For one month, Olympics spectators in Cortina, Italy 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 23km 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 the weekends in February to people in town.
“Uber Snowmobile” tours, which can only be booked through Uber, include a ride in an Uber transfer bus for up to eight people from Cortina to the spot where riders mount their snowmobiles for departure. Tourists then follow the instructor, who leads the line of snowmobiles.
The first slots offered went fast, and Uber spokesperson Caspar Nixon said recently that it planned to add more.
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.
Snowmobiling is allowed in a limited area in order to protect the environment.
“We want to give an experience to the tourists, so they can feel the mountains in a different way,” she said.
The Associated Press took the one-hour tour recently, along with one other person.
Helmets are essential, while heated handgrips are a most welcome feature.
And that red button?
Passengers can push it to stop the snowmobile if it veers off course or they feel unsafe.
The adrenaline-filled ride reaches speeds up to 40kmph when zooming past snow- covered trees, and drivers are instructed to slow down when coming upon cross-country skiers and sledders.
Deer and wolves are sometimes seen along the 7km route up to the base of the peaks.
Also visible during the test run was the southernmost of the three Lavaredo peaks, rising sharply out of the fog.
While the Dolomites are breathtaking from Cortina, they are even more impressive up close.
The route back includes a short loop around Lake Antorno. Before traversing all the ups and downs, the snowmobile instructor leading the tour offers a reminder about that red button.
Saher Deeb, a tourist, was along for the ride, one day after his 29th birthday. It was his first time on a snowmobile, and he was all smiles as he climbed off at the end.
“It was perfect,” he said. – AP
