Day 10 Deckchairs in the snow

From our current base in Trento we venture north for a day into the Dolomite Mountains in search of a typical Italian winter family holiday destination. For a €1 bus fare our journey takes about an hour and we arrive at Monte Bondone. We are in a ski resort but this is not like St Moritz in Switzerland or Whistler in Canada, a place only for the rich and famous. No this is like the north coast of NSW, a place for families to have their annual holiday in the winter snow rather than on the beach, a place to teach the children how to ski rather than how to surf.

Not being skiers we wonder what we will do for the day but we have no problem filling up our time. Firstly we watch all the excitement as the kids are marshaled ready for their two-hour skiing lesson. Then in groups they slowly make their way down the slope wearing colour co-ordinated vests so that their leader will not lose his little gaggle of geese. The sun comes out and although the digital thermometre on the side of a building says it is -9, the day is glorious.

 

We decide to brave the ski tent for morning tea, which is an experience in itself. About 150 people cram into a round tent with a central bar, which sells everything from espresso coffee, hot chips, hot dogs, vodka and Fosters beer. Amazingly the tent is warm and the people friendly. From the tent we can sip our hot chocolate and watch the skiers on the slope.

Of course we decide to go for a walk. To begin with we walk up the side of one of the slopes to take a closer look at the run. Later we walk around the village to check out the local holiday accommodation. Finally we find a walking track along the side of a road, which connects two slopes. We enjoy a 3km hike in icy snow and back-dropped by the most breathtaking alpine scenery. We take photos but somehow the camera cannot capture the grandeur of the mountains – they are simply breathtaking.

The whole scene reminds us of Aussies on summer holidays, except that toboggans replace buckets and spades, snowboards replace boggie boards and a deckchair in the sun is literally replaced by a deckchair in the snow. A couple of friendly teenagers chat with us over lunch. They are happy to practice their English and they comment on how weird it is that Australians go to the beach on Christmas Day.

An annual holiday in the sun at the beach, or in subzero at the snow, is indeed a blessing for any family.