To facilitate a summer stay the valleys or Alta Badia and Val Gardena are simplifying regional travel with a “Mountain Pass” and offering chic but authentic accommodation from just €82pppn.

South Tyrol celebrates 30 years of “Everest unmasked” at the Messner Mountain Museum, Bolzano
2008 sees the 30th anniversary of South Tyrolean Reinhold Messner’s conquest of Mt Everest as the first man, together with Austrian Peter Habeler, to scale the world’s highest peak without oxygen. Messner’s achievement, regarded at the time as a physiological impossibility, is being celebrated between 2 March and 30 November at the MMM Firmian in Bolzano / Bozen. There are paintings by the exhibition’s Sherpa and extracts from Messner’s diary of the experience. The exhibition also observes Messner’s 1978 solo ascent of the Himalayan peak of Nanga Parbat, the world’s ninth highest mountain and one of the deadliest of the 8,000m climbs.

“Giro d'Italia” – the steep cycle competition in South Tyrol’s tourist hotspot
On 26 May the 16th stage of the legendary “Giro d'Italia” road bicycle stage race takes place in South Tyrol, finishing on the summit of the tourist hotspot Plan de Corones / Kronplatz. The stage is 12,9 kms long. The final ascent to Plan de Corones runs on unpaved terrain and leads up to the mountain’s 2,275m summit.

Simplified travel around Alta Badia and Val Gardena with the Mountain Pass
Hikers will be delighted to learn that the lift plant consortia of South Tyrol’s Alta Badia and Val Gardena have teamed up to produce a mountain pass to facilitate travel around the region between 22 June and 21 September 2008. The pass allows unlimited usage of 11 mountain lifts and local bus transport between the villages of Alta Badia and Val Gardena. The pass also brings further discounts, such as between 20 and 50 per cent off guided tours organised by the Alta Badia tourist board. Three to four day passes start at €30 per adult, €21 per child under 15 and €26 per adult over 60. There are seven and 14-day passes as well as a summer seasonal pass (which excludes the Sella Ronda).

Dolomiti Superbike and World Championships in Alta Pusteria / Hochpustertal

On sunday, July 6 the 14th round of the International Cycling Union’s “Dolomiti Superbike” Mountain Bike Race takes place in Alta Pusteria/Hochpustertal. The event, which is renowned for its arduousness, attracts more competitors than any other event of its kind in Italy and expects to see up to 3,500 participants. Entrants can choose between two distances, 119.9 and 56.9 kilometres.

The day before, July 5, the Mountain Bike Marathon World Championships take place at the same course.
Distance men: 119,9 km, total difference in altitude (ascent): 3.822 m
Distance women: 88,6 km, total difference in altitude (ascent): 3.040 m


Join 7,000 competitors for the 110mile “Maratona dles Dolomites”
One of the most important events in the annual cycling calendar, the 110mile / 175km Maratona dles Dolomites takes places on 29 June is set to attract amateurs from all over the world. The event, which has seen over 7,000 competitors participating in the past two years, comprises no fewer than seven gruelling Dolomite passes and includes a 4,190m change in altitude.

Sella Ronda and Stelvio Bike Days
Other cycling highlights during the South Tyrolean summer include the Sella Ronda Bike Day on 6 July (sellarondabikeday.com), offering cyclists the chance to experience the often skied track, and the Stelvio Bike Day (stelviopark.bz.it) on 30 August. During the Sella Ronda’s