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The “Slittovia” In winter of 1938/1939, the inauguration of the “Slittovia Panorama Joch” sledge lift set the wheels in motion for the unstoppable journey to success for the Alpe di Siusi ski resort. 80 years later, 21 modern, automated lifts offer winter sport enthusiasts and mountain lovers a comfortable, safe ascent to the largest mountain plateau in Europe. With its wide, sunny slopes, the Alpe di Siusi is long-established as a ski resort for connoisseurs.
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Inimitable and unmistakeable: The endless white and gentle slopes of the Alpe di Siusi, backed by the distinctive rocky formations of the Dolomites
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Motorised ascent The first ski lifts heralded the development of Alpe di Siusi as a winter sports area; A trip back over the past 80 years.
T The Alpe di Siusi, largest alpine pasture in Europe, is not only a wonderful hiking area in the summer; with its 21 lifts, 60 kilometres of ski slopes, 80 kilometres of cross-country ski trails and outstanding snow park, it is now one of the most famed and frequented ski resorts in the Alps. This evolution all began in the early days of the 20th century. At the time, pioneers in the Alpine region, particularly in Switzerland and Germany, were working on ways of powering motorised lifts for enthusiastic fans of the “new” style of skiing, the great novelty of the moment. People had already begun to found ski
clubs and schools and organise ski races, and the trendy winter sport was the hot news of the press across the whole of Europe.
Development of the Alpe di Siusi. On the Alpe di Siusi, which was used as farm land only in summer, the first skiers climbed up on foot in winter, stayed overnight in a hay barn and then skied through the deep snow back into the valley. The Alpe di Siusi was to become a great deal more accessible in the years to follow: There had been a train line from Brennero to Verona since 1867. At »
Text: Rosa Maria Erlacher Photo: Helmuth Rier
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Over the last 50 years the Alpe di Siusi has evolved into a magnificent ski resort that draws skiers of all ages.
the time of the First World War a narrow-gauge local train to Val Gardena was constructed, where a cable car was built in 1935, followed by a road from Siusi/Castelrotto to the Alpe di Siusi 1938. This road alone made it possible to transport all that was required for the construction of the first sledge lift, the “Joch-Panorama” on the Alpe di Siusi which began running in the winter of 1938/39, followed a year later by the “Mezdì” ski lift. At that time there were already a few B&Bs, mountain huts and shelters on the Alpe di Siusi for win-
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ter guests to spend their holidays. Ski porters with baskets strapped onto their backs brought food supplies and all the necessary accoutrements to the shelters. Guests came to the Alpe di Siusi either by cable car or in a chauffeured rental car, and walked the last stretch to their hostel.
From ski to telemix. The Second World War put an end to the tourist development, but on returning from the war the men they immediately put their money back into the tourism sector, an auspicious source of income. In 1946, the “Leo Demetz