Deep in the Dolomites

Alex Schenk is head guide and ski instructor at COMO Alpina Dolomites. Writer Clara Jenner speaks to Shenk about the enduring magic of life in the Italian mountains.

“As humans, we’re not as important as we might think; the mountains make you realise we are small”, says Alex Schenk. It’s early evening in the Dolomites and he’s just returned from a day’s guiding in the Alpe di Siusi — Europe’s largest high alpine meadow and a UNESCO World Heritage site. “The natural beauty is staggering here”, Schenk says; something that still gives him pause even after a lifetime spent living in these mountains. 

He grew up in Castelrotto, a small town around 10 kilometres’ drive from COMO Alpina Dolomites. Shenk describes a traditional upbringing on a picture-perfect Alpine farmstead. Life in the mountains was “a child’s dream: I’d get home from school, shove my bag in a corner, then get outdoors”. Schenk reckons he was around three years old the first time his parents put him on skis. After a shaky start (“I’m pretty sure I cried so much at three that they didn’t get me started properly until I was six”), he found his feet, quickly advancing to skiing competitively worldwide. “Racing was an amazing experience for me: you learn how to win, how to lose, how to share emotions, how to be tough and brave when things don’t go your way.” At 18 years old, Schenk took his ski instructor tests and began teaching each winter. He enjoyed it so much he decided to pursue a career in the mountains full-time — skiing in winter, guiding in summer. For him, the lessons these mountains teach him never stop: “peace, freedom, grounding, respect for nature”. He finds the landscape’s appeal enduring too, the “gentle hills backed by very steep impressive mountains”.

Working with guests at COMO Alpina Dolomites is a vocation as much as a job. “It’s endlessly varied, because of the huge swings that come with the seasons”, Schenk says. In winter, he might spend a day skiing with guests along his favourite route: a descent of Lagazuoi — around eight kilometres-long, past frozen waterfalls and tiny mountain huts. “At the very end, it’s very flat but they have horses waiting — if you choose, you can hold onto a rope and be pulled along on your skis by the horses. It’s amazing!” Schenk advocates for an early start —  “there’s something special about being the first skier on a freshly groomed slope.” He likes to take people to the quietest lifts and runs before a leisurely lunch. His best advice for skiers? “Be honest with yourself. How are you really feeling? Taking a step back and taking a gentler route can be a lot of fun, which is the whole point of skiing.” For Schenk, the heart of good skiing comes from “forgetting your instincts: it’s a counterintuitive sport — leaning forwards when your brain is screaming at you to lean back and so on.” After a long day, he recommends that guests take advantage of the wellness facilities at COMO Shambhala: “skiing requires a good balance between stretching and building pmuscle — massages are fantastic for releasing everything again.”

Schenk enjoys working with non-skiers too, with opportunities for snowshoe hiking, ice climbing, snow biking, helicopter sightseeing, and plenty of stops for food and drink After the day ends and guests are back at the resort, he will often hike up the mountain with his skis for a final sunset run through the powder. “It’s as close to poetry as I come”, he jokes.

Spring is Schenk's  favourite season, or more specifically “the time between the end of winter and the beginning of spring,” because he can ski in the morning then leap into a just-defrosted lake in the afternoon. “You might be surprised by how many of our guests are willing to jump into a glacial lake in April”, he says: “must be the endorphins.” This is also the season when hiking and biking start up again. By summer, the Alpe di Siusi is carpeted in herbs and flowers. “I see it all as medicine”, says Schenk, whose father taught him as a child which blooms will help muscle pain, or help ease bee stings: “I like to see what nature gives us, and how we can use it.” A summer day with guests might include e-biking across the Alpe di Siusi then taking a two-hour hike up to a glacial lake — ”super beautiful, very clear” — for a swim, before having lunch. A slow descent followed by an “easy roll” by e-bike back to the resort is an ideal finish. For adventure-seekers, Schenk recommends tandem paragliding, or trying regular mountain biking (one of his greatest passions). 

In Schenk's opinion, although COMO Alpina Dolomites has year-round appeal, June and July are the best months for introducing children to the mountains. “There are flowers everywhere and we do these brilliant treasure hunts along hiking paths to keep kids engaged.” It can be educational too — Schenk explains how the area around the Alpe di Siusi is punctuated by hidden tunnels, a legacy of the First World War. For him, it’s a reminder that “the world happens everywhere, even here”. By autumn, the mountains are carpeted in edible wild blueberries. You might even get a peppering of snowfall before winter starts and the seasonal cycle begins anew.  Watching the seasons turn as guests come and go — and return again — is “a wonderful thing”, Schenk says. “Guiding is about showing people your emotional link with a place through experiences that give them the same feeling. When you see people enjoy themselves, it’s the best payback.”

As Schenk readies himself to leave for his evening’s activity — a toboggan run down the slope next to the resort — he pauses: “these mountains are home” he says, “it doesn’t matter where I go, they always draw me back again.”

For more information about ski instruction or guiding at COMO Alpina Dolomites, or to book a stay, please contact our concierge team.