Guided Ski Tours in the Sudtirol region of Italy offered by IFMGA guides John & Olivia Race and the Northwest Mountain School.
Want to go skiing with a light pack, eat great food, drink good wine and coffee, and sleep in comfortable huts? Interested in peaks over 12,000 feet (3650m) high that you can skin to the top of and then ski off while surrounded by beautiful glaciated terrain? If you answered "yes" to all of the above then the Ortler Circuit Ski Tour is right up your alley.
From the trip description by Northwest Mountain School
On-snow support
- Independent: Below this trip's level of support
Ski or ride independently, without trip staff accompanying you on the mountain.
- Hosted: With your guide
Trip hosts ski or ride with the group, help everyone get oriented, and share local knowledge.
- Guided: Included
Professional guides lead the group and select suitable terrain and routes based on conditions and ability. Instruction is not included.
- Coached: Not confirmed
Professional coaches lead the group, select suitable terrain, and provide instruction and personalized feedback to help you improve.
- 6 days on snow with staff
- Backcountry guiding6 days skiing with IFMGA/UIAGM guides
Terrain, ability and who it is for
- The Ortler Circuit is not an extreme ski route in any way.
- It does, however, require participants to be decent skiers.
- Things you should feel comfortable doing include: skiing with a backpack, skiing a wide variety of snow ranging from powder to breakable crust to corn, and climbing and descending 3500-4500' each day on skis for a week.
- Full day tours with 3000-4500 feet of elevation gain while carrying a pack weighing between 20 and 30 lbs. on tours lasting 3-6 days
- Sport
- Ski
From the trip description by Northwest Mountain School
What the price includes
Included
- Lodging
- Meals · partly
- 6 days skiing with IFMGA/UIAGM guides
- 1 night lodging in Bormio before trip w/ breakfast included
- 5 nights lodging in mountain huts with standard dinner and breakfast
Not included
- Transfers
- Skiers rescue insurance
- Travel to/from start point
- Drinks & lunches in huts
- Any town meals (unless specifically as included)
Not confirmed by the operator: Lift pass, Lesson.
Day by day
- Day 0: Meet in Bormio, Italy.Meet in Bormio at our hotel at 5 PM for a trip orientation followed by a group dinner.
- Day 1: Start at Rifugio Forni where the road ends, night at the Pizzini Hut (2700m).Drive/taxi to end of road, at the Rifugio Forni (above the village of Santa Caterina de Valfurva). We generally skin up in the morning, drop some gear in the ski room, and then spend the day touring above the hut.There are several good afternoon tour options in this zone including a ski from the Col Pale Rosso. Ski descents under the south face of the Gran Zebru generally offer long, corn skiing, and are ideal for an afternoon tour.The Pizzini is a comfortable hut with hot showers, a sauna, and a bar area that is generally full of happy Italians unwinding after big days in the mountains.
- Day 2: Start at Pizzini Hut, tour up and over the Suldenspitze, and onto the Zufallhutte (2250m) for the night.This day will take us onto and over the ridge that was the front between Austria and Italy in WWI. Today both sides of the ridge line are Italian but German is still the primary language on the northern side. As we gain the ridge we will skin past barbed wire and other fortifications that tell the tale of a different time in this area.Transitioning from the south to the north side of this ridge covers glaciated terrain and will require stable weather & conditions. There are several different ways to move from the Pizzini to the Zufall hut, including dipping into the Solden ski area for some lift assisted touring. In good weather this day can provide for lots of exercise, excellent north facing ski descents and possibly a mid-day cappuccino.From the top of the Solden ski area we cross over the Passo del Madriccio at 3123m. This sets us up for a beautiful 900 meter east and then north facing descent all the way to the Zufalhutte (2265m).In less than ideal stability we sometimes skip the north side of the ridge in favor of additional nights at the Pizzini or Branca. While all this sounds complicated, the way the huts are arranged allow for some flex in the schedule, which means we can continue to get in good skiing even during most storm systems.
- Day 3: Start at Zufall Hut and end at Marteller Hut (2610m).From the Zufallhutte it is a short climb, about 300 meters, up to the Marteller Hutte (2610m). This corner of the Ortler has a more remote feel with plenty of options for afternoon tours.After dropping our overnight gear we generally make a big climb up one of the peaks behind the hut and enjoy a long ski descent back to the hut for the evening. The Marteller is a bit smaller than the other huts and is always fun to visit.
