Dolomites: the perfect holiday recipe for food, snow and skiing

My wife tells everyone that she married me as she loved the way I skied – though I’d like to think there were other reasons.

Unfortunately, as I approached my 60th year, my skiing star was waning as sporting over-indulgence during my youth caught up with me. An arthritic knee, with little remaining cartilage, was the main culprit. Yes, I could still ski, but the constant discomfort, the swelling and far too many painkillers meant I needed to consider a knee replacement.

Medical friends advised holding out as long as possible, bearing in mind that the life span of a new knee is around 15 to 20 years. On a recent holiday to Mexico in December 2022 we had to run for a connecting flight, and I simply couldn’t. My time had come – it had to be done.

My surgeon reassured me I’d be able to ski again. With an operation booked for the end of July 2023, he counted on his fingers. “Yes – February should be OK!”

So, six months to the day from being discharged from hospital with a new titanium knee, I set off the metal detectors at Gatwick airport and headed to the Dolomites in northeastern Italy.

I wanted a place where the slopes were quiet, groomed and gently undulating; a nice hotel and opportunities to do things if I could not ski – plus some excellent mountain restaurants to rest in.

La Perla, a ski-in, ski-out hotel in Corvara in the southern Tyrol, fitted the bill perfectly. This friendly, family-run hotel, dating from 1956, has direct access to a plethora of wide, tree-lined blue runs, a great lift system and, if you’re feeling adventurous, the stunning Sellaronda ski circuit.

Corvara lies at the heart of the 40km route, which covers the four Ladin valleys of Val Gardena, Alta Badia, Arabba and Val di Fassa. (The Ladins are a small, culturally rich ethnic group and in Alta Badia, 90% of the local population speak the language, which is based on colloquial Latin.) Intermediate skiers can cover the area in a day.

With apprehension, I set out on my first run and was surprised that not only could I ski, but I was also pain free. Just in case things hadn’t gone to plan,

I’d taken the precaution of booking Ütia I Tablá, one of eight ‘huts’ in the area participating in the Alta Badia’s A Taste for Skiing initiative, which has run since 2010.

Eight Michelin-starred chefs are each paired with a hut on the slopes, for which they create a recipe offered to skiers throughout winter. When a dish is purchased, the restaurant gives a donation to a charity supporting terminally ill children. We sampled a cold spaghetti dish by Simone Cantafio, the executive chef at La Perla.

For those wishing to have time off from skiing, there are plenty of things to do. The Alta Badia tourist office runs a huge programme of activities ranging from snowshoe excursions and guided hikes to horse-drawn sledge rides, nature tours and even visits to the local bakery and Ladin textile workshop. Ice skating and night skiing are also on offer, or you can simply relax at L’Murin – one of the area’s best après ski bars.

Back on the slopes and with no more than a little ache in the new knee after a full day’s skiing, we decided to tackle the Sellaronda circuit.

The weather was sunny, visibility being a prerequisite for this newly fair weather skier, and we met no queues as we leisurely cruised the pistes. Six blissful hours later, we arrived back at La Perla for a well-deserved pre-dinner sauna.

Before we departed, I wanted to experience one of the prettiest ski runs in Europe. Following a gentle ski from the Corvara ski area down to Armentarola and a short taxi ride up to Passo Valparola, you arrive at the Lagazuoi cable car.

From the top, there are amazing vistas towards both Cortina and the Sellaronda and one of the most visually stunning ski runs you’ll find: the Hidden Valley. The pistes wind into the valley where you really feel at one with nature.

Soon you arrive at the famous Rifugio Scotoni. The popularity of this restaurant and guest house is unsurpassed. It’s always packed to the rafters, making you wonder where everyone came from as the slope was empty.

The food is excellent and like many of the family-run restaurants in the Dolomites, the owners are friendly, proud of their reasonably priced menu and appreciative of your custom. It even has its own award-winning ‘Ega’ water from Europe’s highest source (2,160 metres).

Further down the valley is a marvellous frozen waterfall and, when the terrain flattens, for €3, you can hitch a tow behind a horse for the final ski to the lifts. Such a memorable experience!

We’d travelled a long way on skis in a few days; the knee was great and felt strong.

‘Just like old times,’ my wife said. ‘I love the way you ski.’