I’ll be honest, I’ve never been enthralled with the idea of skiing. I know that’s not very chic, and so it’s something I often keep to myself, much like my aversion to eating molluscs (you can be classy and cultured and not like oysters! You can!).
I skied once when I was 11 years old, and while my mum insists I was good, I have no memory of this — nor do I remember enjoying it — so I think it’s probably a lie. For all intents and purposes, I never planned to ski again. But an antipathy towards skiing puts you in a rather sad position if you, like I, also love mountains, or you, like I, have dreams of cold, snow-filled escapes. There’s an obvious rock and hard place joke here but I’m not going to make it.
In my age group, it often feels as though you have to choose between two holidays: a hot holiday, or a skiing holiday. Other cold locations — Copenhagen, Reykjavík, etc — are either prohibitively expensive or, at this point in time, mildly explosive. Plus, those are city breaks. If you want a proper tundra, people are going to expect you to strap on your salopettes.
But what if you just… didn’t? That’s a question I sought the answer to while boarding the inaugural SkyAlps flight from London Stansted to Bolzano, a tiny airport in a Northern Italian city which, as of December, provides Londoners closer access to some of the Dolomites’ best ski destinations. SkyAlps has been operating since 2021, shuttling skiers from a number of European airports to Bolzano, but Brits have had to wait until now to get in on the deal.
If the words “inaugural flight” don’t frighten you, perhaps the term “propeller plane” might. Or, if you’re me, the sight of one will probably do the job. I did a swift and frantic dive into the aviation side of Google (i.e searched “propeller plane or jet more safe????????”) and, thankfully, learned that the two are essentially equivalent.
The flight was surprisingly smooth considering we took off in rainy English conditions and landed in an Italian snowstorm. Yes, some turbulence, but not enough to whisper last minute Hail Marys. It was two and a half hours to Bolzano, then you’ll need to hop on a transfer to the resort of your choice. We were off to Alta Badia, staying in the nearby town of Corvara, which meant a further hour and a half drive. Before the SkyAlps flight, Alta Badia hopefuls would have had to fly to Verona or Milan and taken one or two more trains to get to Bolzano, as well as a further bus or car to the desired resort. A bit of a trek, especially for someone with no plans on tearing up the slopes.
I did actually have designs to ski on this trip, but was swiftly put back in my place by a wrist injury, which made it very risky to even give it a go. As such, my ski trip was quickly rendered a no-ski trip. “Weren’t you bored?” you may ask. No, reader, I was not — and here’s why.
There are a few key conditions to having an enjoyable ski-less ski trip: firstly, you’ll need to pick your hotel very carefully. I stayed at two in Corvara. First, the traditional, family-run, five-star Hotel Sassongher, which would warm the bones of even the chilliest human. It’s pretty retro in its decor (keep an eye out for the assortments of ornate dolls) but that old fashioned sensibility also extends to its staff, which makes for an incredibly welcoming stay, almost like you’re a long lost relative who’s returned for the big family Christmas.
It also has a stunning “sky spa” (read: larger than average outdoor jacuzzi) where you can marvel at the mountains without needing to worry about lugging your skis up them.
Alas, this brings me to point two. Ski-less ski holidays don’t mean you’re relegated to the foothills. If you go with a group of skiers and cannot, or will not, partake, you can still get the chair lifts and gondolas to meet them for lunch, apres, or an enjoyable little jaunt on the skidoo (basically a snow jet ski) like I did. It’s great not to box yourself out of the slopes-side of things, especially because you’d miss out on some of the gastronomic highlights. Like, for instance, Rifugio Col Alt, which had some of the best versions of the hearty mountain fare of the whole trip. The flavours were aided by some well paired wines, carefully selected by our lunchmates Hugo and Ursula Pizzinini, owners of Rosa Alpina, a luxury Aman partner resort currently under renovation (it reopens next December, in case you’re open to suggestions for ski season 24/25).
Finally, point three: taking the ski out of a ski holiday leaves you with near-mandatory tranquility. While everyone else was on the slopes, working up a sweat and developing some rather incongruous sunburn, I was in a relaxation retreat of my own making. Reading, swimming, spa-ing. This portion of my trip was particularly lovely at our second hotel, La Majun, which is a more modern four-star offering in Corvara with an 800 square metre spa. There’s also a myriad of treatments available, from lymphatic drainage massages to cellular recreation facials. I had a massage and a facial and my body was so relaxed when I walked out that I had to use the steadying techniques I normally employ when considerably drunk.
If you do still need that active aspect, though, you can pass the time by hiking, bobsledding or cross country skiing, which will all be facilitated by your hotel. Around the period we were in Corvara there was even the opportunity to spectate on a portion of the Ski World Cup, if you were competitive sports-inclined.
There are some downsides to a ski-less ski holiday, though they’re far more minor than you’d expect. Firstly, you’ll still need ski-wear if you’re planning on hitting the slopes, or at least a Matryoshka doll-level of layering — the cold up there just hits different. Luckily, you can now rent ski wear from sites like Blanqo or Hurr, in case you don’t plan on reusing your ski gear. I put Blanqo’s offering of Perfect Moment ski sets to good use, which meant I still got the apres ski Instagram post I had dreamed of without having to spend a fortune on the ‘fit.
The other downside is that you won’t feel nearly as healthy as your pro-ski mates, who will be burning off all the meat and cheese-heavy alpine cuisine by carving up that powder. You, on the other hand, will be contemplating how much weight a chair lift can really hold while on your way back from lunch.
But as far as drawbacks go, those aren’t too vicious. So if you’re sitting on Instagram this ski season feeling a heavy dose of FOMO, just know you don’t need skills or the inclination for a dreamy ski-less ski break. Just some rented salopettes, a bathing suit and a really good book. Okay — two good books.
- SkyAlps flights between London and Bolzano start from €184 each way. 50% off for children aged 2-11. Under 2s go for free. skyalps.com
- Hotel Sassongher offers Comfort Rooms from €300 per night, based on two adults sharing on a half-board basis. sassongher.it/en
- Hotel La Majun offers rooms from €370 per night, based on two adults sharing on a B&B basis during the winter season. lamajun.it
- For further information on visiting Alta Badia, visit: altabadia.org
