Spot on White Deer – San Lorenzo Mountain Lodge

Spot on White Deer – San Lorenzo Mountain Lodge

This past long weekend I was lucky enough to visit Sudtirol and four of its resorts: Kronplatz, Alta Badia, Val Gardena and Alpe di Siusi. It was a bit like a marathon, or a ski-safari, with a chance to see a bit of all the things Sudtirol has to offer.

The first night we were there, we went out of town of Brunico, into the mountains, to visit the San Lorenzo Mountain Lodge.

This specific lodge of the  San Lorenzo Mountain Lodges, called White Deer, is one of the three properties of Stefano and Georgia Barbini. It is located high up the mountain, in the Val Pusteria, over the towns of Brunico and S. Lorenzo di Sebato and near the big mountain that looks like a Panetone punched in the middle that is Kronplatz ski resort (or Plan de Corones, as is called in Italian).

The house is an old lodge that has been refurbished in an authentic way, with four bedrooms, three doubles and one bunk bed rooms for 4 – all lovingly decorated with lots of beautiful details. The front of the house is as it used to be when it was built in the 1600.

The Barbinis come from the world of haute-couture fashion. Georgia was the granddaughter of Gaetano Savini, the founder of the well-known Brioni fashion label for men. Georgia was also the owner of the Escada flagship store in Rome and the managing retail director of Escada Italia. Stefano Barbini, her husband, was Escada’s CEO in Italy and France, as well as the executive head of marketing for international brands such as Alberta Ferretti, Moschino, Jean Paul Gaultier and Ozbek. At a certain point both decided that this life was not compatible with family life, so they made a bold decision while visiting the Val Pusteria. It was then when they’ve found this house at 1200 meters above sea level and felt in love with it. They moved and enrolled their three kids in school in San Lorenzo di Sebato and became absorbed in renovating this old hunting lodge.

They decided to start offering to discerning clients. The lodge can be booked entirely, they do not book it by the room, and Stefano and Georgia take care of the clients. Georgia is an excellent cook and does all the cooking. Stefano is a character larger than life. He can talk of everything and anything, really enchanting, so is Georgia.

We’ve visited for aperitivo and dinner – I would have loved to stay over to be honest! The aperitivo was done in the downstairs cellar – accessed through the outdoors – It has a collection of the finest wines of Italy and we’ve tasted lovely Parmigiano and Speck plus some lovely sparkling wine from Sudtirol – cannot be called champagne as it is not from the Champagne but is done by the same Champenoise method and was excellent.

We’ve seen the start of the golf course, designed by Ron Kirby and endorsed by Jack Nicklaus- definitely not for the faint-hearted. I am sure that you can just have fun picking up lost balls. The first tee starts up high with a drop of 15 meters to the fairway! The views in an open day must be magnificent!

The outside pool overlooks the valley and is an excellent place to finish your day. Or if not inside the house there is a small spa, with a whirlpool and a sauna. The lovely aroma of natural oils and vapours and scents will allow you to relax and forget of the day to day crazy world at home.

The rooms are connected with a nice living room with an open fire that invites you to relax. Downstairs in the Stube, where we’ve eaten, there is a lovely old stove, that used to be the only thing to heat the house when it was built. The stove has a bed on top – this is where kids would sleep beforehand as it was warm – maybe now it would be too unbearable to be up there. But in the heyday, people would stay in these ‘Stubes’ and heat only this room during the winter.

The-Ski-Guru TRAVEL can arrange a stay at the San Lorenzo Lodge on its own or as part of a ski safari- you can stay three nights there, go one day skiing to Kronplatz and then heliskiing the second day – to be combined later with Alta Badia and Cortina or San Martino di Castrozza with different rifugios. For a personalised quote please contact The-Ski-Guru TRAVEL at info@the-ski-guru.com, call +44 750 838 2781 or fill up a form with what you are looking for at  https://www.the-ski-guru.com/travel

Check our February offer for Zermatt staying at the Chalet Zen or Penthouse Zen, our amazing Ski Safari in the Dolomites and our Easter offer to Obergurgl-Hochgurgl and Sölden to ski with your family.

You can start thinking about your trip, by reading the articles on the Planning your Ski Trip tab.  Or how to pack for your family ski trip.  If taking your furry friend abroad to the continent, read about the new Pet Travel Scheme update from DEFRA. Check out our tips for driving to the mountains.  If flying and renting a car in Europe, beware of the extra charges they will pass to you if you want winter tyres, snow chains or ski racks. If driving, check the winter tyres news for Europe and North America.

Or you can read our last news on equipment as seen at the London Ski Show. Also, the new range of skis of Black Crows, one of our favourite brands. Shred-Dog is a definitely favourite brand for parents of growing kids. And check the new Mohawk helmet with augmented reality.

We have already covered many news due to this latest spat of snow storms in Europe, as the hotel that was hit by an avalanche of 300 meters of width in Eastern Switzerland. In the same place, a couple days later, a second avalanche affected the structure of the Säntis Suspension Railway. And two ski patrollers got killed setting avalanche control charges in the French resort of Morillon in the Grand Massif. Also two workers died in Jammu in the Gulmarg in India, when they’ve fallen from a cable car during a mock rescue drill.

Lots of snow makes you wonder how the resorts deal with the avalanche danger. Here you can read the interview to Coco Torres, former Head of Operations of Las Leñas, in Argentina, as how they dealt with avalanches at the resort. 

Or perhaps you may choose to read the Ski Resort News, Ski Passes News, and the Must-Read Guides to Lech,  Zermatt,  Courmayeur, Val di Fiemme and Crans-Montana. Coming soon will be the guide to St Anton. Or  watch an amazing heli flight over the Mont Blanc Massif. Also see tips on how not to be scammed when booking a ski chalet.

