Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.
Skiing for 15 years and visited resorts in:
🇦🇺 Australia (6) • 🇺🇸 USA (15) • 🇯🇵 Japan (5) • 🇪🇺 Europe (10)
Pontedilegno-Tonale spans the border of Lombardy and Trentino across four linked ski areas - Ponte di Legno, Passo Tonale, Presena Glacier and Temù - delivering 100km of pistes between 1,121m and 3,000m. The terrain climbs from forested valley runs at Ponte di Legno and Temù through the wide open snowfields of Passo Tonale and up onto the Presena Glacier, which tops out at Cima Presena at 3,069m.
The resort's signature run, the Pista Paradiso, drops 737m over 3km from Passo Paradiso at 2,585m - a north-facing black that has been drawing skiers since it opened in 1963 and holds snow from November through to mid-May. The longest descent in the ski area follows an 11km line from 3,000m at Passo Presena all the way down to the Sozzine chairlift at 1,309m - one of the lengthiest continuous descents in the Italian Alps.
The terrain profile sits firmly in intermediate territory - 60% blue, 25% red and 8% black across 41 marked runs - making the ski area particularly well suited to progressing skiers and mixed-ability groups.
A single pass covers all four zones, with an optional Skirama Dolomiti Adamello-Brenta extension adding access to Madonna di Campiglio, Folgarida-Marilleva and several other Trentino resorts. Children born after April 2016 ski free when accompanied by a paying adult.
Total Runs
41
Total Area
100km
62.1 miles
Thirty lifts serve Pontedilegno-Tonale's terrain across four sectors, with the network built around a gondola spine connecting the valley to the glacier. The Ponte di Legno-Colonia Vigili-Tonale gondola links the valley town at 1,256m to Passo Tonale in 26 minutes, providing the main corridor between the lower mountain and the high alpine zones.
From Passo Tonale, the Paradiso cable car reaches Passo Paradiso at 2,585m in five minutes, from where the Presena cable car - an eight-seat gondola inaugurated in 2016 with a capacity of 1,500 people per hour - continues to the glacier summit at 3,000m. The complete journey from Ponte di Legno to the glacier top takes approximately 26 minutes.
The Tonale sector accounts for the broadest concentration of infrastructure, with 11 chairlifts ranging from three- to six-seaters fanning out from the pass at 1,880m across both the south and north faces.
Surface lifts and carpet conveyors serve the beginner terrain directly from the village. Snowpark Tonale sits alongside the Valena chairlift and offers graded obstacles for all levels, plus a snowcross slope. Night skiing runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays for holders of passes of three days or more.
Total Lifts
33
Lift Types
8
The 2025-26 season at Pontedilegno-Tonale runs from 30 November 2025 to 3 May 2026, with the Presena Glacier typically holding skiable snow from late October and operating into late spring.
The glacier's elevation and north-facing orientation are the primary drivers of season length - Passo Tonale sits at 1,880m with reliable natural snowfall, while the glacier terrain above 2,500m preserves cold temperatures and snow quality well into April and May. The resort records average annual snowfall of 3.5 metres across the ski area, with the upper mountain receiving considerably more. Snowmaking covers the key links and valley runs.
January and February deliver the best all-mountain conditions, with all sectors fully operational and cold temperatures locking in snow quality on the north-facing Pontedilegno and Temù runs. Spring skiing on the glacier draws a dedicated crowd after the lower-altitude areas wind down, with wide open runs above 2,500m and typically uncrowded lifts.
The Presena Glacier's summer conservation programme - covering the ice surface with geotextile fabric from June to September - has been running since 2008 as a direct response to glacial retreat, and contributes to the reliability of early-season openings each autumn.
Current Season
2025 - 2026
Opening Day
11/30/2025
Closing Day
5/4/2026
Days Open
156
Pontedilegno-Tonale occupies the upper reaches of two connected Alpine valleys: the Alta Valle Camonica in Lombardy, where Ponte di Legno (1,256m) and Temù sit along the valley floor, and the Alta Val di Sole in Trentino, accessed via Passo del Tonale at 1,883m. The two valleys meet at the pass, which serves as the geographic and logistical hub of the ski area. The surrounding peaks include Monte Adamello at 3,539m and Cima Presanella at 3,556m, with the ski area bordered to the east by Stelvio National Park - Italy's largest national park.
Milan Bergamo Airport (BGY/Orio al Serio) is the closest international gateway, approximately 95-111km from the resort depending on entry point, with a drive time of around two hours. Verona Airport (VRN) is roughly 126km to the east. From Lombardy, the standard road route follows the A4 motorway to the Ospitaletto exit near Brescia, then the SS42 up through the Val Camonica to Ponte di Legno - approximately 108km from the motorway exit. From Trentino and the north, the A22 Brennero-Modena motorway exits at San Michele all'Adige, continuing via Val di Sole to Passo Tonale, around 70km from the motorway. Train services from Brescia reach Edolo via the Trenord line, from where ski shuttles run to Ponte di Legno; from Trentino, trains reach Malè with onward bus connections to Passo Tonale. A Fly Sky Shuttle service operates from Bergamo Airport during the winter season.
