Day 45: Finally in Fassa

14 Aug 2011

Day 45: Arriving in Val di Fassa and the big grey rocks. Today we headed to Fassa Bike Resort after our little stop with the posh folk in Cortina. Another incredibly scenic drive, over the Falzarego Pass and down into the town of Canazei. The Fassa Bike Resort comprises a huge area of lift accessed mountain bike trails, all running out of a number of small villages spread out down the valley. There is a brilliant free map of bike routes for XC or Enduro riders to explore, all linked with the 21 (yes seriously, 21) lifts that are running over the summer. But the main centres of ‘bike park’ action are located at Canazei and Pozza, and these are actually a 15 minute drive apart although there is a bus (included in the lift pass price) that can take you between the two. We will probably cover them separately in the next few days.

It is insanely busy right now as we are bang smack in the middle of peak season and there are tourists everywhere (we don’t count as tourists). At the end of the day the small centre of Canazei turned into one big car park with everyone on their horns, gesticulating at everyone else… we’re definitely in Italy! The mountains are like nothing seen so far, with towering pillars of dolostone (the name for dolomite rock – educational blog this…) that look precariously balanced. It’s an awesome setting for mountain biking. Tim took a lift up late in the afternoon to have a quick look around and of course his camera went with him, so these pics should give you some idea of the setting for the next few days of riding. Lucky us…

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