Courtney Comes to the Dolomites

Today, we’ll gather in Bolzano, Italy and transfer by shared taxi to Ortisei in the afternoon. Before dinner, we’ll enjoy an overview of the week’s route, covering daily routines, and reviewing gear for each day’s adventure.

We head up into the mountains, with an overnight adventure at the Plattkofel Hut, which features classic Dolomites cuisine and even hot showers!

The day starts with a cable car to the plateau of Alpe di Siusi — encompassing nearly 60 square kilometers, it’s the largest pasture in the Alps. We’ll stop at Rifugio Bolzano, a renowned mountain restaurant with some of the best food in the region. Later, we’ll run through Alpine meadows with 360-degree views, and have the option to summit the Petz and Burgstall mountains to further admire the panorama.

We’ll be fast-packing today, since bag delivery is not available at this remote location. (Fast packing information will be provided in your tour pack upon registration.)

Run the Alps’ Bruno Yates and Doug Mayer running in the Dolomites (Photo: Milo Zanecchia.)

After a hearty hut buffet breakfast, we’ll run to the village of Selva in the Val Gardena. If the weather is good, we have the option to summit dramatic Plattkofel Peak, the rocky 2,947-meter high summit of the Langkofel range. We’ll stop for lunch at the awe-inspiring Sassolungo hut, positioned in a large open cirque, surrounded by towering, craggy peaks. After some classic Italian hut refueling, we’ll run through spruce and larch forests down to Selva.

Today we head to the quiet, almost secret-feeling Val di Funes. We start by climbing out of Selva to the beautiful Seceda high meadows, surrounded by quiet alp farms, numerous trails, and backed by the jagged Odler peaks. A steep ascent brings us to our high point for the day, the rocky Forc di Mesdi pass at 2600m, as we cross from Val Gardena into Val di Funes.

As usual, along the way there are options for lunch at mountain huts, with enticing menus that feature local specialities. To finish our day, we’ll run on flowy singletrack through pine and spruce forests down to the hamlet of St Peter for the night at Hotel Kabis, a wonderful old hotel that’s one of our favorites in all the Alps.

In the evening, we’ll kick back and enjoy a tasting of local Val di Funes wines.

Courtney and Kevin are always keen to enjoy the local brews after a run! (Courtesy photo.)

We’ll make the most of our final day of running in the Dolomites with abundant mountain vistas and flowy singletrack, set against a backdrop of jagged peaks and steep scree slopes.

Featuring well-placed huts for refreshments along the way, our route for the day is the “Gunther Messner way”, a flowing, narrow trail that’s occasionally exposed and completely absorbing. Back in Val Funes, we’ll enjoy a celebratory final dinner at the Hotel Kabis.

Running through the pastures of Val Gardenia (Photo: Cam Bevan.)

This morning, we’ll have an early breakfast and say our goodbyes before each heading off. One thing is for sure: we’ll take plenty of memories of the past week with us wherever we go!