How do you get over your fear of skiing? By combining lessons with top-notch food and drink in Alta Badia

It’s all downhill after a few glasses of wine, says Frankie McCoy
Slope style: Alta Badia
Alex Filz
Frankie McCoy15 February 2016

I don’t ski. I went once while at university and needed rescuing from the top of a green run in Val Thorens on the first day, then spent the rest of the trip drinking overpriced hot chocolate on my own while my friends had the best holiday of their lives. I vowed never to strap on those horrible boots to fling myself into the freezing abyss again.

Except this year I not only did exactly that but found myself laughing triumphantly after successfully completing a red run. Why? Wine.

Ski company Powder Byrne is enticing ski naysayers to San Cassiano in the north Italian Dolomites with two gastronomic experiences no self-proclaimed epicure could turn down. One is A Taste of Skiing, with ski huts offering sample dishes from the region’s Michelin-starred chefs. The other is Ski with a Sommelier, during which a sommelier leads you between huts, talking tasting notes, legs and other oenophilia as you swill. Sold.

Our base was the Hotel Rosa Alpina in Alta Badia: a five-star retreat that’s all cartoonishly perfect Alpine lodge outside and cosseting luxury inside. Although the mere sight of snow had reignited my ski dread, there was no time to dwell since I was promptly whisked off for round one of the gourmet safari — happily with no skis involved.

After indulgent canapés (artichoke stuffed with deer tartare? Yes please) at the Alpina, we moved to Ristorante La Siriola for umami-rich wasabi risotto with smoked eel and several glasses of local pinot gris. Dessert was at La Perla. Rosemuskateller, a rich dessert wine, made necessary two puddings: an apple sorbet confection and rich chocolate mousse. We crawled back to Alpina for a nightcap, after which it all got rather hazy.

Next morning, the prospect of slithering down a mountain could not have been less appealing — torture, in fact. But after a wallowing in the abundant breakfast buffet (personal egg chef included), I summoned the courage to meet the god on two planks who was my ski instructor, Marco. I decided that maybe skiing was for me after all.

Stunning scenery in Alta Badia
Freddy Planinschek

With the resort’s green runs all temporarily closed due to an early season lack of snow, we were straight onto the blues. There’s nothing like seeing three-year-olds sailing past to make you feel inadequate but somehow I managed. Marco had us playing confidence-building games, waving our poles like Simon Rattle conducting the LSO and even trying to make us ski backwards. Frankly, I would have done anything Marco told me but still, after an hour, it was clear this would be easier with some wine to take off the edge. At least I could outperform those three-year-olds in the drinking department.

So it was off to iTabla, our first stop on the Taste of Skiing safari, for icy Gewurtztraminer and scallop spaghetti with, oddly but deliciously, green turnip sauce. No time for digestion: two runs later we were at Restaurant Las Vegas for the next course: tiny, circular anelli pasta, super al dente and oddly evocative of Cheerios. It wasn’t a favourite but the chardonnay helped, and quelled any fears about tackling the runs to course three — Instagram-worthy egg and porcini — and four, at Utia Bamby: tagliatelle with beef carpaccio, washed down with a nice Salice Salentino Riserva.

Hotel Rosa Alpina

South Tyrolean food is heaven for any self-respecting food snob spending most of their day face-down in the snow. Hearty, artery-clogging alpine fare — filled knödel dumplings, deep-fried schlutzkrapfen ravioli and rich, meaty sauces of deer and sausage — jostle merrily on menus with the sort of top-quality regional meats and cheese Michelin-starred chefs salivate over.

The next day we were up before sunrise for Breakfast on the Peaks. Bleary eyed, we piled into a snowcat and trundled vertically back up to Restaurant Las Vegas. Before I had the chance to start hyperventilating, we were at the top tucking into eggs, dozens of pastries and volcanic espresso. Being driven up a mountain is hungry work. It was also a pitiful attempt to line our stomachs for the day, before Sommelier on the Slopes. The morning’s ski lesson couldn’t go fast enough.

My wine expertise ends roughly at “this is nice”, until I’ve drunk enough to slur words like “legs” and “herbal snap”. That was all about to change. Over an unremarkable fondue at Restaurant Col Alt, we kicked off with our lesson, discovering that 20 per cent of wine produced in South Tyrol comes from Eppan, a small village with 1,000 hectares of vines.

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I know, just pour the pinot blanc, right? However, sommelier Daniel suggested that we should be able to taste notes of salt, mineral and green apple. Indeed. Meanwhile, a red from Lake Kaltern had “fruity, cherry, almond” notes. We all agreed. It came chilled — Daniel explaining that only highly tannic reds need warming, as they become bitter when cold. Otherwise, they’re best refrigerated for an hour before serving.

Sorry, Daniel, but I don’t remember whether the pinot noir we drank after that was chilled or not. I think that was the one he called “holy wine”, but things had started to get hazy. Either way, after more I decided I loved skiing so much I’d gamely follow the more experienced skiers in our group the quickest way home — down a red run.

As those who know me have since admonished, this was foolish. But, helmeted and under the watchful eye of Daniel, who thankfully doubled as instructor as well as wine buff, I made it back uninjured. I realised, as I released myself from my skis, that somewhere between the last two sips of wine at Las Vegas, I’d lost all my fear and loathing of skiing. I’ll never be a natural ski bunny. But promise me Michelin-starred grub and a nice bottle of wine, and I’ll probably follow you down a black run.

Details: Alta Badia

Powder Byrne (020 8246 5300; powderbyrne.com) offers three nights at Hotel Rosa Alpina from £1,605pp inc breakfast. The price also includes Powder Byrne concierge service, return flights from Gatwick and private transfers to and from the airport.

Sommelier on the Slopes takes place March 3 and 10. Tickets €15 per person.

A Taste of Skiing takes place through the season. Buy dishes at each hut, each served with a matched wine.

Breakfast on the Peaks takes place throughout the season, costing €25 at Las Vegas (lasvegasonline.it) or €28 at Col Alt (rifugiocolalt.com). Book directly with each hut.

More information: altabadia.org

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