DOLOMITES 2

We had decided to go to the top of the mountain on the Gondola and ski down, even though we could not tell what the skiing would be like. It was a little icy in front of the hotel as we put on our skis and took off down to the Gondola. Once aboard we went up and up..looking out we could see the wind was whipping the snow along the ridges and crests and even the gondola was rocking...(gulp)..and when we got to the top, we saw it was just a midway station....onto another gondola to the next top and amazingly even a third before we got to the very top of the Dolomites..highest point in the range (the Marmolade), and as we stepped off, the wind and steepness was amazing..as you can see in the first photo, the skiers were somewhat hesitant to take off down the run...Somehow we made it, steep though it was; the snow was forgiving and the winds lessened while we made our way down the glacier. The second photo may give you a feeling of th slope and the beauty...and in the third photo, we stopped to take a rest nearer to the bottom at one of the wonderful little restaurants in the sun...The trip coul not have been better timed, with good snow, blue skies and clear (little, winding,steep)roads from the Autobahn into the mountains. We had been here in the summer and had been blown away....now we see the win