MINT WOMEN SNOWBOARD TOURS
Destinations: Milan & Livigno
Join us for an Italian road trip from Milan to Livigno ski area – Italy’s high-altitude, powder paradise! This is going to be a week filled with snowboarding, powder, park laps, great food & vino! Along the way you’ll progress your snowboarding skills with 5 full days of snowboard coaching and guiding, make new friends, enjoy traditional cuisine, sample local wines and rub shoulders with the locals. Livigno has some of the best terrain for progression, with wide-open powder bowls and pistes, easy tree runs and multiple terrain parks with easy features. March is our favourite part of the season to ride in Livigno, as there’s typically consistent snow, minimal crowds, and hardly any competition for the fresh powder.
5 FULL DAYS OF COACHING
Each day you’ll join our local Livigno snowboard coach to get riding dialled and to explore the resorts of Carosello 3000 and Mottolino Fun Mountain. Our local coach has a lifetime of experience riding the Livigno resorts and backcountry and knows every secret spot on the mountain and in the town. You’ll get a unique locals perspective while you’re exploring the huge variety of terrain. You’ll get to ride wide-open pistes, high altitude powder bowls, fun tree runs with perfectly spaced trees, gullies, terrain parks, and some easy side-country runs which feed back into the resort. Your coach is on-hand to select terrain suitable for the group to ride and give you some tips and tricks along the way. We want you to enjoy your snowboarding in a relaxed and fun environment. There is always time for coffee breaks, hot chocolates and photo opportunities.
SNOW AND CONDITIONS
LIVIGNO
For our Italy tour we head to Livigno, for a week riding at this high altitude snowboard paradise. Stretching a good 10km along the Spöl valley with mountains on either side and bordering Switzerland’s famous St Moritz, this is a place you’ll find authentic alpine charm in every nook and cranny with a friendly, atmosphere. This region receives heavy snowfall from November until early May. The high altitude and heavy snowfall ensures that the ski area retains perfect conditions.
LIVIGNO IS TAX FREE
It’s not just the high slopes and attractive village that make Livigno so hugely popular – its tax free status is a massive draw. The après ski is some of the most affordable you’ll find – a fraction of what you’d pay over in St Moritz with a glass of vino costing as little as 1€ in some bars. The town is home to a hearty amount of restaurants, serving nonna’s favourite recipes and terrific cheese fondues thanks to the local Swiss influence.
ACTIVITIES
Your Mint Chicks tour manager is on-hand to assist with planning any additional activities. There is husky sledding, snowmobiling, sleigh rides, cultural walks, museums and historic churches, food and wine tours, the off-snow options rival the snowboarding! A great place for its history, Livigno’s churches are well worth a visit, with the Santa Maria Nascente dating from 1300 AD. If you fancy a day off the slopes to let your aching muscles recuperate whilst keeping the divine mountain views, you’ll love the Bormio Thermal open-air baths. If you want to rub shoulders with the locals, join your guides for daily après ski in the village where we will bar hop and sample the antipasto and local wines. Each evening we will regroup back at the hotel and head out to one of the local restaurants.
LIVIGNO TERRAIN
The resort caters to all ability levels, with everything from wide open rolling pistes, tree runs, one of the most famous terrain parks in Europe to high alpine freeride terrain. The resort has over 125km of marked trails and many more off-piste areas. All this is served by a modern lift system that includes 6 gondolas & cable cars, 13 chairlifts and 11 surface lifts spread across the two mountain ranges. This remote village also hosts a Four Star Freeride World Qualifier event. The Four star event is the maximum category for the Freeride World Qualifier series, assigned just to 9 super-selected events worldwide. It’s not surprising that it’s nicknamed Little Tibet.
FOOD & WINE
No trip to Italy is complete without enjoying the local food and wine. Livigno has a tempting choice of more than fifty restaurants in addition to the dozens of bars. Many of the restaurants are family owned, and have been for generations. So, where to dine? For a start, you can’t go wrong with pizza anywhere in Italy, and Livigno is no exception. Paired with local wines from the vineyards of Valtellina and cheese’s from the local dairy farms. If you are the kind of person who likes to try regional cuisine – then Livigno has some very tasty mountain dishes and most of the restaurants will serve up their own local specialities. The best known of these is pizzocheri – pasta ribbons with potatoes, cabbage, garlic, butter and local cheese (one plate is never enough).
4 STAR SKI-IN/SKI-OUT ACCOMMODATION
Throughout the tour we stay at a brand new ski-in ski-out B&B located near the Carosello 3000 gondola. All rooms are large with amazing views. Among the amenities is a rooftop spa and sauna with a spectacular view. If you are travelling solo, you will be paired with another guest to room with. We aim to pair solo travellers according to gender, however this cannot be guaranteed. We suggest you book a single share room if this arrangement is unsuitable. Our twin share rooms are equipped with 2 beds and everything you need for a comfortable stay including linen and towels. Every morning you’ve got a hot buffet breakfast to enjoy in the restaurant.