- Day 4: Start at Marteller Hut and end at Branca Hut (2470m).A big climb up the Cevedale Glacier in the morning will bring us back to the dividing ridge line. Along the way we will pass massive cannons left over from WWI. At 3774m Cevedale is one of the dominant peaks in the range and an optional summit is the icing on the cake for this day.From here we can descend the upper Cedec glacier, which we will have viewed from the Pizzini zone a few days earlier. This descent is one of the most photogenic of the tour. This will put us in position to make our way to the Branca Hut (2470m) our final hut for the trip, and one of our favorites.
- Day 5: Day tour out of the Branca Hut (2740m).We spend at least 2 nights at the Branca as there is so much skiing to be done out of this well situated hut. When the weather gets rough we occasionally spend a 3rd night as there is easily 5 days worth of touring here and it also sets you up for an easy drop to the car in even the worst weather.Tour options from the Branca include the Pizzo Tresero (3595m), Punta San Matteo (3678m), Palon de la Mare (3704m), Monte Pasquale (3553m) or Cima Branca (3100m). On many of these peaks we ski to very close to the summit, stash our skis, and then put on crampons for the final short climb to the top.After a full day of touring we return to the Branca for après ski on the patio and a wonderful multi-course dinner.
- Day 6: Start at Branca Hut and then finish at the cars.On our last day a tour up Cima San Giacomo (3277) or Cima del Forno (3248m) will set us up for a fun descent back to the starting point of the tour.We generally shoot to be out to the trailhead by early afternoon, at which point we have a group lunch, share one last espresso, and begin the drive back out to Milan or Switzerland.Or better yet, back to Bormio for an evening trip to the Roman baths! These now modern baths have a long history - they were mentioned in Ancient Greek histories by Pliny the Elder, visited during the Enlightenment by Leonardo da Vinci and today they are the best way we know to relax muscles which are pleasantly tired after a week of ski touring. Soaking in hot water/steam followed by an Italian spa lunch or happy hour - life doesn't get much better than this!
From the trip description by Northwest Mountain School
Where you stay
In most of the huts we are given dormitory style lodging. Different people have different opinions of hut living. Most nights we are in bed by 9 p.m. and most mornings we are up by 6 am. Dinners are things like pasta, meat, potatoes, a desert, bread, and soup. Breakfast is generally a very simple affair consisting of bread and jam, coffee or tea, and cheese and is designed to get large numbers of people fed and out the door. You purchase water in the huts and it can be surprisingly expensive. In general expect to spend about $4.25 USD for a liter of water. You can often buy boiled water (made from melted snow or collected rainwater) for about half this. For most huts the supplies are flown by helicopter and thus cost seems to correlate to weight as much as anything.
Getting There
When you register for your trip we will contact you will complete details about how to best get to Santa Caternia di Valfurva. Many people fly into Milan and then rent a car and drive to the area. We have come to favor coming in from Switzerland as it is cheaper to rent cars there and it allows you to side step the craziness of Milan. If coming in via Switzerland we recommend arriving in Geneva or Zurich and then meeting up with the guides in Visp, Switzerland. From here we drive by car to Santa Caterina via Bormio. There is a public transit option from Milan. If coming from Milan we generally share a car rental. The public transit option utilizes a train from Milan's central train station to Tirano, and then takes a bus from Tirano to Santa Caterina, followed by a taxi to the hotel near the trailhead. We generally push to have the group share rental cars as it eases the travel. Train travel in Italy is not quite as smooth as train travel in Switzerland. Our office will help you with the travel details and will make rental arrangements. When renting cars we split the cost among all those utilizing this. It usually costs around $125 to $150 per person for their portion of the car and the fuel.
From the trip description by Northwest Mountain School
Pins show the approximate main trip area—not a route, meeting point, or full itinerary. Confirm exact locations in the company's trip details.
Dates and prices
- Mar 15 – Mar 20, 20272026/27 · 6 days3,150 USD$3150 — the page shows "$"; USD is stated on this operator's Svalbard and Burnie pagesAvailableChoose these datesBook on company website
Published as "March 15-20, 2027".
- Mar 22 – Mar 27, 20272026/27 · 6 days3,150 USD$3150 — the page shows "$"; USD is stated on this operator's Svalbard and Burnie pagesLimitedChoose these datesBook on company website
Published as "March 22-27, 2027 (5 spots left)".
Prices, taxes and fees, required extras, inclusions, availability, and booking terms can change. Confirm the current price and trip details on the company website; source last reviewed September 24, 2026.
Good To Know
NMS does not carry rescue insurance for its guests. We do carry commercial liability insurance, but you are responsible for the cost of your evacuation if injured.
From the trip description by Northwest Mountain School
Reviews
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