Madonna Di Campiglio, Skiing ...

Beginners will find the pitch perfect nursery slopes at Campo Carlo Magno the ideal place to begin. Heading further up the mountains on either side of the valley there are several long blue runs on which to build confidence.

The extensive ski and snowboard area of Madonna is a proverbial paradise for intermediate riders. A journey over to the neighbouring resorts of Folgarida and Marilleva incorporating a wide variety of interesting pistes will lead you through some truly stunning scenery. The runs vary from wide and open cruisers on sunny plateaus to narrow need your wits about you tracks descending through tightly packed trees and everything in between.

The area offers up some fairly challenging black runs, Spinale being one of the steepest and trickiest in harder conditions. There are many off-piste opportunities dotted around the place – some in between pistes or clumps and forest while others can be found under chair lifts. However, most of these chutes are short and the pleasure is over all too soon. Hiring a guide could lead to greater things. Also beware where you ski off-piste here – the local Ski Carabinieri (police) may not like it as certain sectors are strictly off-limits depending on current snow conditions.

Freestylers will find the Ursus Snow Park below Passo Groste more than sufficient. The park is riddled with kickers, table tops, rails and all sorts of other stuff to make you fly.