6 Lesser-Known Ski Resorts in the Dolomites

Crowds are easy to avoid in the Dolomites if you know where to look. Passo San Pellegrino is one of those places. Linked with nearby Falcade, this high-altitude ski area offers highly reliable snow, meticulously prepared pistes and a lift network that keeps queues refreshingly short. For ultimate convenience, stay directly on the high mountain pass in a ski-in/ski-out hotel to step straight onto the slopes. Or, base yourself in the village of Falcade for a livelier atmosphere with local restaurants and quick gondola access. There’s plenty for skiers of every ability, from long cruisers and gentle beginner slopes to steep blacks and lift-accessed freeride terrain on Col Margherita. Off the mountain, life revolves around hanging out in welcoming rifugi, getting stuck into long lunches and soaking up spectacular views. This makes it the perfect choice for skiers who want to max out every day on the mountain.

Some resorts impress with their skiing. San Martino di Castrozza impresses before you've even unpacked your ski gear. Dominated by the epic Pale di San Martino massif, it’s the kind of place that has you reaching for your camera before your skis. Yet somehow it still flies under the radar compared with the Dolomites’ bigger names. The ski area offers around 60 km of pistes split across several sectors, with confidence-building blues and reds making it particularly good for intermediates. Beyond the pistes, there’s plenty of freeride terrain to explore and brilliant ski touring when conditions allow. Back in the village, the atmosphere is relaxed, with traditional hotels and friendly bars. If your perfect Dolomites ski trip is as much about immersing yourself in the mountains as it is skiing them, San Martino di Castrozza is pretty hard to beat.

Life moves at a gentler pace in San Vigilio di Marebbe. This picturesque Ladin village sits at the foot of Kronplatz, where state-of-the-art lifts and immaculate pistes contrast with family-run hotels, fabulous restaurants and quiet streets back in the village. It's the kind of place where you get the sense that locals still outnumber tourists. The skiing centres around Kronplatz’s broad, impeccably groomed pistes, served by ultra-modern lift system. Wide cruisers and long, tree-lined runs make Kronplatz an intermediate skier’s dream. Beyond the lifts, the Fanes-Sennes-Prags Nature Park offers superb ski touring, snowshoeing and winter walking. But it’s back in San Vigilio that the resort really comes into its own. With amazing food, welcoming local bars and a proudly Ladin identity, it feels like a genuine mountain village that just happens to have world-class skiing on its doorstep.