JEWISH SENTINEL

24 JEWISH WORLD • NOVEMBER 12 - 18, 2021 area, covering some 380 kilome- ters of slopes linked by 150 lifts. With a single ski pass called the Superskirama Dolomiti, you can choose between eight different ski areas, including the popular Ma- donna di Campiglio (this winter, an adult four-day pass will run you $260). You also have the option to buy a lower-priced ticket and stick to just one or several of the moun- tains, four of which are contiguous. Surrounded by two national parks, Stelvio and Adamello Bren- ta, the area is a paradise not just for skiing, but also for hiking and sum- mer sports. On the February day when we arrived, the temperature was in the 50s in Pinzolo and the ground was bare, but as we ascend- ed the gondola from town snow be- gan to appear on the slopes. During snowy winters or after storms, it’s possible to ski all the way down to Pinzolo, elevation 2,600 feet. With a top elevation of 8,530 feet on Madonna di Campi- glio, the area has a whopping 5,400 feet of vertical skiing. Not that it’s easy to ski top to bottom. In Europe, ski areas aren’t orga- nized as U.S. resorts are. For one thing, the ski areas developed or- ganically, with separate villages putting up their own lifts gradu- ally over the course of decades, and more recently linking them. That means that traversing from one area to another on skis is pos- sible, but not necessarily recom- mended because of the amount of time you’ll spend on conveyances or flats. Italian ski areas also dif- fer from U.S. resorts in that the lodging, equipment rentals, and ski schools are all operated by differ- By URIEL HEILMAN M an plans and God laughs.. This Yiddish apho- rism was the farthest thing from my mind two years ago when I planned our family’s first-ever Eu- ropean ski vacation. We were newly based in Isra- el, and I was excited about taking advantage of our proximity to Eu- rope and low-cost flights there to take my family on an unforgettable European ski adventure. I spent weeks researching and planning, creating a spreadsheet to assess different options based on ski area size, travel time, cost, and day-care options for my youngest, still in diapers then. I finally settled on Italy’s Cam- piglio Dolomiti di Brenta. Located amid some of Europe’s most pictur- es that wouldn’t break the bank. Our anticipation grew as the trip neared, and when we boarded our low-cost flight to Milan in late February 2020 (about $725 total for our family of six), I couldn’t wait to hit the slopes. Upon alight- ing, I took a family photo that we esque mountains, this ski area in the Italian Dolomites had the advan- tages of being a manageable three- hour drive from Milan; big enough to keep me interested but also man- ageable for my wife and children; adjacent to decent Airbnb options; and with day-care and ski pass pric- shared on our extended family’s WhatsApp group chat. When we landed, I expected to see their en- vious reactions in my feed. Instead, my brothers had posted links to news alerts warning that Italy suddenly had become the site of Europe’s first major coronavirus outbreak, with some 100 cases. Instantly, our once-in-a-lifetime ski vacation was transformed. As we waited in a crowded line for passport control, I eyed my fel- low passengers nervously, shifting my kids out of the way whenever someone coughed or sneezed. Yet when we finally arrived at our Airbnb late that night in the Italian mountain town of Pinzolo, my concerns about COVID-19 — which had been in the headlines in recent weeks but to which I hadn’t paid much more than passing atten- tion — faded into the background. We woke up the next morning to find ourselves surrounded by jag- ged peaks in a quaint Italian moun- tain village. Except for the massive ski area somewhere above us, it appeared to have little in common with the Colorado ski towns I’d visited out West or the Vermont villages I had grown up with on ski trips in New England. W e rented our ski gear and headed up the town gon- dola to the base of the mountain, where we deposited our youngest in daycare and our 5-year-old in ski school before making our way with our two older kids to explore the mountain. Pinzolo is part of a network of mountains and towns that together comprise Italy’s second-largest ski On The Eve Of COVID … An outbreak of skiing in Italy’s Dolomite Mountains In line for passport control, I eyed my fellow passengers nervously, shifting my kids out of the way after a cough or sneeze. The author’s two older kids on the slopes in Pinzolo, in Italy’s Dolomite mountains. The ski school crush on the mountain in Pinzolo, Italy. FIRST-PERSON EEDS A NEW KIDNEY MONDAY SEPT 13TH, 2021 8:00 PM EST LEARN MORE ABOUT KIDNEY DONATION Help Stewart Ain Write His Next Story HE NEEDS A NEW KIDNEY Doners do not need to take medication nor are they restricted with their diet. Living kidney donation is performed laparoscopically with minimal scarring. Donors usually return to their normal lifestyle within 2-4 weeks post -transplant, with Renewal available to cover lost wages. 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