Passo Tonale is located on a high pass, which separates Val di Sole in the Trentino region from Valle Camonica in neighboring Lombardy. Marketed as Pontedilegno-Tonale, due to its proximity to Ponte di Legno, it developed as a ski resort due to its high, snow-sure location. The region offers 100 km of slopes all connected, spread over four ski areas: Passo Tonale, Presena Glacier, Ponte di Legno and Temù.
The resort’s high local slopes include a glacier and are completely above tree line. They are mainly gentle and are best suited for beginners and intermediates. The village is located along the main road and has no real center apart from a few lift bases.
Keep up to date with the key facts about the resort below and scroll down for our insider’s guide to a day on the slopes, expert reviews and advice. For more Passo Tonale inspiration, check out our guides to the resort’s best accommodations, restaurants and après-ski.
In this guide:
Within the resort
Passo Tonale extends for about 1 km along the main road and the top of the Tonale Pass. Although the majority of the resort’s hotels are located on this road, built in chalet style, there are also some mainly low-rise apartments located on a service road, with some high-rise buildings.
The ski area is called Ponte di Legno-Tonale because Passo Tonale’s own slopes are linked to those of Ponte di Legno, a resort about 12km away by road, but closer by piste down or gondola lift back. Ponte di Legno is a traditional small mountain town with a very different atmosphere than Passo Tonale.
Most lifts ascend from the north side of the road and lead to gentle south-facing slopes, ideal for beginners and gentle cruising. On the west side of the village, on the other side of the valley, there are lifts up to 3,000 meters altitude and the snow-sure slopes of the Presana Glacier.
Ponte di Legno has just under 2,000 year-round inhabitants and a church from the 17th century. The main road bypasses the car-free center and the ponte di legno (wooden bridge) from which the town takes its name.
The ski area of Ponte di Legno is in great contrast to that of Passo Tonale. It’s much lower and the slopes are steeper and mainly tree lined in Adamello Park – it’s a good place to be when it’s snowing and for advanced skiers.
Passo Tonale has a natural ice rink and you can try snowmobiling, dog sledding and snowshoeing. There is a public swimming pool and a separate children’s pool in Ponte di Legno.
On the slopes
The south-facing slopes of Passo Tonale, reached by several chairlifts and a few drag lifts along the way, are where most people staying here spend most of their time. The descents are almost all easy – even those with a red classification – and are best suited for beginners and advanced skiers.
For beginners there is a conveyor belt on the practice slopes and two nice long, easy blue slopes to access – Valbiolo, served by a high-speed chairlift, on the far right of the ski area, looking up the slopes and Tonalina down to the middle station from the gondola back from Passo Tonale’s linked resort Ponte di Legno.
Early and timid intermediates will love the easy red runs, but most are quite short. The tallest reds are on the left as you look up the mountain, served by the Bleis chair and are slightly steeper than the other reds.
Confident intermediates will want to explore further afield – the easy south-facing slopes are very limited in scope. On the west side of the village, on the other side of the valley, a gondola for 15 people, followed by a two-stage gondola for eight people, goes to 3,000 meters altitude and the Presana Glacier. There is a black run from the top of the glacier, there is a blue option halfway through and the last section is black. Due to its north-facing location, good snow can be expected along the entire route.
It is also possible to deviate from the black run to a red run that leads all the way to the Ponte di Legno sector – a very long run of around 10km and a height difference of 1,700 metres. The other option to reach Ponte di Legno is to take a gentle blue piste on the west side of the village, which goes to the middle station of the almost 5 km long gondola that goes back up from Ponte di Legno to Passo Tonale, and then join the red piste to the ski area of Ponte di Legno. Or you can descend with the gondola after the blue slope.
The slopes of Ponte di Legno are lower and more tree lined than those of Passo Tonale, all red and easy black runs, and great fun. This is especially true during snowfall, when the open slopes elsewhere may have poor visibility or whiteout conditions.
But together all sectors of the ski area have only 100 km of slopes. Avid piste-bashers may want to take the courtesy bus for the 45-minute journey to the Marilleva resort during the week, to access the more extensive (150km) and more varied pistes, which connect to Madonna di Campiglio. A day here is included if you pay a supplement for the slightly more expensive Passo Tonale combination ski pass instead of the local one.
For experts there is not much challenge on the slopes. But there are plenty of off-piste and ski tours in the area. The piste map shows three popular off-piste routes, but these are not marked on the mountain, not protected against avalanches and not covered by the resort’s ski patrol.
Most of the main lifts in the Pontedilegno-Tonale area are high-speed chairlifts or gondolas, but there are still a few slow chairlifts. Snow is usually good in Passo Tonale, due to the altitude, and the slopes of Ponte di Legno are mainly shaded, so keep the snow good – the Pontedilegno-Tonale area is extensively covered by snow cannons and the grooming is good.
The ski schools in Passo Tonale have a good reputation and a lot of experience teaching British beginners and advanced skiers.
The Passo Tonale terrain park stretches the length of the high-speed Valena chairlift (700 metres) in the southern part and offers facilities for experienced and novice freestylers, plus a snowcross track.
Who should go?
Snow hunters will be happy to know that Passo Tonale is one of the few Italian resorts that is guaranteed snow from late October to mid-June, thanks to the Presena Glacier at 3,016 metres. That’s why Italian national ski teams train there. That said, the slopes are best suited to beginners. The gentle open slopes that provide a near-perfect nursery for learning first turns and gaining confidence are a treat, without the threat of more experienced slope users zooming creepily past.
Know before you go
Essential information
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British Embassy/Consulate: Via 20 Settembre, 80a, 00187 Roma; 0039 06 4220 0001; government.uk
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Emergency services from mobile phone: call 112
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TOURIST OFFICE: See pontedilegnotonale.com, the website for the Pontedilegno-Tonale area, for piste maps, weather reports, lift status, webcams and local event listings.
The base
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Currency: Euro
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Phone code: from abroad, call 00 39
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Time difference: +1 hour
Local laws and etiquette
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A simple ‘buon giorno’ in the morning or ‘buona sera’ in the afternoon or evening goes a long way. ‘Ciao’ is for friends, family or young people. If someone thanks you by saying “grazie,” it is polite to say “prego” (you’re welcome) in return.
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Italians tip very little; 5% is more than sufficient, and often rounding the bill up to the nearest 5 or 10 euros is sufficient