A Kosher Ski Vacation: The Guide for the Shabbat- and Kashrut-Observant Family
What Shabbat looks like at a ski resort, how we solve kashrut from breakfast all the way to the mountain, kids, minyan, equipment, insurance and when to travel. What we've learned from running kosher vacations in the Dolomites, without sugarcoating.
A kosher ski vacation is one where the lodging, all the meals, the three Shabbat meals and the minyan are all found in a kosher hotel inside the ski resort — not something you "make do with." In Europe there are almost no ski resorts with a hotel like this. In the Dolomites there is one: MY KOSHER HOTEL in Alba di Canazei, the only kosher hotel in the Val di Fassa valley, and from there you head out to the Dolomiti Superski ski area. Here's what people ask before they book, with the answers.
In short:
- Shabbat: minyan, meals and a Shabbat elevator at the hotel, and one day without skiing.
- Kashrut: a glatt mehadrin kitchen with a mashgiach at the hotel, and lunch goes out with you to the mountain.
- Kids: group lessons from age five, intro from age three.
- Equipment: rent at the resort, arrive with clothing.
- Insurance: a winter-sports extension is mandatory.
- When: January and February for snow, March for sun.
How do you keep Shabbat at a ski resort?
A synagogue at the hotel with regular minyanim, three full Shabbat meals, a Shabbat elevator and mechanical room keys, a mikveh at the hotel, and a flat path along the river between Alba and Canazei for an afternoon stroll. Shabbat is part of the plan, not a problem.
And what do you do on Shabbat without skiing? The first time it sounds like a wasted day. In practice it's the day families remember: a walk through the snowy village, a nap, a lesson, afternoon rest, seudah shlishit facing the mountains. Those who come for a week get five days of skiing and one day when no one is rushing anywhere.
Is there kosher food at ski resorts in the Alps?
Almost none. Val di Fassa is a huge tourist region, and when it comes to kashrut it's empty: no kosher restaurants, no kosher shops, and the mountain huts where everyone eats lunch are all non-kosher. Anyone who tries to manage on their own discovers this on day one.
That's why the only question that matters is where you sleep. At MY KOSHER HOTEL the kitchen and bakery operate glatt mehadrin with a dedicated mashgiach, chalav Yisrael, pat Yisrael and bishul Yisrael. A full breakfast before you head out, and at the end of it you make yourself sandwiches from the buffet and take them to the mountain (this is part of the package). Coffee and cake at the hotel in the afternoon, a hot dinner in the evening. A ski day is six hours outdoors, and going down to the village at midday means giving up half a day. With us it's simply in the bag. The full details are in kosher food in the Dolomites.
Minyan
A synagogue at the hotel with a women's section, and a minyan every day: Shacharit before heading out to the slopes, Mincha and Maariv in the evening. Anyone considering going independently to a ski resort should check whether there's an active community there in season. At most ski resorts in the Alps, there isn't.
Kids
The Canazei ski school accepts children for group lessons from age five, and from age three for a playful intro course in the snow. Below that: sleds, snow, and the ski school's Kinderland in the center of Canazei.
What really happens: a six-year-old doesn't ski on day one. They learn to stand, to fall and to get up. By the third or fourth day they're coming down a blue run on their own. It's worth knowing the pace in advance so you're not disappointed.
During Chanukah week we run a baby club, ski lessons in Hebrew and a youth club, and that's what lets parents have both a morning on the mountain and a quiet evening (Chanukah week). In the other weeks there's babysitting at the hotel on request. And one thing parents forget: kids get cold faster and complain less. Mitten gloves and a thermal layer matter more for them than for you.
Equipment and lessons
For the first time, you rent everything at the resort: skis, boots, helmet. From home you bring a thermal layer, good gloves, ski socks and ski goggles. The full list is in what to buy and what to rent.
Those who learn properly in the first two days enjoy it for life; those who try to learn from a friend spend the week falling. The Canazei ski school, operating since 1956, teaches in English (and also in Italian, German and Russian), and during Chanukah week we have lessons in Hebrew. Groups start on Sunday or Monday and you can't join after the second day, so lock in your lessons before the trip. Tell us at registration who's learning.
Insurance
Regular travel insurance doesn't cover skiing. You need a winter-sports extension, and it should ideally include mountain evacuation. Details and a discount on the travel insurance page.
When is the best time to go skiing?
- December: the start of the season. Less crowded, thinner snow in the lower sections, and the shortest days of the year.
- January and February: the heart of the season. The best snow, the most serious cold, and in February also the busiest.
- March and early April: sun, long days, spring snow that's pleasant in the morning and heavy in the afternoon.
What the snow is like now, and what a week you're considering usually looks like: the Canazei snow report.
How to choose a ski resort for a kosher vacation
Four questions: Is there a kosher hotel there, or do you have to make do? (This is the deciding question; at a resort without a kosher kitchen there's no solution, only how much inconvenience you're willing to absorb.) What's the resort's altitude? How big is the ski area? And how far from the airport? From Venice to Alba di Canazei the bus takes about two and a half to three hours. The comparison of all the options in Europe is in the guide to kosher skiing in Europe.
And what about us
Har Tayarut runs kosher ski vacations in the Dolomites every week from early December to early April, at MY KOSHER HOTEL in Alba di Canazei, a permanently kosher 4-star hotel inside the ski area, with flights, transfers, ski pass and a Hebrew-speaking team in one package. The same principle works for us in the week before Pesach at La Plagne, where the whole hotel is ours, and in Sunday-to-Thursday packages at Gudauri, with no Shabbat abroad. Dates and registration are on the ski vacation page.
Not sure whether it suits your family, at your ages and levels? Talk to us — it's the conversation we have most often.
Where is there kosher skiing in Europe?
Very few places. In the Dolomites there's a permanently kosher hotel inside the ski resort, MY KOSHER HOTEL in Alba di Canazei, and that's where Har Tayarut's ski vacations run every week in season. In the week before Pesach we take over an entire hotel at La Plagne in France, and in Sunday-to-Thursday packages we travel to Gudauri in Georgia.
How many ski days are there in a week with Shabbat?
Five. The ski pass in the package is for five days, and Shabbat is a full rest day at the hotel: minyan, meals, a walk and rest.
Can you go on a kosher ski vacation without knowing how to ski?
Yes, and that's the majority. Most people who come to us for the first time have never stood on skis. A lesson in the first two days is the difference between an enjoyable week and a week of falling.
Live webcams from the resort
All magazine posts · To the kosher ski vacation · To the kosher summer vacation · Har Tayarut