Ski Mountaineering in the Appennines

I have the good fortune to live close to the Appennine mountains. In little over an hour I can get from my house to a ski resort or mountain village and then depending on the season I just have to put on my touring skis, lace up my running shoes or mount my sturdy mountain bike and I can be off on another adventure. On Saturday morning I didn’t have much time since I knew my loving wife wouldn’t be very loving if I spent the whole day away. So I left the house early with my skiing gear and by 08.30 I was in the car-park of the local ski resort where we had held a night time race just one week ago. A quick change into a ski race suit, on with the boots and the climbing skins on the bottom of my skis. My i-pod blasting Pearl Jam into my ears and away I went up the piste. The weather was beautiful, sunny but cold. It had snowed for two days previously so the trees were coated with pristine white icing. Humming away, happy to be in my element I made my way up one of the side pistes without meeting a single skier. Only when I got near the top and in sight of the chair lift did I see anyone else, but this early in the morning there were really very few people. It’s a beautiful day as you can see.

As I reached the top I decided to make a change in my original plans of travesing along the ridge and instead to descend straight down under the chair lift. I asked a couple of guys coming off the lift what the decent looked like down there. They looked at me strange and said.” That’s off-piste.
“Duh, yeah that’s the idea dude”.
“Oh, well it looks like just one snowboard has been down there this morning”.
Great I’m thinking, all that fresh snow and just one snowboard before me. Thirty seconds later I’m carving my way through this white paradise. The snow is a bit heavier than I was expecting but with bit more effort I’m able to curve down the steep descent, avoiding the pilons and bombing a few small jumps. A number of people on the chairs going up look at me as if I’m mad. What do they know. I’m having fun. It finshes all too soon and I’m down at the chair entry. Back on with the skins and I’m soon going up again. Breathing hard, pushing my body upwards. I find myself smiling to myself – it just feels so good to be working hard on these white slopes. I’m soon back up on the ridgeline and I can’t resist taking this photo. You can see the ridgeline extend up to the antenna where I am now headed.

Ten minutes later I reach the antenna. Off with the skins, close the boots and down the forest path . I curve right on to the forest piste and just let my skis rip. A few minutes later I’ve reached the bottom. Back on with the skins, loosen the boots, change the music from Pearl Jam to Blink 182 and I’m ready for the steepness of this new climb. There’s another guy climbing up the piste on the other side but I pass him and quickly leave him behind. The climb is steep enough to warrant using the heel raisers but not so steep as to cause me any problems. Twenty minutes later I’m back at the top and even manage a little run for the last thirty meters.
Off with the skins and back down the same piste that I just climbed.
I’m running out of time so this time I start traversing back towards the parking area before climbing up again. This last climb is the steepest of all of them and I’m beginning to tire. Nevertheless I push myself hard and I’m soon back at the top. One last photo of this beautiful frosted tree and I race back down to the car.

A beautiful morning. One thousand meters of climbing, probably about 10km covered, but above all a great training session in an amazing place.