Val Senales Glacier (Schnalstaler Gletscher)

Season length is the first thing people rate: the glacier runs from September to May, second in Italy only to Cervinia. The second selling point is emptiness - queues are rare and you can ski in near silence with the South Tyrolean panorama in front of you. Pistes of every grade drop from the Hochjochferner down to Kurzras. Families appreciate the magic carpet and the toboggan run, while modern chairs with weather hoods carry skiers up to Teufelsegg at 3,034 metres.

The cost of the lift pass attracts the sharpest criticism, described outright as excessive next to the big Trentino areas. Wind is the next problem: it can blow hard enough to shut the lifts, and opening hours get changed at very short notice. Light is the third - the shape of the valley and the altitude mean sunny days are scarce and the sky is often closed in. On the glacier itself, long pommel lifts are still in service.