Gitschberg Jochtal Ski Resort Italy

Located close to the wonderful city of Bressanone (a.k.a. Brixen) in the Dolomites, Gitschberg Jochtal ski resort (a.k.a. Eisacktal Dolomites) may have a strange name, but it features surprisingly good lifts, snow making, piste trails & facilities on what is an excellent family skiing destination. If only it snowed more!

Pros & Cons for Gitschberg Jochtal Ski Resort

Pros

• Ultra-modern & comfortable lift system.
• No lift queues.
• Great range of piste trails for all levels (including advanced on-piste).
• Long village return trails.
• Extensive snow making system.
• Ski-in ski-out accommodation available.
• Incredibly high standard local hotels, apartments & pensions.
• Good value lift pass price linked with Plose.
• Excellent selection of restaurants on the mountain.
• Fun après ski, particularly in the upper mountain.
• Variety of non-ski activities, particularly winter walking trails linking restaurants & connecting with gondolas.
• Great family ski destination.

Cons

• Limited quality off-piste terrain.
• Natural snowfalls have decreased over the last few years.
• One cannot ski between the Gitschberg & Jochtal sides, a long gondola transfer is required.
• Valles village deep in shadow for much of winter.
• Accommodations on the expensive side of the ledger.

Pro or Con (depending on your perspective!)

• Whilst part of the Dolomiti Superski, it is not in the true Dolomites & lacks the expected grandeur (but the mountains & views are still great).
• A gold-plated lift system that could benefit from more accessible ski terrain.
• Quiet villages after dark.
• Convoluted to visit via public transport for a day (train, walk, cable car, bus).
• Ikon Pass now valid in the resort.

Skiing & Snowboarding, Lifts & Terrain

It never ceases to surprise the Powderhounds how seemingly small unknown ski resorts in Europe have such unbelievably good lifts & facilities. Gitschberg Jochtal is one such place. The lift system comprises seven modern gondolas, making it exceedingly family friendly. The effort & expense to link the Gitschberg & Jochtal areas is nothing short of extraordinary. Loading onto the gondolas is easy for all involved allowing the resort to safely transport novice skiers (& pedestrians) around the entire resort.

Check out the full ski trail map for Gitschberg-Jochtal below.

Gitschberg-Jochtal Ski Trail Map

Whether is good snow or no natural snow, there is still some excellent piste skiing at Gitschberg Jochtal. The snow-making system is sensational and allows for nearly 100% trail coverage. The full 1,200m skiable vertical can be ridden from the top of Gitsch to the village at Maranza over a breathtaking 8km. A range of interesting beginner & intermediate trails are arrayed across the resorts making up about 80% of the 55km of trails. We can even attest to some of the black runs here being as black as anywhere in the world! Try pistes #5 & 6 off the backside of Jöchl without turning - bet you cannot do it! Off-piste terrain is relatively limited, but then again, the snow was relatively limited early in the season we visited.

Lift Passes

Lift passes at Gitschberg-Jochtal are amongst the cheapest in the Dolomites. Multi-day passes are valid in nearby Plose-Brixen as well.

International visitors may be pleased to know that Ikon Pass is valid in Gitschberg Jochtal & the Dolomites, but with certain conditions/limitations. Of course, the Dolomiti Superski pass is also valid but is quite expensive compared to local lift tickets.

Where is Gitschberg Jochtal Italy?

Gitschberg Jochtal ski resort is on the edge of the northern Dolomites in South Tyrol. By road, the ski area is about 92km south of Innsbruck & 20km north of Bressanone. The closest major town is Rio di Pusteria (a.k.a. Mühlbach), which is connected by road & public cable car to the resort villages of Maranza (a.k.a. Meransen) & Valles (a.k.a. Vals). Rio di Pusteria has a railway station along the line connecting Fortezza in the west to Lienz, Austria in the east). The train station location requires all passengers travelling on the Innsbruck - Bolzano line to alight at Fortezza for a change of train. Sadly, the trains rarely link in a timely fashion.

Gateway airports for international travellers are Munich (MUC), Milan (MXP) & Venice (VCE), with Innsbruck (INN) providing options for European & UK flight origins.

The most efficient mode of travel to Gitschberg Jochtal, particularly if in a group of 3 or more people, is by private transfer from a major train station or city like Bressanone, Bolzano or Brunico. Search & book all private transfers to the villages of Valles, Maranza, Rio di Pusteria.

The Powderhounds have successfully completed day trips to Gitschberg Jochtal from Bressanone utilising public transport - in this case taking the bus from the centre of Bressanone to Rio di Pusteria. A ride in a public cable car (free) up to Maranza is then followed by a refreshing walk to the lifts (or wait for a local bus, but we don’t wait!)

Gitschberg Jochtal Accommodation

The Gitschberg Jochtal accommodation is split between the mountain & valley. Either location has an incredibly high standard of lodgings. Mountain accommodation is in the villages of Valles (Vals) & Maranza (Meransen). Valley accommodation is at Rio di Pusteria (Mühlbach), near the train & bus station. Rio di Pusteria is connected to Maranza by a public cable car which once one gets over the novelty value, is a right royal pain in the bum due to its limited capacity!

Vals/Valles is high in the ski resort but in a deep valley that sees very little sun in mid-winter. Several hotels are located directly near the lifts, others are slightly down the road, but adjacent to a ski run. The Hotel Valserhof & Hotel Masl are typical of what is available. Meransen/Maranza is located on the sunny side of the hill and has glorious views across the valley to the main Dolomites peaks. Parkhotel Holserhof is typical of the high standard of lodging in the Meransen.

Search & book all Gitschberg Jochtal ski accommodation.

Anyone wanting to spend time in an interesting local city should look at the delightful Bressanone-Brixen. Accommodation in the historic old town is wonderful, bars & restaurants are excellent & Gitschberg Jochtal is only a bus ride away.

Search & book Bressanone accommodation.

Ski Rentals

Ski rentals are available near the ski lifts via our local partners at Vals (Valles) and Meransen (Maranza). Receive a discount when you search & book via our Gitschberg Jochtal Ski & Snowboard Rental page.

Nearby Ski Resorts

The ski resorts of Kronplatz, Plose & 3 Peaks can be seen from Gitschberg Jochtal. Toward the Brenner Pass & Austria, Monte Cavallo ski resort is above beautiful Vipiteno. Kronplatz, 3 Peaks Dolomites & Monte Cavallo are easily accessible by train, Plose less so!

Review

The Powderhounds visited Gitsch-Joch in a very lean early season several years ago & were impressed with the lifts, snow-making coverage & overall potential of the place. We need to get back & will attempt to review it soon. We are looking forward to seeing it in some nice snow. Click on the review link in the left column (or top of the page if on a mobile) to read all the reviews.

See how Gitschberg Jochtal and the other Dolomites ski resorts compare to the rest of the Italian ski resorts on the Italy ski resort ratings page, or compare to the rest of Europe on the European ski resort ratings page.

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