Cinque Torri

Our day at Cinque Torri - JAN 13, 2026 - 01
Our day at Cinque Torri - JAN 13, 2026 - 02

A small, scenic ski area between Cortina d'Ampezzo and Passo Falzarego, wrapped around the famous five rock towers. Come for the views, then stay for the short, steep reds, quieter pistes and cozy huts. Since 2022, just 15 minutes by the Cortina Skyline gondola makes it an easy day trip from Tofana, while the Super 8 circuit carries more adventurous skiers toward Lagazuoi.

Visited · Reviewed

Pass
Dolomiti Superski
Pistes
29 km
Lifts
8
Elevation
1,900–2,700 m
Nearest town
Cortina d'Ampezzo
Time to allow
1-2 days

How the ski area works

Cinque Torri is a roughly triangular ski area spread across the slopes of the Nuvolau group. The base of the triangle follows the Falzarego road, with Passo Falzarego on one side and Bai de Dones on the other.

Bai de Dones is the most practical base. There is free roadside parking, a hut, and the Cortina Skyline gondola arrives here from Tofana. From the base, the 5 Torri chairlift climbs past the steeper reds to Rifugio Scoiattoli and the famous towers. Above Scoiattoli, the older Averau chairlift reaches the high point of the core ski area. The scenic Averau blue brings you back towards Scoiattoli, where the steeper reds drop back towards Bai de Dones.

South of Averau, the Nuvolau red follows the Fedare chairlift. Partway down, the Croda Negra chairlift crosses back towards the northern side and leads into the Passo Falzarego sector, with a few shorter red runs around the Falzarego chairlift.

If you cross the road at Passo Falzarego, the Super 8 route continues towards Lagazuoi and Armentarola. It includes flat linking pistes and a shuttle transfer, so check lift times, snow cover, and the official piste map before setting out.

From Falzarego, a long and fairly flat connecting run leads back towards Bai de Dones, where you can finish for the day or take the Cortina Skyline gondola back to Tofana.

Cinque Torri ski area between Cortina d'Ampezzo and Passo Falzarego. Short, steep reds under the towers above Bai de Dones, Averau higher up, the Nuvolau red south towards Fedare, and the Falzarego sector west towards the pass.

Our take

Cinque Torri works brilliantly as a scenic day away from Cortina's busier slopes. It is compact, but the rock towers, wide Dolomite views and good huts give the area far more character than its piste count suggests.

What worked for us

  • The views

    The towers dominate the central ski area, with even wider views toward Tofana and Lagazuoi from the higher lifts.

  • Surprisingly good snow

    Much of the core ski area sits on north-facing slopes. When we visited during a lean snow period, the snow was noticeably better than on the south-east facing slopes of Tofana. On a proper powder day, all that open terrain must be very good.

  • Fun intermediate terrain

    The main reds are short, but steep enough to be satisfying, and the central 5 Torri chairlift is reasonably quick. Linking the runs from top to bottom gives you a proper leg-burning lap.

  • Easy to combine with Tofana

    The Cortina Skyline links the two areas in about 15 minutes and drops you at the base of the 5 Torri chairlift.

  • Excellent hut stops

    Rifugio Scoiattoli pairs good food with our favorite close-up view of the towers, while Rifugio Averau makes a scenic stop higher on the mountain. We also counted at least three other huts around the area.

What didn't

  • A compact ski area

    The core pistes are not especially long, so mileage-focused skiers may want to combine Cinque Torri with Tofana or continue around the Super 8 circuit.

  • Slow older chairlifts

    Averau and Fedare take their time, which makes repeated laps less efficient than on the faster central 5 Torri chairlift.

  • Snow-dependent south side

    The sunny Fedare side was in rough shape when we visited in January, to the point that the Fedare chairlift was not running at all.

  • Fun in theory, awkward in practice on a snowboard

    The Super 8, or at least the section through Cinque Torri, looks fun on the map. In practice, the Croda Negra - Falzarego link has a few uphill sections despite being marked as red, and the Falzarego - Bai de Dones return gets very flat in places. On a snowboard, a full send and no fear is required if you want to avoid skating or unstrapping.

  • Popular with ski clubs

    Several ski clubs were training in Cinque Torri during our visit. One side of the Falzarego red was closed, and another piste above Bai de Dones was closed too. In an already compact ski area, that can be annoying on a busy day.

Should you visit Cinque Torri?

