Alpe Cimbra - Folgaria / Lavarone

Alpe Cimbra is the ski area of the Folgaria and Lavarone plateaus, above Rovereto and Trento. According to the official website, it has 104 km and 66 runs at mid-to-low altitude, between about 1,180 and 1,820 m. It’s not the place for steep terrain, but it’s big and has a park with proper features.

Why Go Snowboarding

The main reason is the Mazinga Park at Fondo Piccolo, with kickers, boxes, and a wall. The Alpe di Folgaria sector also has the Boarder Cross Coe: 700 m long with 170 m of vertical. The rest is mostly wide, easy runs through the woods, good for learning and for carving without stress. The downside is altitude: with the top just over 1,800 m, the snow depends heavily on snowmaking and the weather.

Terrain & Slopes

The official website splits lifts and runs into two areas: the Skiarea Folgaria-Fiorentini, the larger one, with six sectors from Serrada to Fondo Piccolo, and the Ski Center Lavarone. The best run is the red Francolini, 3.2 km and 442 m of vertical through the woods, served by the 10-seat Francolini–Sommo Alto gondola. The blacks, such as Martinella Nord, are few and short: 5% of the total. At Lavarone the standouts are the blue Torion, 3.4 km, and the black Avez del Prinzep, 2.3 km with 470 m of vertical. Watch out for the connecting cat tracks: some are almost flat, such as Coe–Piovernetta, 760 m with 40 m of vertical, and on a board you may end up pushing.

Snowpark

The Mazinga Park is at Fondo Piccolo, served by the Cengio Rosso four-seat chairlift: 290 m long with 70 m of vertical. It has three terraces with kickers from 2 to 8 m, boxes (a 9 m Mammuth, wave, kinked, and wood boxes), and a 5 m wall. The level runs from beginner to intermediate: great for progressing, less so if you want big kickers. The timed Cargaore course is next to it.

Tips

For a park day, Fondo Piccolo is the right base: the Cengio Rosso and the sector’s other chairlifts start there. At altitudes this low the best days are cold ones after a snowfall; late in the season the snow softens by late morning.

Getting There

From the A22, leave at Rovereto Nord or Trento Centro; from the A31 Valdastico, at Piovene Rocchette. By train, get off at Rovereto (18 km from Folgaria via Calliano) or Trento (30 km) and continue on the Trentino Trasporti lines to Folgaria and Lavarone. Flixbus serves Rovereto.