There are places that are on the radar, and those that are off the radar. San Domenico has been well and truly off the radar, but we have always been intrigued by its location & potential. A tough couple of years as they battled to complete a new gondola project, plus some less than kind weather, saw the ski area only open for the first time since the end of the 2023 season in mid-January 2025. And we were there as the snow piled up during one of the season’s best storms. Delicious!

The ski lifts at San Domenico would be the envy of many ski areas in the world. The brand-new gondola from the village up to the alpine zone still has some works to be completed but was more or less fully functional when we skied here. The gondola mid-station (located near the top of the original access chairlift) wasn’t finished but will be a great addition in season 25/26. The two chairlifts serving the vast majority are modern and efficient. Lift lines are non-existent.

We stayed at the practically brand-new Hotel La Vetta. Geared perfectly for the location, it has undercover parking, a fine restaurant, pleasing breakfast, decent ski room, stellar staff & service and lovely rooms. Not the cheapest place to stay by any means but given its location and facilities it is certainly far from expensive and proved a splendid base (even for a bunch of tight-arses like us).

After hours, the tiny village has a surprising amount of bar options. The classy bar at Hotel La Vetta, the lively centre of entertainment at the AI44 Pub, the quieter but beautiful Larice Bistrot Alpino and the simple, traditional café Bar Jolly. There may be more hidden away, but too much snow was falling at night to go find them.

Its not all accolades for San Domenico. There are issues with the access road, pedestrian access to the ski lifts, and sad to say it, snow cover.

The road up to San Domenico from Varzo is a ‘doozy’ in places. Narrow, winding & icy, most people heading up for the first time actually question whether they have taken a wrong turn. Having driven up here the previous winter, we knew what to expect so were comfortable. It is one of those roads where you want to be sure about the width of your own car before proceeding up. Take care!

If staying in the village, the walk down to the gondola is a serious proposition in icy conditions for anyone in standard alpine ski boots. There is no ‘skibus’ or shuttle to get down there. Also, the valley trail ends up in the village near the old chairlift base, requiring the same aforementioned walk to get back to the gondola station. Will be interesting to see how the lift company deals with this into the future. We don’t mind walking, but we are not so sure about a lot of the other patrons on the hill.

And, despite the rating we gave it, snow cover could be a concern, and any visit here should only be after clarification of the current & forecast coverage. We took a punt on the weather forecast (as we do!), but I was genuinely shocked at how bad the snow cover was when we did a reconnaissance ski here on the afternoon of our arrival. Whilst it was a warm winter, the snow cover at similar altitudes on the Swiss side of Simplon Pass, and not too far away in the Aosta valley was still very good. At San Domenico it was wind stripped and, to use a technical term, yuk. For the first time in a very long time I questioned my decision to come to a ski resort. With fingers and toes crossed for a big dump in the forecast storm, I have to admit to a very sleepless night, albeit in a lovely new hotel.

Snow cover got progressively better over the next 36 hours as it snowed non-stop. We skied more and more of the off-piste that we reconnoitred on the first day. At first ‘gently’, nicking a few sharks & getting tangled in a few under-snow shrubs. And then with more confidence as the depth improved. Our final morning was cold and clear. A handful of riders were waiting for first gondola (we love that there is no powder day frenzy here, but we suspect there could be in the future!). The powder was dry & plentiful, and vision for the first time was uninterrupted. What a joy to ski here when it was transitioning from YUK to WOW! It doesn't have the biggest skiable vertical, it doesn't have the vastest terrain, but it is just right for some funtastic powder turns off the piste and fast-carving on the piste.

Having deemed there to be enough snow to ski down to the village, we ducked the ‘closed’ fence and skied the luscious valley trail. Part cat track, part piste, skiing it revealed a whole lot of other freeride possibilities that up until then had been out of sight. A few sharks amongst the powder near the bottom were of no consequence as we popped out near the old chairlift base. A short stroll under blue skies to the Hotel La Vetta for a final pack-up was the perfect way to end our visit. We will return.

If you have a Magic Pass, you would be mad not to spend some time storm-skiing San Domenico. If you don’t have a Magic Pass you would be mad not to spend some time storm-skiing San Domenico. You get the idea!

See our thoughts on the pros and cons of this ski resort via our San Domenico overview page.
See our video here

Arrived at San Domenico just before a big snow fall. Skied on piste as little option off. The top lift didn't seem to like anyone's magic pass, but the lift operators had a solution. The lift infrastructure is mostly new and impressive. I experienced staff who were friendly, helpful and professional across all industries.
Great hamburgers and drinks at the local Pub, while the brand new hotel provides fine dining and fantastic accommodation.
Then it snowed, and snowed. It was SOOO much fun, OK my ski's might not feel the same way because the off piste didn't have much of a base at the time.
In addition to all the great little side country lines we had, some of the groomers held fresh for ages.
Met a lot of quirky characters from around the world, which top off a wonderful visit.
See our video here