More about The Renon (Ritten), the area and the snow-kiting spots
Renon (Ritten) and Alpe di Siusi in the Dolomites is one of the most picturesque areas of the mountains. It is also one of the best spots to snow-kite in the Italy. When? Where? How? On the sunny side of the Sarentino Alps lies the Renon Plateau, where we will do most of the snow-kiting. "The Renon", that's a total of 14 hamlets and villages and is close by the provincial capital of Bolzano. There is a cable car which connects the village with Soprabolzano, where the city life, the bars, the museums and shopping malls are. The first hamlet along the mountain road is Auna di Sotto, then it continues uphill to Collalbo, where the Ritten Arena is located, an ice rink and event location
After that the road splits in two, the left side goes to Auna di Sopra and Vanga, straight on to the Corno del Renon Cable Car, to the right the road goes to Longomoso and Longostagno. At the entrance of the Sarentino Valley is Castel Novale with the Bolzano ice rink nearby. On the other side, towards the Valle Isarco, there's the hamlet of Campodazzo. Several of those hamlets are connected by the Renon Railway, a historic narrow-gauge railway.
WHERE TO SNOW-KITE? AT WHAT WIND CONDITIONS/DIRECTION?
Main snow-kiting spot – Renon (Ritten) Plateau
We can reach the plateau with a cable car and a ski lift, at the cost of €16 each way. The gondola is about 10 min drive from the camp, so get ready for an early and a quick start!
The area works with every wind direction except with winds form the East.
We can confidently say that this is the best and biggest mountain plateau in the Dolomites and is kite-abele by beginners and pro-kiters alike.
Wind range - 8 to 30knots.
Renon is a back country spot with flats and hills. The plateau extends till
Alpe di Villandro, which is another nice spot to kite from 2000 to 2250 m above the sea level.
There is a restaurant and a small local Hut to eat at the spot.
Here is a short video we took to show the area of the Renon Plateau which works with south, north and west winds.
Alternative snow-kiting spot - Alpe di Siusi
The spot is easily accessible by car, although a ski pass of about €30 will be needed.
This spot works with North , North-West or West winds directions. This is incredibly panoramic spot in our area, and it starts in front of the Skis lopes with a big flat area, then reaches the hills and the mountains at 1900 and 2400 m, respectively. The area is kite-able at winds from 8 to 25 kts. There are numerous restaurants where we can stop and have lunch.
WHEN TO SNOW-KITE?
Arguably, the most windy month of the year is February, although one can on the plateau's as soon as they are covered in snow.
What else to do near Renon (Ritten)?
You can visit the mighty Renon Earth Pyramids and the Beekeeping Museum. Horse riding and swimming, llama trekking and archery, cycling and sledging, ice skating and skiing are also activities you can do in your free time.