Dramatic views, decent terrain, fewer people, good huts and a fun circuit — the area has too much going for it to skip. It is especially easy to recommend as a half-day or day trip from Tofana via the Skyline gondola.

We think yes. At least once.

The Cinque Torri rock towers above a snowy piste, with a red piste marker in the foreground.
The Cinque Torri rock towers seen through a wooden hut window.

Plan your ski day

What's your ideal day at Cinque Torri?

  • Come see Cinque Torri

    You've heard about the famous towers and want to see them up close on skis.

    We’d do this

    Arrive at Bai de Dones either by car or from Tofana via the Skyline gondola. Take the 5 Torri chairlift, then continue up the slow Averau chairlift. Cruise the blue in the upper sector and take in the views as you approach the towers.

    Stop at Rifugio Scoiattoli for coffee or lunch. Sit out on the terrace, or walk a little closer to the towers — they are only about 10 minutes from the hut on foot.

    Once you've had your fill of the towers, take one of the reds back towards the parking area and the Skyline gondola station.

  • Find the best skiing

    You came for the scenery, but you still want to rack up a respectable amount of vertical.

    We’d do this

    Start with laps on the fast 5 Torri chairlift and the reds around it. Then take the older Averau chairlift and drop over to the other side. If conditions are good, continue onto the Fedare red.

    Cross back via Croda Negra and head into the Passo Falzarego sector for a few shorter red runs. Before returning to Bai de Dones, keep your speed up on the linking pistes.

    Once you're back at Bai de Dones, if your legs are not jelly yet, take the 5 Torri and Averau chairlifts all the way to the top for one last long lap.

  • Ski the Super 8

    Circuits are your thing and you want to have the Super 8 under your belt.

    We’d do this

    From Bai de Dones, ride 5 Torri and Averau, descend the Nuvolau side and take Croda Negra toward Falzarego.

    Continue by cable car to Lagazuoi and descend toward Armentarola. The circuit requires a shuttle back toward Passo Falzarego before the return leg, so it is not an entirely lift-linked loop.

    The shuttle drops you off at the Passo Falzarego parking lot, from there ski back to Bai de Dones using the linking pistes to finish the circuit.

Good to know

  • Always clockwise

    The whole area is only skiable clockwise. There are no connections in the other direction.

  • The Skyline is a gondola connection

    There is no piste connecting Cinque Torri to Tofana so you have to take the Skyline gondola both ways.

  • Carry speed on the catwalks

    Several Falzarego links are flat. Snowboarders in particular should avoid unnecessary stops and may still need to unstrap when coverage or speed is poor.

Getting there & parking

Bai de Dones is the simplest road access and the best place to park for the whole area. Col Gallina is useful from the Passo Falzarego side, while the Skyline gondola is the easiest approach when combining Cinque Torri with Tofana.

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  • Our first choice for a full day here: free parking beside the 5 Torri chairlift, with easy access back from the main sectors.

  • A useful free alternative near Passo Falzarego, but returning from lower parts of the area can require extra lifts.

  • The lot at the pass, next to the Lagazuoi cable car.

  • Best when you want to ski both Tofana and Cinque Torri without driving between them.

Where to stay

We stayed in Cortina d'Ampezzo and used the Skyline connection, which is the flexible choice if you also want to ski Tofana and spend evenings in town. For a quieter mountain stay, Rifugio Averau and Rifugio Scoiattoli both offer rooms in winter, but capacity is limited and advance booking matters.

Hotel Serena

We liked staying in Cortina for the walkable restaurants and easy access to several ski areas, then using the Skyline gondola for Cinque Torri.

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Not sure Hotel Serena is right for you?

If Serena is booked, outside your budget, or simply not your vibe, check out the map below to compare other stays. We've marked the main ski lifts, and parking lots.

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Go deeper

  • Want to see what our day at Cinque Torri actually looked like?

    Cinque Torri: Scenic Ski Day Trip from Cortina d'Ampezzo

    Story · Jan 24, 2026

    Plan a Cinque Torri ski day from Cortina d'Ampezzo with access options, best runs, Super 8 circuit tips, and hut stops with views in the Dolomites.
    Cinque Torri: Scenic Ski Day Trip from Cortina d'Ampezzo Preview
    9 min read

  • Want the bigger picture on Cortina?

  • Thinking about combining Cinque Torri with Tofana?

Visited · Reviewed · Official info: Dolomiti Superski Cortina