The Black Five – the five “black” tracks of Kronplatz
Kronplatz is the largest local resort of Dolomiti Superski, with a total of 105 km of pistes. Most of the descents are quite comfortable and are marked in blue on the diagram, however, it will be interesting for both average skiers and experienced experts to ride here: it is unlikely that anyone will refuse to drive long arcs at good speed along an ideally prepared and wide slope. Well, if you want something more serious, then the experts of The Black Five are five Kronplatz black tracks.
First of all, it is of course about two famous slopes – Sylvester and Herrnegg. Both tracks run from the very top of the mountain to the very bottom, finishing at one point near the bottom cable car station in Riscone. The elevation difference of one and the other route is 1300 meters, its length is about five kilometers. However, despite approximately the same characteristics, they are not twins. The Sylvester track has more turns that pass through a picturesque coniferous forest, it is this legendary descent that entered the top 10 best ski slopes in Italy according to readers of SCI magazine.
Herrnegg is more straightforward, its relief is simpler, without a large number of turns and excesses. It’s just awesome here! At the top of the track you can admire breathtaking views of the Pustertal Valley and the city of Bruneck, the capital of the entire region of the northern Dolomites. In the distance, a panorama of the snowy slopes of the Stubai and Zillertal Alps opens up – this is Austria. Some lovers generally ride only here, competing with each other in the number of perfect descents. They say the record belongs to one local guy who went down from Kronplatz 19 times in one day. Just multiplying this result by the length of the track, you can find out that the guy covered a distance of about 100 km in several hours on skis – excluding the ski lift.
In addition to Sylvester and Herrnegg in the Kronplatz region there are several more black tracks. Of course, they are not so long, and are slightly away from the main ski area. Pre da Peres is located near the Fursia Pass and is almost always used by athletes to prepare for competitions. By the new season 2011/2012 the track was expanded, so there is enough space for everyone, including amateurs.
Unlike Pre da Peres, another black slope called Erta is used by athletes for their intended purpose: there are competitions in alpine skiing and snowboarding. Including such prestigious races as the giant slalom of the European Cup. The characteristics of the track just fall within the FIS standards – 1650 meters long with a difference of 418 meters. The track is located above the very pretty town of San Vigilio di Marebbe and the European Cup stage is held here regularly, in mid-December. At different times, traces of skis were left by such famous athletes as the world champion, Austrian Manfred Pranger, Finn Calle Palander, Italians Giorgio Rocca and Manfred Mölgg, who, incidentally, hails from San Vigilio, just like his sister, the equally famous skier Manuela Mölgg .
If the Erta track has its own “red” understudy, then the “black” Pikulin descent, which is located on the other side of the Piz de Plaes peak, is the only one on which you can go down to the stop of the free ski bass. Therefore, if you want to go further from the Kronplatz region, in the direction of Alta Badia, and while not skiing confidently enough, it is better to go down in the cabin of the lift. Of course, a fall on Piculin will not lead to serious consequences, but you will earn bruises decently when you overcome a significant part of the two-kilometer descent on a very hard surface on your own “fifth point”.
