When does the winter season start in Bormio, Livigno and Alta Valtellina?

Dates of opening of ski lifts in Valtellina: winter sports and sleddog start in December

There are those who calculate how many days are left until Christmas and those who count when you can start skiing in Valtellina: the dates for the start of the winter season, this year even more conditioned by the weather and the anomalous temperatures that have made the first snowfalls at altitude wait, have been made official by the main tourist resorts in the Alps, including Bormio and Livigno. And the Husky Village in Valdidentro is also preparing for a new season of sleddog tours: find out everything you need to know.

Start of the ski season 2022 in Livigno

In Livigno, the final preparations are underway to inaugurate the ski season that makes Little Tibet one of the most popular and appreciated winter tourist destinations in Europe. The recent snowfalls and the lowering of temperatures have caused the long-awaited change of colours in the valley, with the orange and brown tones of autumn giving way to a single white expanse, ready to turn into the best-equipped and most fun snowy amusement park in the entire Alpine arc.

First to open, as every year, is the Livigno cross-country skiing ring, which, thanks to the Snowfarm project, allows athletes and enthusiasts to ski in the Alps starting in October: last winter’s snow was in fact stored and then used to lay a cross-country track without having to wait for the first snowfall in Valtellina. Thus, on 28 October, the 2022/23 winter season officially opened in Livigno with the inauguration of the technical autumn ring, a little over 2.5 km long but soon destined to become the classic 30 km track that runs the length of the valley.

For the beginning of the ski season in Livigno, however, you have to wait until December: the official opening date of the lifts in Livigno is set for Saturday, 3 December 2022, when – weather and snow permitting – it will be possible to ski on the slopes of the Livigno Ski Area along more than 115 km of tracks, at high altitude on both sides (Mottolino and Carosello 3000/Sitas) or in the ski fields in town, suitable for children, beginners and ski schools.

Discover what to do in Livigno in winter with children

Skiing in Bormio: the dates 2022

Bormio, too, is preparing to kick off the winter season with a rich offer of proposals and activities aimed not only at sportsmen and ski enthusiasts, but at all those who love wellness and life in the mountains. Snow, however, plays the starring role, as in the rest of the tourist resorts of Alta Valtellina, and the start of the winter holiday season in Bormio depends on it. For this reason, given the mild temperatures that have marked the autumn, it will be necessary to wait to ski in Bormio until Saturday, 3 December, the same official date as the start of the ski season in Livigno.

From the first weekend of December, the lifts and ski slopes of the Bormio Ski Area will be open, as well as those of Santa Caterina Valfurva and the Cima Piazzi Happy Mountain ski area (Oga-Valdidentro), so it will be possible to ski on the most famous slopes of Valtellina and the Alps, including the legendary Stelvio slope, which is the scene of one of the main Alpine Skiing World Cup races in Italy. In addition to the 50 km of tracks and the SnowPark for freestyle lovers, Bormio also adds a renowned wellness dimension, with the 3 spas offering relaxation and fun for the little ones: Bormio Terme in the town, Bagni Nuovi and Bagni Vecchi a short distance away.

Discover winter activities for families in Bormio

Husky Village winter opening: sleddog excursions in Valtellina from December

Between Bormio and Livigno, in the alpine landscape of Alta Valtellina, there is another winter attraction ready to reopen with the first snow: the Husky Village in Arnoga in Valdidentro, the sleddog centre in the province of Sondrio that is one of the most important in the Alps, home to over 60 Alaskan Husky sled dogs (discover the breeds of Nordic dogs) that are trained to pull sleds by professional mushers, indulging their nature and temperament.

As with the ski resorts of Livigno and Bormio, which are just a few kilometres away, the Husky Village must also wait for the first snowfalls to set up the track that the huskies travel pulling their sleds along the beautiful Arnoga-Cancano Decauville: this year the start of the sleddog excursions in Alta Valtellina is planned for the first few days of December, depending on snowfall. In the meantime, it is already possible to book online your husky dog sledding excursion for the 2022/23 winter season at Husky Village, an alternative experience to skiing that is always unforgettable for all those who experience it and that enriches holidays in Bormio or Livigno with an adventure in direct contact with nature, animals and the mountains.

Book your dog sleddog experience for December or 2023