite regularly on a split board, however it takes a boarder who is comfortable boarding with a heavier pack and who can negotiate some of the low-angle descents and wavey sections in “walk mode”. You would need ski crampons for your board and you must be comfortable to descend in “ski mode” in the low angle and wavey bits as otherwise, it’s too time-consuming to step out of the board every time a small hump needs to be climbed up.

All in all, the Ortler trip is better suited for skiers but can be accomplished by a splitboarder with previous technical experience. Also, in case a party needs to rope up in bad visibility, skiing tends to be easier than boarding thanks to the availability of the snowplow position. Generally, splitboarders tend to take more time as the transitions from climbing to downhill tend to take a bit longer and the low-angle descents are a bit more time-consuming on a board.

What is the best Topo Map for the Ortler Range? 

The best printed topo map is the #8 Tabacco “Gruppo di Ortles / Ortlergruppe”  which can be ordered from Omnimap  in the US$ and Canada at US$16 plus shipping or you can buy it just about in every shop around Sulden for Euro 8.50. While carrying a printed map is a good idea we also recommend mapping apps for smart phones like Gaia and Alpenvereinaktiv.

Can we refill our BCA canisters or rent ABS packs in Europe?

We haven’t seen the BCA System in South Tyrol. If the cartridges are different from those of ABS, Mammut etc. then it might be difficult to find them. Anyway, you should look for it in bigger cities before arriving in the area. Generally in spring in higher mountain regions people use less airbags. The glacier equipment makes the backpacks quite heavy, so for some people adding an airbag system seems too much.

Can we rent touring skis, touring boots, skins, and avalanche equipment in Sulden? 

Sulden is a very small town with only a few gear rental shops. We recommend Sport Waxelpeter (d. Pfeiffer Gerd, Hauptstr. 133, I-39029 Sulden am Ortler) for touring skis + boots + skins. Ski crampons (these must fit your ski bindings) and avalanche safety gear (beacon, shovel, probe) are difficult to acquire as the rental shops do not have options to rent using an online booking engine. If you need these items, please send the Sport Waxelpeter an email or give them a call to inquire. Due to the challenges of reserving rental equipment, we highly recommend having all your gear either reserved online for pick up in Sulden or purchased/rented in another location before arriving in Sulden.

Trip Details

Arrival Day 

The day before the traverse begins, you will arrive in Sulden to check into our preferred Hotel. We suggest arriving in the afternoon to leave yourself time to pack for the following day and have a leisurely dinner before getting a good night’s rest. There are no group obligations on this day.

Meeting Point

Meet your guide on day 1 of the itinerary for breakfast at your Sulden hotel.

Best Season/Climate/Weather

Late-February – Mid May, with mid March – end of April being the most popular time.
Temperatures can vary hugely: If wintery weather patterns prevail, you can expect temps between -5 C and -22 C. In spring the temperature spread increases from -10 C overnight to +15 C, especially on sunny days and when descending to the valleys.

Lunches 

Lunches are not included in our trip packages. We recommend packing a lunch for the first day of trekking. Packed lunches are available at each hut and must be ordered the night before. If you have a guide, please discuss as a group what the next day’s lunch plans are as some group may opt to dine-in at a hut along the way.

Luggage Storage and Transfers

You can use the hotel luggage storage facilities at your own risk. Neither OnTop nor the hotel accepts any responsibility for loss of or damage to the luggage or the contents (including any valuables, even if we have been advised) during storage, the disposal process or any luggage transfers that may be part of your trip package. That being said, we have never had any issues with lost luggage during storage or transfer.

Medical/Rescue and Trip Cancellation Insurance

We strongly recommend the purchase of a travel insurance package that does cover adventure travel. Common policies sold by travel agents or policies included in your credit card contract tend to exclude “mountaineering”  if you read through the fine print. We recommend an adventure travel policy on our website at http://ontopmountaineering.com/travel-insurance/  which our clients had good experiences with in the past. *NEW: we now recommend including covid-19/pandemic coverage with your insurance policy.

Can I Do It?

Strenuous backcountry ski tour in alpine, often glaciated terrain on alpine touring (randonnée) or sturdy telemark equipment. You must be able to ski safely and controlled at all times while wearing a mid-weight backpack (7-10 kg /15 lb-22 lb). In other words, you don’t have to be an excellent skier but rather a solid mountain skier with good “survival skiing skills” to where you are able to negotiate even adverse snow conditions without falling while still raveling at a decent pace. You need to be in very good physical and mental condition, ready to be on your feet for about 8-10 hrs on your feet daily including, steep, continuous uphill climbs of up to 1200 meters (4100 ft) on some of the days. Some of the peak ascents require scrambling along exposed ridges on crampons, however the more challenging peak ascents can also be “waited out at the ski depot” and the guide will carry a rope for those clients who prefer a belay. There is the option for a midweek rest day as we will be staying two nights in the same hut. We do not recommend this trip for backcountry ski touring beginners.

Can the Ortler Ski Traverse be done on a splitboard?

Generally, the Ortler Ski Traverse gets done quite regularly on a split board, however it takes a boarder who is comfortable boarding with a heavier pack and who can negotiate some of the low-angle descents and wavey sections in “walk mode”. You would need ski crampons for your board and you must be comfortable to descend in “ski mode” in the low angle and wavey bits as otherwise, it’s too time-consuming to step out of the board every time a small hump needs to be climbed up.

All in all, the Ortler trip is better suited for skiers but can be accomplished by a splitboarder with previous technical experience. Also, in case a party needs to rope up in bad visibility, skiing tends to be easier than boarding thanks to the availability of the snowplow position. Generally, splitboarders tend to take more time as the transitions from climbing to downhill tend to take a bit longer and the low-angle descents are a bit more time-consuming on a board.