In late March, early April 2023, I embarked on a ski touring adventure to Italy with a group of three friends. Due to the less than favourable snow conditions throughout the Alps and the unpromising weather forecast, we decided to change our original plan of heading to the Aosta Valley. Instead, we opted for a closer destination, just half the kilometres to drive: the region around Ortler and Cevedale, which borders South Tyrol and Lombardy.
We decided to keep our reservations to a minimum in order to remain flexible with the unpredictable weather and snow conditions. However, for the first night, we anticipated that the huts would be busier over the weekend, so we made arrangements to stay at the Düsseldorfer Hütte, our preferred destinations, which we then visited during the week were all fully booked. They all informed us, that there would be availability from Sunday onwards. After spending a night at the Düsseldorfer Hütte, we drove to the Martellertal valley by car from Solda and stayed there for the remainder of our trip.
During our six-day adventure, we never descended below 2000 meters in elevation. Despite the challenging weather conditions, we were able to summit five peaks higher than 3000 meters, including 3769 m high Cevedale on a day with minus 20 degrees and strong wind, which lead to a wind chill temperature of minus 30. Only on two occasions did we have to turn back towards the end of our planned routes.
Transportation
Reaching the destination from Austria via public transportation is not advisable, as it can take a considerable amount of time. The route involves crossing the Reschenpass, and there are no train tracks available, only a road. If you are looking for a destination reachable by train from Austria or Germany, the "Venter Runde" in Ötztal or the Stubai Valley (e.g. Franz Senn Hütte) can be highly recommended. These destinations are better accessible by train and offer scenic routes for skiing and touring enthusiasts.
By car, you can travel through Innsbruck, cross the Reschenpass, and quickly reach Sulden/Solda, from Salzburg it is around 4,5 h.
Tour
