The Italian ski resort where fun on the slopes is guaranteed

You may well know the type. My family includes several of them; those skiers who revel in breathless tales of bravery down some black run or – even better – a couloir. We’re obviously thrilled to hear all about it, no matter how many times, but none of it sounds remotely fun. Call me old-fashioned, but I thought the whole point of skiing is that it should be fun.

I can assure you, I am not that person. There is a funny little TikTok doing the rounds that shows the four types of skiers. One is of someone who is gliding serenely down the mountain without making any use of her poles whatsoever. That is me.

And so, two thirds of the way through a particularly grey and wet English January, I headed off for a long weekend to Corvara, part of the wider Alta Badia resort in the Dolomites. My first time skiing in Italy, I’m hoping to get above the clouds, drink Aperol spritz and red wine and eat plenty of pasta in an effort to make it through to spring.

It’s getting dark by the time we’ve settled in, and we’re just in time for an aperitif in the wood-panelled bar, pianist in the corner, with suited staff greeting guests like old friends – which it turns out they are, having repeatedly stayed here over the years.

We haven’t even hit the slopes yet and this break is turning out exactly as I had hoped – basically a gourmet safari through the Dolomites, with skiing filling the gaps between meals.

The Alta Badia region makes up one of the largest ski areas in the world and includes the popular Sellaronda circuit, which can be completed in a day and provides a route through the Dolomites’ most spectacular scenery.

The combination means new and intermediate skiers who are more comfortable on some of the easier slopes are still able to reach some of the best restaurants in the area.

The region’s centuries-old Ladin cuisine is celebrated here. There’s ‘la panicia’, (barley soup), ‘turtres’ (fried pastries filled with spinach or cabbage) and ‘cajincí’ (ravioli stuffed with spinach and cottage cheese with melted butter).

The slope-side restaurant scene is showcased by the yearly A Taste for Skiing initiative, with this year’s lineup including Massimiliano Alajmo, Valeria Piccini and Viviana Varese, whose restaurants have all been awarded Michelin stars, and who are all taking to the slopes to showcase their skills in the many mountain restaurants.

Among the dishes it offers are various types of dumplings, spätzle, homemade ravioli, beef goulash and turtres, as well as homemade pasta, ribs and shanks, rösti and polenta from Storo. Ingredients are mostly of regional origin, such as speck, South Tyrolean cured meats and cheeses, and the game is provided by a trusted local hunter.

I start with a plate of meat and cheese, Aperol spritz in hand, before the main event of venison pasta matched with another local pinot noir. As the afternoon slips by, the decision is made to head back down by the chairlift just metres away. There are also blue and red route options for those who are still feeling energetic.

The late afternoon is spent pretending we still need to recover in the Jacuzzi, watching the mountains turn pink in the sunset.

We make the most of our final morning skiing in fresh snow that is still gently falling, with the slopes a little quieter after the blue sky and sunshine of the days before. We’re refreshed, restored and confident we’ll never feel hungry again.

However the hotel has no intention of sending us on our way without a proper Sunday lunch. Our final feast is spaghetti with “tomatoes from Napoli!” and a glass of pinot noir, of course, followed by coffee and a tray of little desserts that one in our party decides are so good she decides to attempt to take hers back to London for her family to experience.

Thank you Corvara. You are, to me, everything skiing should be.

How to plan your trip

Stays at Hotel Sassongher (sassongher.it/en) start from €280 per night (two sharing) on a half-board basis.