Tofana

Our day at Tofana - JAN 13, 2026 - 01
Our day at Tofana - JAN 13, 2026 - 02
Our day at Tofana - JAN 13, 2026 - 03

The main ski area of Cortina d’Ampezzo, spread across the sunny south-east slopes of the Tofane above town. Start on the mellow slopes lower down, work your way through the Olympic terrain, then head high into Ra Valles above 2,500 m. Finish with the Black 51 all the way back down towards Cortina. There is easily enough here to keep you entertained for a few days.

Visited · Reviewed

Pass
Dolomiti Superski
Pistes
47 km
Lifts
25
Elevation
1,200–2,800 m
Nearest town
Cortina d'Ampezzo
Time to allow
2-3 days

How the ski area works

Tofana sits on the sunny south-east slopes above Cortina, with two main ways in: the Freccia nel Cielo gondola from town, and the Socrepes lifts along the Falzarego road.

The easier terrain is mostly around Socrepes and Olimpia. The steeper Olympic runs start from Pomedes and trace the rocky walls of the Tofana massif.

From Col Drusciè, you can head higher to Ra Valles for alpine reds and some off-piste terrain when conditions allow. From there, take the steep Black 51 back down towards Cortina, or ride the cable car back to Col Drusciè.

Ra Valles is as high as the ski area goes in winter, as the cable car to Tofana di Mezzo only runs during the summer months. At the other end of the area, the Skyline gondola links Tofana across to Cinque Torri.

Tofana ski area above Cortina d'Ampezzo. Easy terrain around Socrepes and Olimpia, then steep Olympic reds and blacks from Pomedes and Ra Valles high up with the Black 51 run back down towards Cortina.

Our take

What worked for us

  • Easy access

    Ample free parking at several spots along the SR48 toward Passo Falzarego. There's also a skibus, or you can just take the gondola directly from town.

  • Multiple access points

    There's no single choke-point lift that everyone has to take, so you're less likely to end up in one enormous queue first thing in the morning.

  • The views

    Cortina from Ra Valles. Cinque Torri in the distance from Pomedes. And Tofana towering above you while you're having dinner back in town. It doesn't get much better than this.

  • Plenty of options

    Tofana has several sectors with very different terrain, so you don't feel like you're skiing the same thing over and over again. And when you want a change of scenery, you can ski all the way across to Cinque Torri.

What didn't

  • Connecting blues

    Some of the connecting blues are rather flat, which isn't much fun on a snowboard. Plan your day well though, and you should only have to deal with one or two.

  • South-east-facing slopes

    Skiing in the sun is great, but it comes at a price. Don't expect to find much fresh powder unless it's been snowing recently.

Should you visit Tofana?

For most skiers, we’re confident you’ll find a part of Tofana where you’ll have a great time. Mellow beginner slopes, steep Olympic reds, high-mountain views, cozy huts and hidden picnic spots are all here.

Maybe the only exception is if you're looking for knee-deep powder every day. Tofana's sunny, south-east-facing slopes are great for many things, but holding fresh snow isn't one of them. If powder is your priority, there are probably better places in the Dolomites.

We think yes.

A mountain hut and chairlift below rocky peaks on Tofana.
Panoramic view of Tofana from Cortina d'Ampezzo.

Plan your ski day

What's your ideal day at Tofana?

  • Take it easy

    You want wide blues, unhurried laps and plenty of time for coffee. Covering every corner of the mountain can wait.

    We’d do this

    Start at Socrepes and spend your day on the mellow blues around Socrepes and Olimpia. These were some of our favorite warm-up laps.

    The connections between Socrepes and Olimpia have some flat sections in both directions, so we'd do a few laps in one area before moving to the other. You can keep linking between them, but we don't think it's really worth it.

    We'd avoid the Tofanina blue from Pomedes. It's a scenic run, but you pay for the views with some annoying flat sections. We'd also avoid the blues from Piè Tofana down toward Freccia nel Cielo. They're flat, narrow and, on a snowboard, pretty miserable.

    The Socrepes–Olimpia area is hut-rich, so there's no need to plan your day around coffee or lunch. You'll always have somewhere nearby to stop.

  • Learn to ski or snowboard

    You’re finding your feet on skis or a snowboard. You want room to practice and build confidence without rushing onto steeper terrain.

    We’d do this

    Socrepes is the place to be. You'll find a ski school, rental offices and a hut with après-ski, all right at the bottom of an easy gondola.

    The wide blues around the gondola are plenty long and if you're learning to snowboard, you'll also appreciate being able to lap the gondola without having to worry about getting on and off a chairlift just yet.

  • Find the hard stuff

    You don't care much about the grade and you're not worried about steep terrain. You want the best of the hard stuff Tofana has to offer.

    We’d do this

    Head up to Pomedes and spend the morning on the Olympic runs. Linking the two upper chairlifts gives you the most sustained steep terrain, but we also liked taking it all the way down to Socrepes. Try to do the whole thing in one go and feel the burn.

    It's also worth making your way over to Col Drusciè and taking the cable car up to Ra Valles. Do a few laps up there, then take Black 51 all the way down to Piè Tofana. It's long, steep and the views are amazing.

    There's also a nice, straight and steep black run down from Col Drusciè. Since getting to and from Col Drusciè is a bit awkward, we'd do this one before heading up to Ra Valles.

  • See the whole mountain

    You want it all. You're not ashamed to ski the easy stuff if it means you visit every corner of the ski area.

    We’d do this

    Make your way up to Rifugio Pomedes and start with an espresso and the views across to Cinque Torri. Ski the Olympic Pista Schuss, then take Blue 43 to the intermediate station of the Colfiere–Col Drusciè gondola and ride up.

    Switch to the Ra Valles cable car. Take in the views from the panoramic terrace, do a few laps on the alpine reds, then descend Black 51. Link it with the blues down to Socrepes for one long run back to the bottom of the ski area.

    Head back up to Pomedes and take Red Caprioli into Blue Tofanina for a different way down. Finish at the bottom of the Socrepes gondola with après-ski while the sun is still out.

Good to know

  • Not all blues are cruising runs

    Away from Socrepes and Olimpia, some blues are narrow connecting runs with flat catwalks. They're especially awkward on a snowboard; plan your laps to avoid repeating them.

    Especially the 43 blue from Col Drusciè and the middle of the Toffanina blue has a walk almost guaranteed.

  • Coming down from Ra Valles

    Black 51 is a steep descent. If it isn't the run you want, ride the cable car back to Col Drusciè instead.

  • A connection, not another piste

    The Skyline gondola takes you across to Cinque Torri and back but there is no piste there so plan accordingly to make sure you don't get stranded when the gondola stops.

Getting there & parking

Free parking along the SR48 toward Passo Falzarego is the practical way in with a car. The central Colfiere–Col Drusciè gondola is walkable from town.

  • Our favorite. Spacious, quieter, and linked to Cinque Torri via the Skyline gondola.

  • Closer to town, with rentals and après-ski, but it fills first.

  • Useful if you want to start in Cinque Torri and still reach Tofana.

Where to stay

There are a few clusters of hotels along the Falzarego road if you’d rather stay closer to the slopes. We prefer driving to ski in the morning and being able to walk to dinner in the evening, so we stayed in Cortina itself. The town isn’t that big, so once you’re staying in Cortina, pretty much everything is within easy reach.

Hotel Serena

We liked it for the quiet yet walkable location, ample free parking, and freshly renovated modern rooms. If the price was reasonable, we would definitely book it again.

See current rates

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.

Some accommodation links are affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Go deeper

Visited · Reviewed · Official info: Dolomiti Superski Cortina