Aprica Ski Resort Italy
Aprica in Lombardy Italy is a surprising town & ski resort with a family-friendly atmosphere juxtaposed against serious fall line piste terrain and a lazy 22 bars!
The ample 1,100m skiable vertical at Aprica provides a first-class skiing experience on the piste trails of the resort, but the off-piste opportunities are sadly limited.
Pros & Cons for Aprica Ski Resort
Pros
- Relaxed, laid-back family friendly ski resort.
- Quality north-aspect on-piste trails for all levels.
- Serious extended fall line advanced piste trails.
- Piste trails are tree lined & great in poor visibility.
- Quiet during the week.
- Superb learn to ski facilities & terrain.
- Affordable & value for money overall.
- Good après ski.
- Ski-in accommodation available.
- Proper town with full services at the resort's base.
- Close to historic Tirano & train rides to St Moritz!
Cons
- Relatively limited off-piste terrain.
- Old lift infrastructure.
- Car parking is awkward.
- Low elevation resort base.
- Toilet facilities lacking throughout the resort.
- Aging accommodation.
Pro or Con (depending on your perspective!)
- Strange separation between town & ski area.
- Excellent day trip from Tirano.
- No terrain park (who cares?).
- Limited high-end accommodation (if this matters you need to go to nearby St Moritz.
- North-facing terrain, so often shaded & cold (better snow quality), but the village gets loads of sun.
Skiing & Snowboarding, Lifts & Terrain
Aprica stands out of the crowd for a couple of reasons, one good, one bad. The good is the quality of the piste trails. The bad is the quality of the lifts. That's a shame, but in no way a deal breaker.
Check out the ski trail map for Aprica below.
Aprica skiing & snowboarding, regardless of your skill set, is awesome on the piste. An interesting & varied learn to ski area, long, wide trails like the Superpanoramica for beginners, fast, rolling runs for intermediates and genuine sustained fall line for advanced skiers set the resort apart from many larger (& better known) ski areas in Europe.
The ski lifts are another matter. The age & capacity of the gondolas & some of the chairs is such that they should have been put to pasture long ago. However, unless at the resort on a sunny Sunday, the crowds are so small that the minor discomfort of the lifts can be overlooked. The very modest lift price also reflects the infrastructure at Aprica.
For Powderhounds, there are some small areas of easy accessed larch & pine tree skiing, plus some whoops & yips in the high alpine. The ski trail map is a deception indicating a vast off-piste potential that in reality doesn't exist within the resort. The high alpine has some backcountry lines that no one seems to hunt out, so there is something for the adventurous long after the last snowfall.
For more information on ski lifts & terrain, see our Skiing & Snowboarding Aprica page.
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Snow & Weather
At Aprica, if it is not snowing, the weather is generally sunny during winter. And whilst not blessed with the huge amounts of snowfall like just a bit further north in canton Grisons Switzerland, the resort has ample elevation & mainly north-facing terrain that holds what snow they do get, very well.
The low elevation base area can suffer early or late in the season, but the top end of the resort above 1,450m can be accessed in either direction by the 2 gondolas & from the mid-station of the Baradello chair. Snow-making covers most of the piste trails.
Where is Aprica Italy?
The ski resort of Aprica rises on north facing slopes above the town of the same name in the Valtellina of Lombardy, Italy. Located 17km by road south of wonderful Tirano, the resort can be accessed using the train & bus from Milan via Brescia & Edolo from the east or Sondrio or Tresenda from the west. One can drive the 160km from central Milan to Aprica in around 2.5hr.
The gateway airports to Aprica are Milan Malpensa (MXP) (for most international travellers) & the minor airports of Milan Linate & Milan Bergamo (for Europe & UK flight origins). Direct airport transfers to Aprica can be arranged here.
For more information on the best ways to get there, see our Travel to Aprica page.
Aprica Accommodation
The town of Aprica is spread across the entire base of the ski resort. Some hotels, apartments, chalets (holiday homes) and guesthouses are adjacent to the lifts, but most line the main street of town (Coro Roma or the Via Valtellina) a short walk away. The main street has all the after-hours action.
The disjointed connection between the town and ski resort is odd and detracts from the overall ski experience. The town lacks 5-star hotels so anyone with coin will have to settle for a 4 star like the Hotel Arisch.
Search & book all Aprica accommodation.
For those that have their own transport, the best alternative to staying in Aprica is in or near Tirano. The town has much going for it, plus is generally below the snowline, providing ease of movement (if that is important to you!). See below for some of the 'must dos' in Tirano. There are excellent accommodation options including some wonderful farm stays (often called B&Bs) in amongst the apple orchards like the Ca' Marchesi B&B.
Search & book all Tirano Accommodation.
Aprica Activities
No journey to the region would be complete without doing four things near Aprica. The first is a visit to Tirano for some lovely walks in the old town, the surrounding hills & orchards, plus a visit to the amazing 16th century Basilica (Sanctuary of the Madonna of Tirano). The Basilica contains a staggeringly complex 18th century, 3000 pipe organ plus associated sculptures & artwork.
The second is a ride on the Bernina Express train to St Moritz in Switzerland. The train emerges from the Tirano station and clatters onto the main road thoroughfare in front of the imposing Basilica. The train passes over engineering marvels including the Circular Viaduct Bursio as it climbs nearly 1,900m vertical, up and over the 2,328m Bernina Pass to Lagalb & Diavolezza stations, which are wonderful ski hills for Powderhounds. It then continues down past the toe of the Morteratsch glacier, ending at St Moritz in about 2½hr.
Third is consuming the moving feast of ‘cucina tipica’ at the La Locanda Di Giovanna restaurant in the village of Mazzo di Valtellina. The 7-course fixed dinner menu will delight the senses and engorge your tummy with dishes typical of the region & includes varieties of wine & grappa in the relatively miniscule price.
Fourth is a visit to the Tonale ski resort to ski the glacier and other freeride terrain to experience something completely different to Aprica. The main pass at Tonale is 45km west of Aprica, but the ski resort can be accessed via the ski lifts from Temù, only 30km away or in between from Ponte di Legno.
Review
The Powderhounds last reviewed Aprica several seasons ago & had a great time screaming down the pistes at warp factor 10. We are due to return soon. Click on the review link in the left column (or top of page if on a mobile) to read its inciteful & witty ramblings!
See how Aprica compares to the rest of the European ski resorts on the Europe ski resort ratings page.
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