Pinzolo Ski Resort Italy
Pinzolo ski resort is in the Brenta Dolomites and is lift-linked with the better known Madonna Di Campiglio. Pinzolo is one of the eight ski areas that make up the Skirama Dolomiti Adamello Brento ski region, and as such is accessible to international guests that hold an Epic Pass. Pinzolo has 32km of pristine piste trails & a numerous gondolas to go with 5 chairlifts for comfortable ascents. The village has loads of wonderful, well-priced accommodation and can make a great alternative to staying elsewhere in the region.
Pros & Cons for Pinzolo Ski Resort
Pros
- Long skiable vertical of nearly 1,250m.
- Quality on-piste trails for intermediate skiers & snowboarders & some good ones for advanced riders (in good snow cover!).
- A fine lift system that, although slow in parts, serves the terrain comfortably.
- Generally uncrowded lifts & ski trails.
- Good value accommodation, food & drink in town.
Cons
- Ski terrain is predominantly below 2,000m altitude & has poor natural snow cover.
- Low elevation base areas often without natural snow.
- Limited freeride & expert terrain.
- Limited access to the backcountry.
- Lacklustre and crowded mountain restaurants.
- Not easy to get to by public transport.
Pro or Con (depending on your perspective!)
- The town of Pinzolo will often not have snow due to its low elevation.
- Town is quiet after-hours.
- No ski-in ski-out accommodation.
- No valley trail to Pinzolo so a download on the gondola is required (but there is a trail to nearby Tulot – if there is enough snow on it!).
- Still reasonably ‘off the radar’ for international guests.
- Part of Skirama Dolomiti which can skied for free by Epic Pass holders - good for some, but maybe not so good for others!
- Advanced riders may find the resort interesting for only a day at most.
Skiing & Snowboarding, Lift & Terrain
While we continue to build information about the Pinzolo ski area & village, check out the ski trail map for Pinzolo below.
And while you are at it, check out the ski trail map for the Ski Area Campiglio Dolomiti di Brenta, of which Pinzolo is a part of, combined with Madonna di Campiglio, Folgarida Marilleva & Peio. The interlinked ski region (Pejo ski resort is not lift linked!) includes 58 ski lifts & over 185km of ski trails.
Lift passes
Pinzolo & Folgarida-Marilleva, are part of the sandwich encasing Madonna di Campiglio, the ‘meat’ in the Ski Area Campiglio Dolomiti di Brenta (Brenta Dolomites Pass) which interlinks the three resorts by ski lift, piste & pass. The local Pinzolo lift pass is significantly cheaper than the Campiglio Dolomiti di Brenta.
For more diversity (including a glacier), & reasonable value if wanting to hedge your bets on a week-long jaunt in the region, the Skirama Dolomiti pass includes the aforementioned areas, plus the nearby Tonale, Pejo, Monte Bondone, plus Paganella & Folgaria. Of course, skiing any more than one of the Skirama Dolomiti locations on the same day is problematic, so it may behove one to simply buy the more affordable local lift passes at each location.
See the Skirama Dolomiti Resorts Map.
In addition, holders of a Vail Resorts Epic Pass (Epic Pass, Epic Adaptive, Epic Australia Pass, Epic Adaptive Australia Pass Holders, & Vail Resorts lifetime Pass Holders) receive seven complimentary, unrestricted, and consecutive days, in total, of skiing and riding at Skirama Dolomiti ski areas. Upon redemption of all seven days, Epic Pass Holders can then purchase discounted lift tickets at 50% off the window price. Epic Pass Holders must present their valid season pass card and photo ID at any Skirama Dolomiti ticket office where you will be issued a magnetic key card upon validation and receipt of a €5.00 refundable deposit per card. The deposit is refunded when the key card is returned in good condition. Pawesome!
Where is Pinzolo Italy?
Pinzolo ski resort is near the Brenta Dolomites in the Val Rendena, Trentino, north-east Italy. The town of Pinzolo is at the resort's base and by road is 60km (1hr) west of the Dolomites' city of Trento and 13km (20min) south of Madonna di Campiglio village & ski resort. Nearest international airports are Venice Marco Polo (VCE), Munich (MUC) and Milan Malpensa (MXP). Anyone coming from the UK or within Europe will find the airports at Innsbruck (INN) & Verona (VRN) quite useful. get a private transfer to Pinzolo, rent a car, or take public transport on the train to Trento, then bus Pinzolo.
Pinzolo Accommodation
The village of Pinzolo is replete with high-quality, incredibly well-priced guesthouses (garni), small hotels (albergos), plus a host of larger hotels, most within a short walk or short bus ride of the main gondola lift near the centre of town. The village does make a cost-effective alternative to staying in the more high-falutin Madonna di Campiglio, but its is also far less interesting as a holiday destination, with very little going on beyond the few hotels & bars. There are a few things to consider when staying in Pinzolo. The village elevation is only 770m above sea level which is very low for Italy and as such it may not have snow in the town for much of winter. As a result there is no valley trail into the village any more. However, the gondola from the village up to Prà Rodont (1,500m) is not too far from the centre of town, providing reasonable convenience.
In Pinzolo itself the following hotels & guesthouses are worth look. Right near the gondola base, its hard to beat the Casteluce Hotel Funivie, or the nearby (& higher standard) Dolomeet Boutique Hotel. A short stroll away are the superb Hotel Cristina and the exceptional 5-star Lefay Resort & SPA Dolomiti is on the other side of town, above the road, with views down the valley. For affordable lodgings, the fabulous Hotel Denny is both well located, highly rated and nicely priced.
Above the village, the road up to Madonna di Campiglio is intermittently lined with several exceptional overnight lodging options. The Albergo alla Posta has exceptional value rooms, but is best for those with their own transport. At Fontanella, try the Panorama Hotel Fontanella and Bio Hotel Hermitage. This locality is well placed to get to either resort efficiently either by local bus or rental car.
Further down the valley from Pinzolo, the quiet village of Calerzone has the exceptionally well-priced Hotel Rio which includes a superb half-board (breakfast & dinner) option. Drinks at the bar are at prices so far removed from the high-priced Madonna di Campiglio that one could be forgiven for thinking you are in a different country. And that's a good thing.
Search & book here for all Pinzolo ski accommodation.
Connecting to Madonna di Campiglio and beyond by ski & lift is possible but quite the undertaking, and the local Line 5 ski bus may be the better option. The ski journey involves 2 gondola rides up from Pinzolo to the top of the ski resort at Dos del Sabion (2,100m), a gentle 2km ski down to Grual, a short chairlift ride up to Monte Grual (1,960m), then a second ski descent of 1½km down to Puza dai Fò (1,664m). From here the journey is completed on a long gondola via Fontanella called the Pinzolo-Campiglio Express which take around 16min to end up on the ski slopes in the Cinque Laghi sector at 1,749m altitude, just above the town of Madonna di Campiglio. Phew, that's a long journey which should take around 35 to 40min assuming no wait times at lift stations. To make the most of a day at Madonna di Campiglio, start early if going to do it.
Review
The Powderhounds visited Pinzolo in early March 2024. We were disappointed with what was on offer and were thankful our Epic Pass covered the price of the day ticket! 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 Pinzolo & Madonna di Campiglio 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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