You can also read what’s new at Les Trois Vallées and the last article on what is new at the Tirol ski areas, in Les 2 Alpes,  in Cervinia, in La Plagne, in 3 Zinnen Dolomites ,  in Adelboden, Lenk and Kandertal, in Gstaad, in Chamonix,  in Georgia’s Gudauri Resort and in the Skicircus Saalbach Hinterglemm Leogang Fieberbrunn. And how the US Ski Team has chosen Alpe Cimbra to train for the following four ski seasons as their European home.  Here is the link to our post on the My Voucher Codes ranking of best European Ski Resorts.  

Crested Butte will have a new chairlift to replace Teocalli lift for the 2019/20 ski season. Jay Peak is officially for sale.

You can plan where to eat in Aspen Snowmass or which events to attend on-mountain while there.  And Cortina D’Ampezzo is getting ready for this winter and the 2021 World Ski Championships. 

Another classic resort, such as St Moritz has been in the news for its famous Cresta Run be opened again for women after a 89 years ban.

Also, you can read how Grandvalira will be staying together as one lift ticket company and how they are adding Ordino Arcalis to  this offer. Grandvalira is opening now all of its six sectors.  And also read how someone tried to sabotage some lifts in Vallnord’s Pal Arinsal. And as if it is starting to be a trend, there were two lifts sabotaged in Passo Rolle, in Val di Fiemme, Trentino. Fortunately they were repaired in record time to open to the public. It seems also that the deadly fire in a Courchevel employee housing building was arson.

Also, Mt Hood Meadows was forced to evacuate one lift with 150 skiers and boarders due to a power failure. And the same was the case in a lift with 140 skiers/boarders in Whitefish, Montana. A last one to report was now in Stowe, VT, with more than 150 stuck skiers and boarders that have to wait up to two and a half hours to offload. Recently a British skier was killed after suffering a cardiac arrest on a chairlift falling 32 feet to the ground in Méribel resort in Les Trois Vallées. You can see our recent article on how avalanches claimed two lives in Switzerland the past week. And read more what is the real risk of avalanches. Three Germans have been killed by an avalanche near Lech and a fourth is missing. Two were caught in an inbounds avalanche near Kachina Peak in Taos and taken to hospital. 7 were killed as a helicopter and a light aircraft crashed over the Ruitor Glacier near la Thuile in the Italian Alps. Two were killed by an avalanche in St Christoph-en-Oisans in the French Alps.

Or read about the latest investments in Whistler Blackcomb. Or see how Taos is going against the industry trend, and instead of merging with the two biggest oligopolies in skiing at the moment, it goes and buys an airline to get more bums in resort. Or how Jackson Hole is appealing to families and beginners – it is not only a resort for expert skiers anymore. Another great area for families is Stubaital in the Tirol. And a new coming ski area that got funding for its first lift is Skeetawk in Alaska.  Courmayeur is opening this season two new trails, one that is 70% steep – not for the faint-hearted! Or read how a group of experienced industry insiders got together to purchase Tamarack Resort. And how Peak Resorts finalised the acquisition of the resorts of Snow Time. You can also check how Vermont’s ski passes are the most expensive in New England. And talking about Vermont, you can read on how Killington is planning to change its North Ridge triple chair with a fixed-gripped quad.

Also read how one employee of Aspen Ski Co got caught in an avalanche but got out unscathed while scouting terrain for the Aspen Mountain Powder Tours. Or how the a gondola of the new American Eagle lift from Copper Mountain crashed into the snow in a trial run. The resort confirmed that the chondola will be fixed before it’s opening day. Plus this week, some gondolas got tangled in Hochzillertal. And there was a gas explosion at the Grand Hotel Zermatterhof that injured six, before its opening date.

You can keep up to date on how are the sales for the EPIC and IKON passes are doing here. Read how Emma, the first Digital Mountain Assistant, is launched in Keystone now and will be rolled to eight other resorts this season.  Breckenridge and Keystone are one of the resorts with the longest ski season in the United States. And even read about the new incorporation to the IKON Pass: Valle Nevado. Here is also a post on the South American resorts.  

Or you can see the inspiring story of the “Cholitas” – the indigenous Aymara ladies who are attempting to climb the highest peak of the Americas – the Aconcagua at 6,962 meters/22,840 feet.

Also, Rob Katz and his wife Elana Amsterdam donated 2 million USD in grants to support mental and behavioural health programs in ski towns of North America. And see how Aspen Skiing Company released its sustainability report 2018.   And also check Aspen’s Give a Flakecampaign. The Audi Power of Four Mountaineering Race is coming back to Aspen. And the ’12 hours Head NonStop’ is going back to Sierra Nevada.

And here is a summary of a report by LISTEX on the State of the UK Snowsports Market. The US had it first National Learn to Ski and Snowboard Day with 6,200 lessons given.

And what Switzerland could look by 2060 due to climate change.

Or check out how now with the EPIC Pass you can ski in Europe, specifically in Les Trois Vallées and the resorts of Skirama Dolomiti in Trentino’s Italy. Or see our review of L’Héliopic Hotel Sweet & Spa if thinking in staying in Chamonix this winter. Or check out the new Snowpine Lodge in Alta, Utah opening late January 2019. And for those that thought that skiing in Whistler was only for the rich and famous, now the new Pangea Pod Hotel offers them a chance to stay in the cheap in the new cool hotel in the middle of Whistler Village. Those going this season to Avoriaz and wanting to be by the slopes, can stay in the pop-up Flying Nest hotel.

Featured Image: The entrance to the San Lorenzo Lodge – White Deer- Photo: The-Ski-Guru. Spot on White Deer – San Lorenzo Mountain Lodge.