European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 24, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Italy Sunshine and swinging night life the Africa ski area in Italy s Lombardy Region. Italian slopes Are renowned for abundant  senates by j. King Cruger Mediterranean Bureau never on sunday is the Rule for skiing in Italy. Italian youngsters attend school saturday mornings and the slopes Aren t terribly crowded on saturdays. But come sunday morning hordes of locals hit the Hills. Weekdays Are great for skiing. All slopes May not be open As resort operators horde Snow for the weekends but lift lines will be non existent. Italians ski with As much enthusiasm As they drive. Speed and other rules exist for the other Guy. They party with gusto. While Many a Swiss or austrian resort Dies at night italian resorts come alive As the Moon rises. Dinners stretch Long into the evening and discos Don t Start cranking up until 11 . Or Midnight. Rock n Roll reigns until 2 or 3 . Many italian ski instructors would rather Chat and practice their limited English than help skiers perfect their turns. So pick an instructor with care. Italy Long had a reputation As a country offering inexpensive skiing. Those Days Are Long gone but the local wines remain Good and cheap. Italy commands the sunny Southern Side of the Alps so skiers can get a head Start on their sultans in midwinter. The mountains Are never far away in Italy. There is skiing in the Alps throughout the apennines and even on the islands of Sicily and Sardinia. Italy s Eastern Alps the dolomites Are unique in Beauty. Thrusting dramatically to 11,000 feet they appear Pink in the Daylight and glow Crimson and Magenta As the Sun rises and sets. Scores of operators used to run the lifts in the dolomites and few ski passes covered More than one area. A few years Back the italians straightened out this Hodgepodge and brought All the area s operators together to offer passes Good for districts and a Ducat that was Good for the entire Region. The latter is the famed Dolomite Superski pass embracing hundreds of lifts and thousands of Miles of runs. The Superski pass is a Good Deal for advanced skiers. Unless skiers Are hard chargers who Are going to race up mile after mile of runs they May be better off buying a More limited but considerably cheaper pass valid for just one . King Cruger Mediterranean Bureau for the sixth straight year members of a nato ski club in Naples Italy will journey 12 hours by train and bus in order to ski during the thanksgivi ving Holiday. Their destination is the Glacier at Val senates and they head there year in and year out because it is High tried and tested. Even on the Best of years few of Europe s ski resorts can be counted on to serve up skiing at thanksgiving. And this year after three Winters of poor Snow deprived skiers should certainly consider taking a lesson from the Naples skiers and head for a Glacier if they want skiing served up with their Turkey. Quot we go to Val senales because it offers guaranteed Snow. For that reason the area is used As a pre season training ground by a number of National ski teams. Last thanksgiving the Spanish team was training while we were there Quot says Wiley Decarli the president of ski Marco ski club. Val senales located near the austrian Border in Italy s Alto adige Region is also a popular thanksgiving destination with Germany based american ski clubs and with skiers from Aviano a in Northern Italy. Val senales is a High Altitude resort. The resort s Small Cluster of hotels and apartment buildings Are at an Altitude of 6,600 feet and the Summit reached by Cable car tops out at More than 10,000 feet. Skiing is in a Large Sun filled bowl. Because skiers must negotiate a relatively Steep narrow and often icy Trail to get Down into the ski areas Val senales in t Ideal for rank beginners. Quot i d say it s a Good place for advanced beginners through advanced intermediates Quot says Decarli. When All the area s eight lifts Are open Val senales yields up nearly 14 Miles of trails. In pricey Italy Val senales offers Good return on the Dollar according to Decarli. Quot the prices Are Low to medium. A Day s ski pass costs about $30,&Quot he says. Ski Marco members stay in either a luxury hotel or two to four person apartments in Val senales. The Val senales trip costs about $335 and includes return transportation hotel meals and ski pass. The trip from it is More than 550 Miles from Naples to Val senales. Skiers leave Naples aboard a 7 . Train on wednesday and arrive in Bolzano Bozen at 5 30 the following morning. A 90-minute bus ride to the resort completes the trip. The return journey departs Val senales at Midnight on saturday and skiers Are Back in Naples at 11 . On sunday. The ski Marco crowd takes Over a Couchetta car aboard the train and the Long train rides especially the outward bound one Are extended parties. Although the trip to Val senales is grueling ski Marco members find that the camaraderie forged on the trip the season s icebreaker often lasts through their Tours in Italy de Carli added. October 24, 1990 3