SKI AREA RATSCHINGS-JAUFEN (Italy)

Just the right large ski area in South Tyrol, close the border with Austria, with modern cable cars and no queues

Address: Racines di Dentro, 18a, 39040 Racines BZ, Italy

Website: www.ratschings-jaufen.it

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Although the pleasant ski area is already in Italy, you have the feeling that you are in Austria. Everyone speaks German and area is 32 km from Brenner, about half an hour by car. Just after the toll booth, you exit the highway into the mountains. Perfectly groomed slopes in Italy. From 1,200 m above sea level, you can take the only cable car up (there is also a parking lot below the ticket offices), and at the top you can decide on one of the modern chairlifts. The highest one goes up to 2150 m above sea level. The seats are comfortable and all of them had a bubble, if by chance the famous Italian weather did not appear, but a breeze. And they are for 6 to 8 people, so there were really almost no queues. When there is enough snow (the slopes are also covered with artificial snow), you can ski all the way down to the cabin from the top, and you will have a great ride, the slope is several kilometers long and is beautiful, quite wide, red, some places a bit steeper, but thanks to the great treatment was not frozen, even though it was below zero. There is another chairlift from the bottom on the map (No. 8), but it looked dated and was not running, so you have to ride the cabin from the bottom.

The ski area Ratschings - Jaufen is suitable for both beginners and advanced skiers. Skiing is mainly in the upper half, where there are deforested hills with beautiful views, the forests begin in the lower half. If you want to take nice photos, there are several photo points at the top, such as a large wooden heart, a wooden frame with an inscription of the area or two wooden viewpoints.

There are several restaurants and bars in the area, we chose the Saxnerhütte as our base. When you are facing the slopes, it is on the far right. There was a large outdoor terrace with plenty of tables, and if it's nasty, you can sit inside or on the covered side terrace. They are grilling chickens and pork knees on the outdoor terrace. The great smell is carried throughout the slope and won't leave you cold, you just have to stop here. You have to order at least half a chicken, but they are small, I ate them with relish :) They have a lot more on the menu, soups (it was more of a bucket than a plate, it's hard to eat a soup and also a main course), meats, sandwiches, grilled burgers, pasta, desserts and much more. But the majority had grilled specialties. You can pay by card. You have it with a beautiful view of the mountains. From here you can go all the way down without having to use the cable car, but I think it is possible in this area from all the pubs.

Ski area in numbers

Regular season: December - mid-April

Elevation: from 1200 m above sea level to 2150 m above sea level

Opening hours: 8.30 - 16.15

Price of ski passes 2022/23 - all day 50 Euros, children 35 Euros

Total kilometers of slopes: 28 km

Number of slopes: 25

Difficulty of slopes: blue - 47 km, red - 19.5 km, black - 0.5 km

Toboggan run: 5 km

Cross-country trail: 10.4 km

If you want to go to this Italian ski area and are looking for accommodation, from my own experience I recommend the luxurious 5* hotel Tenne Lodges directly opposite the ski slope. The hotel does not have ordinary small mountain rooms, but large apartments in wood with a kitchen, dining table, sofa, luxurious stone bathroom, balcony. However, it is quite difficult for someone to cook here, when downstairs in the restaurant you can taste a menu from a chef who worked in a Michelin-starred restaurant. So be sure to book half board! And don't expect to lose weight here :) In addition to beautiful rooms and great food, after skiing or hiking, you can relax in the indoor infinity pool, outdoor hot tub or sauna world. Read the full article on Tenne Lodges.

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