Head into the Alt Alps

Kaleidoscopic panoramas, vertical cliffs and ski-circuit challenges set the Dolomites apart from the rest of the Alps. Here’s how to ski, board, back-country, cross-country, snowshoe – or just chill – around Italy’s eternal mountain range.

By Stuart Brumfitt

◼ YOU COME TO THE DOLOMITES for the skiing, then realise you’ve let yourself in for something more: wild geological discovery. “It’s like a modern nature project – the Dolomites were once all coral reefs,” says Alex Schenk, an instructor and mountain guide in the region. “When the Alps grew, the Dolomites were at sea level and were pushed up, so the rock you’re skiing around was once a coral reef with a few hills on top that were islands. If you’re lucky you’ll still find stone shells or fossils.” This head-spinning explanation – that you’re skiing your way round vast rocky outcrops that were once on the seafloor – goes some way to explaining the tripped-out beauty you’ll encounter if you come skiing in this northeastern stretch of Italy. The…

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British GQ Style (Digital) - 1 Issue, Issue 35

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