Fare cross-country skiing in Lombardy it is increasingly easier and more fun: the number of slopes and their quality is growing.
If you don’t want to take cable cars, chair lifts and so on to go cross-country skiing, know that in Lombardy there are slopes that can be reached by car directly from home, with parking where you can change and go for a trip.
Cross-country skiing in Lombardy: all slopes accessible without lifts
There are cross-country ski trails in most of the Lombardy provinces, we have selected them to highlight the best ones that can be reached without using the facilities.
Where to go cross-country skiing in the province of Sondrio
Cross-country skiing in Livigno
In Livigno there are approximately 30 km of Nordic skiing slopes which border the town and which are partly already available towards the end of October thanks to the snowfarming with which the first ring route is created. The well-known tourist track starts just outside the town and reaches the bottom of the valley at the Forcola Pass, passing through the various hamlets of S.Rocco, Palipert, Pònt Lònch and Tresenda. It is a panoramic circular route over 15 km long, accessible directly from the various car parks in the city center and along the road, along which the Sgambedathe international granfondo that inaugurates the winter season.
There’s a entrance ticket that can be purchased online or in the various sales points throughout the country at the price of 5 euros. Another 5 km of track – always well maintained – belong to the Marianna Longa competitive track, a local sporting glory of a few years ago. An advice? Here we are at 1800 meters above sea level and it is not easy to do this physical activity at altitude with the rarefaction of oxygen.
Cross-country skiing in Bormio
The cross-country trails are not exactly in the village but just outside, a Valdidentro where there are approximately 25 km of slopes, the best known of which is the Viola which runs along the river. Here there is also a biathlon shooting range also open to tourists who want to try their hand at it. There tourist track it develops with not particularly demanding differences in height and obviously gives the possibility of modulating the distance according to one’s abilities.
There is also a competitive track, approved to host international competitions, which starts from the Ski Stadium in Baita Noa and heads towards Isolaccia and Le Motte. At the start, a ski rental service is available (and normally also a bar/diner).
Cross-country skiing at Aprica
Lo cross-country skiing in Aprica it is particularly stimulating because it is practiced in the evocative Pian Gembro Nature Reserve. The track is 7.5 km long, part of which is in the woods, with around 70 meters of positive difference in altitude in a stunning landscape. It is designed on a large plateau just outside the town at around 1400 meters above sea level, both for the classic technique and for skating. Another loop for cross-country skiing is a Trivigno, at 1800 meters, in a panoramic area. To reach both locations, a shuttle bus service is active from the town throughout the winter season.
Cross-country skiing in Valchiavenna
In Vachiavenna the ski area includes the resorts of Madesimo, Campodolcino, Motta, Montespluga and Val di Lei. The cross-country tracks are limited only to the Campodolcino area (an easy 5 km loop) and a loop at Alpe Motta of another 5 km (divided into an initial easy trail of 2 km and a second of medium difficulty of 3 km): this is considered a very fun and undemanding route which winds without too many differences in height, first on a flat surface outside the town and then in the woods surrounding the houses. It is not uncommon to come across roe deer coming down into the valley.
The Sky Express funicular from Campodolcino reaches Alpe Motta however it is not currently running, obviously due to Covid. Entrance to the tracks is free and open, which is not always the case in our Alps.
Cross-country skiing in Valmalenco
In Valmalenco there is the cross-country ski track Launcheda 1.2 km ring that can also be covered in the evening until 11pm thanks to artificial lighting.
Cross-country skiing in Santa Caterina Valfurva
In Santa Caterina at 1800 meters above sea level Valtellina track it is made up of two rings of 5 and 10 kilometers. This itinerary, perfectly beaten and signposted and home to national team training and high-level competitions since the beginning of the season, intersects with the tourist one and develops both in the woods and in the valley and is often in the sun. The most exciting moment is reached in the final descent, which is quite technical, but which beginners can avoid without problems.
For the less experienced there are 2, 3 and 5 km loops and obviously there is the possibility of renting equipment and taking lessons at the La Fonte Centre. This is one of the most interesting cross-country skiing tracks in Lombardy.
