Stelvio Pass Ski Resort Italy
Stelvio Pass ski resort (a.k.a. Passo-dello-Stelvio or Stilfserjoch) is Italy’s only true summer ski area. Whilst glacier skiing on Plateau Rosa in Cervinia has a short summer season, it is Stelvio that is open for the full summer, up to 6 months from late May to November every year. Located above the 2,760m elevation, Passo dello Stelvio is between Bormio & Trafoi. The road is closed in winter allowing snow to pile up unsullied by humans through the coldest months of the year. By late spring, the road is slowly cleared & the resort awakens so one can enjoy sliding on Italian Alps glacier under the balmy midday sun.
Pros & Cons for Stelvio Pass Ski Resort
Pros
- High elevation base area provides Italy’s only true summer ski area.
- Skiable vertical of 690m is excellent for a summer resort.
- Minimal lift lines during the week.
- Super on-piste trails for beginner & intermediate skiers & snowboarders to progress their skills.
- Backcountry skiing available well into summer
- Interesting variety of natural & man-made attractions in the broader region.
- Ski-in accommodation in the pass and ski-in ski-out lodgings mid-mountain.
- One of Europe’s best drives from Trafoi up to the pass.
Cons
- Typically for most summer skiing, a lift pass is relatively expensive.
- Giester ski tows not operating in season 2024!
- Upper mountain surface lifts may challenge beginner snowboarders.
- One of the world’s ugliest sets of cable lift pylons blighting the landscape on the lower slopes.
- Lower slopes often without snow from mid-summer to late autumn.
- The high number of race teams training & taking up the slopes & lifts can be galling!
Pro or Con (depending on your perspective!)
- Snow quality becoming increasingly variable- but it is summer, and glacier's are in trouble, so no complaints!
- The road up may freak some visitors out, but it is a wonderful experience.
Skiing & Snowboarding, Lifts & Terrain
For skiing & snowboarding, Stelvio Pass has up to 9km of groomed trails at the height of the season, running top to bottom for the entire 690m of skiable vertical before the summer sun starts to melt the lower slopes in August. The slopes are mostly beginner to intermediate, with much of the it heavily utilised as summer ski training for the pros! A wide glacier, the upper slopes are lined with run after run of slalom flags during the height of the season. Backcountry access and some expert routes are possible, particularly in the first few months of the season.
See the Stelvio Pass ski trail map below.
Ski Lifts
The ski lifts at Stelvio Pass include 2 cable cars up to mid-mountain. From Livrio at 3,174m altitude, surface lifts are utilised on the glaciers. The ancient first cable car (circa 1966) unfortunately has concrete lift towers that are an absolute blight on the landscape. But hey, a ski resort in this environment is always going to be 'hard on the eye'!
Ski lift operation times can vary greatly over the season. For much of the time the lifts only run from early morning to lunchtime (from 8am to 12.45pm). Also for the 2024 season, the important Geister tows are not running and are replaced by a snow cat to get skiers to the Payer side of the mountain instead. Sounds like a right royal pain in the arse, and is probably best avoided until clarity is gained about the future of list operations here.
Where is Stelvio Pass Italy?
The Stelvio Pass ski area is located at 2,760m elevation on the high pass between the winter ski resorts of Bormio & Trafoi. Also known as the Passo dello Stelvio or Stilfserjoch, the ski area straddles the border between Lombardy & South Tyrol (Alto Adige) & is close to the Swiss frontier. The journey over the pass is one of the highest paved roads in Europe - hence its closure during winter.
Passo dello Stelvio is 21km (35min) by road northeast of Bormio or 13km (21min) & at least 45 hairpin bends west of Trafoi. The extraordinary road journey is best experienced in your own rental car.
Closest major airport for most international travellers is Milan Malpensa (MXP) (240km, 3½hr) or from European & UK origins, Innsbruck (INN) (175km, 2½hr) is best.
Stelvio Pass Accommodation
The Stelvio Pass has several affordable accommodation options close to the ski area. Most are in or near the pass, adjacent to the cable car base, but one is further up the mountain. The Hotel Livrio provides basic lodging at the top of the cable cars at 3,200m elevation in a premium ski-in ski-out location. Access is via the cable cars. In the pass itself, three 3-star hotels of varying quality but similar views & delicious local cuisine include the fabulous Albergo Quarto Pirovano Hotel, the very good Hotel Genziana plus the ski-in Hotel Folgore. A short stroll from the pass, a unique option is the castle-like Rifugio Garibaldi.
Search & book here for all Stelvio ski accommodation.
Away from the Pass in either direction, the quality of accommodation improves markedly toward the valleys, but strangely, so does the price. Mid-way to Trafoi, the Berghotel Franzenshöhe is a beauty. In Trafoi itself, surrounded by the mountain splendour of the Ortler ridge, four fabulous hotels include the 4-star traditional Hotel Madatsch, the ultra-modern Tannenheim Nature and Style Hotel, plus the highly rated Hotel Bella Vista & Stelvio Residence Hotel Apartments.
Search & book here for all Trafoi ski accommodation.
In the opposite direction toward the Alta Valtellina, the wonderful town of Bormio has it all - from the 5-star QC Terme Grand Hotel Bagni Nuovi, the sophisticated Hotel san Vitale down to simple, affordable 2-star albergos like the Hotel Giardino; plus everything in between.
Search & book here for all Bormio ski accommodation.
Review
The Powderhounds will probably never visit or review Stelvio Pass, so are keen to get a review from anyone that has skied here. The closest we have been is at the base of the pass on both the Trafoi & Bormio sides during winter, but you never know, one day soon we might venture there in summer to check it out. Click on the review link in the left column (or top of the page if on a mobile) to read all the reviews or to add one if you have been there!
See how the rest of the European ski resorts compare on the Europe ski resort ratings page.
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