Aprica

Aprica, on the pass between Valtellina and Val Camonica, is one of Lombardy’s largest ski areas: about 50 km of mostly easy runs between 1,162 and 2,300 m, served by 16 lifts. The village sits in a sunny basin below the Orobie Alps, facing the Adamello; the lifts start from the center and you can ride back down to the village.

Why Go Snowboarding

Aprica is a place to learn: 54% of the kilometers are on easy runs. Once you have the basics, there’s the Superpanoramica del Baradello, a 6.5 km blue that runs down to the village with 810 m of vertical: ideal for linking lots of turns in a row. It’s also floodlit, and the official site bills it as the longest floodlit run in Europe. For freestyle riders the limit is clear: Aprica has no snowpark, only a small fun slope at Palabione, shaped when there’s enough snow.

Terrain & Slopes

The ski area has four connected sectors. Campetti, in the middle, is the base for kids and beginners, with magic carpets, drag lifts, and ski schools. Palabione is the largest, with wide reds and the black Benedetti. Magnolta gets more sun and has the black Pistone della Magnolta, about 2 km long and steep, especially in its lower part. Baradello is the most modern sector, with a bubble chairlift and the Superpanoramica. Two gondolas climb from the village, Aprica–Malga Magnolta and Aprica–Malga Palabione. 31% of the kilometers are intermediate and 15% difficult. Worth knowing on a board: the official map also lists five drag lifts (Puncera, Dosso Pasò, Salina, Quadri, and San Pietro).

Tips

If you’re starting from scratch, begin at Campetti with a school and move on to the Superpanoramica once your turns are steady. On some evenings the Superpanoramica stays open under the lights, for skiing and ski touring. Without a car you can use the snow trains, which bundle train, shuttle, and lift ticket into a single package.

Getting There

From Milan (about 130 km) take the SS36 to Piantedo, the SS38 to Tresenda, and the SS39 to Aprica; alternatively, the A4 to Seriate, the SS42 to Edolo, and the SS39. By train, use the Milan–Sondrio–Tirano line with a bus from Sondrio or Tresenda, or the Brescia–Edolo line with a bus from Edolo; snow trains also run in season. By bus there’s the BS1 Sesto–Edolo–Ponte di Legno line, changing at Edolo for Aprica.