Olympics tourists can explore Dolomites with Uber service
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy—For one month starting on Saturday, Olympics spectators keen for a side trip to a Unesco World Heritage Site can use Uber to reserve a ride on a snowmobile along the snow-covered road to the base of the Three Peaks of Lavaredo.
The dramatic, jagged limestone pinnacles stand just 23 kilometers from the Cortina venues where athletes are competing in the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics.
One of the Olympic torchbearers, Giulia Baffetti, runs snowmobiling tours through Cortina-based winter activities outfit Snowdreamers. The company partnered with Uber, the official ride-hailing sponsor for the Games, to offer free tours on weekends in February.
Prime spot
The Three Peaks are a magical place, Baffetti said, and this is a way for more people to experience it.
Hikers and climbers flock there in the warmer months. In the winter, it’s a prime spot for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and sledding.
“We want to give an experience to the tourists, so they can feel the mountains in a different way,” she said.
Adrenaline-filled ride
The adrenaline-filled ride reaches speeds up to 40 kph when zooming past snow-covered trees, and drivers are instructed to slow when coming upon cross-country skiers and sledders. Deer and wolves are sometimes seen along the 7-km route up to the base of the peaks.
Also visible on Thursday was the southernmost of the three Lavaredo peaks, rising sharply out of the fog. While the Dolomites are breathtaking from Cortina—and on Friday, the sun shone and the view was clear from town—they are even more impressive up close.