Where to go cross-country skiing in the province of Brescia
Cross-country skiing in Ponte di Legno – Tonale
Cross-country skiing is practiced under the Presena glacier Valsozzine Cross Country Center, just outside the town of Ponte di Legno along the SS42 state road towards the Tonale Pass. It has three rings – between 2 and 5 km long) connected to each other which, after skirting the Narcanello stream, enter the woods.
Each slope has a different difficulty, from the route for beginners to that for more expert skiers. Here it is obviously possible to rent equipment, stop for lunch and take lessons which, even for this sport, is always advisable at the beginning. At Passo del Tonale, however, there are no paths.
Cross-country skiing in Valcamonica
The snow-covered slopes of Gaver Cross-Country Centre, in the plain within the Adamello Park in the municipality of Breno at 1500 meters above sea level, near Esine and Bagolino, are particularly panoramic at the foot of Monte Blumone. There is a 5 km ring for competitive cross-country skiing, a 3 km tourist ring for beginners and other variants for a further 5 km with the possibility of practicing both the skated and alternating pace.
Where to go cross-country skiing in the province of Bergamo
Cross-country skiing in Val Brembana
The slopes in the Bergamo Prealps are very numerous: a Foppolo, in Val Brembana, there is a ring of about 3 km in the Convento area which passes through a forest and is equipped with a rental structure, bar, changing rooms and even artificial lighting which also allows evening activity. The track is always well maintained. In the area there is also a 1.5 km ring Saint Simon it’s at Ridea track approved for races in Roncobello and three slopes for a total of 5 km in length Branzi in Gardata (we are at 850 meters above sea level: better to call to make sure they are open).
The best, however, is to get to the bottom of it Zambla Alta, in the municipality of Oltre il Colle, about 80 km from Milan at an altitude of 1256: on Pian della Palla, between Colle di Zambla and Cà di Zocc, there are four rings – two slopes of 7.5 km and 5 km FISI approved (the Maurizio Celeste and the Gioba), the 7.5 km Carrara and the 13 km Maplus. Up to the Crocetta area there is also night lighting. In Cusio The Miser’s Plans in Alta Valle Brembana there are two rings of 3 and 5.5 km.
Cross-country skiing in Val Seriana
Even in this valley of the Bergamo Prealps there are many slopes, rather short, scattered at high altitude in all the side valleys: there is a cross-country ring of 6 km at Mount Pora – the Presolana-Vareno at an altitude of 1300 m – as well as a Schilpario at an altitude of 1150 there is a Cross Country Center which manages a ring of 11.5 km in total along the pine forest just outside the town, characterized by passages over a series of small wooden bridges over the Dezzo river.
The tracks are prepared daily for both the classical technique and the skating technique and 1500 meters of track can also be used in the evening thanks to the night lighting but only by reservation. In Alta Val Seriana, a Valbondione in the hamlet of Lizzola, there is a 5 km slope with shorter intermediate loops, equipped with programmed snow which allows you to ski from December to April.
A Gromo clearings the track is 5 km long inside the pine forest but there are also others Clusone, Villages of Presolana in Prius e Gandino where, however, openings only occur on exceptional occasions.
Where to go cross-country skiing in the province of Varese
Cross-country skiing in Cunardo
80 km from Milan, on the meadows on the slopes of the Field of flowers, there is a cross-country track in Brinzio managed by the Cunardo Ski Club which is a sort of institution for all enthusiasts in the Varese area. The track is divided into two rings suitable for different abilities: a completely flat “blue” ring of about 3 km and a “red” one with some short climbs and never dangerous descents of 5 km.
Entrance is free, although a small donation is very welcome. (This is also one of the closest cross-country tracks to Milan, like the others reported in this article).
Province of Como
Cross-country skiing in Lanzo d’Intelvi
When it snows enough, three rings should be opened – the conditional is a must – which the locals call Piana Monti (3 km long, suitable for beginners), the Conca Smeralda (10 km, part of which is inside the Golf Club local) and a difference in altitude of 150 meters and the Red Ring for competitive athletes which has received approval for competitions, more than 3.5 km long).
Credits Photo: Ass.Tur.Livigno
If you have never done cross-country skiing and want to know more you can start from this link to the cross-country skiing advice section.
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