Cortina is one of our favourite Italian resorts, located in the UNESCO World Heritage mountains of the Dolomites. It has 120km of pistes (38 blue, 32 red and 13 black runs), with skiing from 2742m.
The first ski school in Italy
Scuola Sci Cortina was founded in 1933 to become the first ski school in Italy. Uniquely, the ski school is the only one authorized to use the Olympic rings in their logo, as it was registered before the legal ban.
The Winter Olympics are coming (back) to Cortina
In 1956, Cortina hosted the Winter Olympics and only last year hosted the World Ski Championships in February 2021.
The famous Italian resort is now preparing for its second Winter Olympic Games, joint-hosted with Milan in 2026.
Cortina: For Your Eyes Only
In 1981, the James Bond movie ‘For Your Eyes Only’ was filmed in Cortina. The British secret agent was played by Roger Moore and the movie was directed by John Glen.
Among the locations used in the 007 film are the Olympic Ice Stadium, the Olympia delle Tofane piste, the Trampolino Olimpico Italia ski-jump and the Monti Bob Sleigh Track, all of which can still be visited today.
The World Cup is coming to Cortina in January
In January 2022, the Ladies Ski World Cup returns to Cortina d’Ampezzo, after a two year break while the resort hosted the Ski World Championships in February 2021.
There will be a Ladies Downhill race on 22 January, followed the next day by a Super G race, with both races taking place on the courses that will be used for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
Stallone in the Dolomites
If you’ve ever seen ‘Cliffhanger’, the 1993 movie starring Sylvester Stallone and directed by Renny Harlin, you will have seen the impressive Dolomites range.
Much of the movie was filmed in Cortina, including at Rifugio Lagazuoi and the ‘Cliffhanger Lodge’ on Mount Faloria.
New fast gondola for 2021/22
The new gondola from Son dei Prade (1642m) to Bai de Dones (1884m) will link, for the first time, the Tofane and Cinque Torri ski areas via a 4.5km journey in 10-seater cabins.
The Cinque Torri area provides access to Alta Badia and the Sella Ronda, which means the new lift will connect Cortina much more directly with the rest of the Dolomiti Superski.
The gondola is expected to significantly reduce the road traffic between the two areas, since skiers will be able to take the gondola instead of travelling by bus or car with an uplift capacity of 1100 skiers per hour.
The highest chairlift in Cortina
A new 4-seater chairlift will open this season in the ski area of Ra Valles, the highest in Cortina. The chair replaces two lifts (a double and a triple chairlift).
The new chairlift will dramatically reduce transport time from 15 to 7 minutes – to get to the top of the Bus de Tofana slope, the highest in Cortina (2743m)
Accommodation in Cortina
For advice on finding the right accommodation in Cortina, please contact the Chaletline team on 01822 617761.
Cortina will open for the season on 27 November 2021 and close on 01 May 2022