Lake Martignano - MTB roundtrip

Here are a few pics from the trip around this beautiful small lake close to Rome. Again I used Paola & Gino's site (Itinerario 24) in order to get the details (map, gps track and other useful infos).
































And finally the lake's beach..

More infos about the lake can be found here:

http://www.lagodimartignano.org/

Bye

Veio's Park - MTB

Last sunday I decided it was time to have a better look at Veio's Park which is very close from my home. So I called up a friend, got the bike ready and I met the guy at Isola Farnese.

Here is the the tour:


We were able to follow the tour thanks to the GPS and the track downloaded from this site.
Beside the fact that this was the first biking session for this season so I had a fair share of trouble finishing the tour (actually less then 35 KM, 50% of which off road), it has been quite a nice ride into the park. The park by itself it isn't that nice, but it still gives you a chance to get good fresh air still being very close to Rome.
Well that's it for now
Pp

Traversata Alta - Gran Sasso

Backcountry ski/Snowboard

This is probably the best backcountry ski trip I have ever been up to now.
The trek starts at 8,30 am, we took a ride on the Funivia del Gran Sasso. The cable way takes you from Fonte Cerreto (1120mt.) up to Campo Imperatore (2150mt.).


Once we have reached Campo Imperatore the real trek starts...All of the equipment is put inside the backpack, the ARVA is turned on and checked.
Up we go..

The first leg takes us up to the Sella di Monte Aquila (2335mt.).
From here you can see the Corno Grande (west peak 2912 mt.). To reach its top you can either take the direttissima or the via normale. The first trail takes you up on top directly, it's the fastest and technically demanding way. The second will take you on top easily even tough normally takes you about half an hour longer.


We decided for the Direttissima: this is the main and more direct way to the the top of Gran Sasso (Corno Grande - 2912mt.). It offers us the chance to use our ice-axe and crampons in order to go through its 45-50 degree climb.









and


Nice view from the Direttisima



Finally on top


And ...here I am on top ....

We took a brief break to recharge our batteries and to have a look at the best view of the Appenini...from here you can actually see both the adriatic sea and the tirrenean sea.

Now it's time to ski down ....the way down follows the Calderone Glacier (actually not a glacier now...its mass is much smaller lately).











Once out of the Calderone we head toward the Rifugio Carlo Franchetti (2433mt.).
We leave the Rifugio Franchetti on our right heading to the last part of the downhill.





This last leg that will take us down to about 1200 meters through a small, long snow strip.





















At this point we have to take off our ski/snowboard and walk another hour to reach San Nicola where a bus is waiting for us.

This is it!!!
seeya

Ski trip to Colfosco - Dolomiti

Follows a brief report of the short (too short sigh!!) trip to Colfosco from which I came back last week.

I have been there with my wife and another two couples, we arranged our staying there in a small pension called Diamant quite inexpensive but nice and at 5 minutes walking from the slopes.

Colfosco is sited in a unique scenary Alta Badia one of most beautiful mountain scenary of the world which is the Dolomiti. Colfosco is a very small village that still has that old charm lost by many other mountain villages now invaded by heavy tourism. Still Colfosco is a perfect place to go if you want to ski in one of the best Italian Ski Arena, the wonderful DolomitiSuperSki Carosello.
From Colfosco with your ski/snowboard on (that has been a tough decision to take every morning) you can go to places such as:

Val Gardena (view from Ciampinoi)
The Val Gardena is one of most famous valley in the area, it hosts the well known World Championship Race known as the Libera della Val Gardena on the Sasslong slope.

Marmolada (view form Porta Vescovo). The Marmolada is the highest mountain of the Dolomiti Group with its peak of 3342 mt. Skiing on this mountain is just magic...you go on top from Malga Ciapela (1476 mt) with three new cableways (funivie) that will take you up to Punta Rocca (3260 mt). So you have almost 2000 mt (6000 feet) to go down ....almost 12 km!!!!!Get your legs ready pal!!!
If you are lucky enough, we were not, from the top you can have the best view of the Dolomiti.



Other places that you may wonna go (and we of course did) while in Alta Badia are:

• Canazei
• Lagazuoi
• La Gran Risa, La Villa (Where one of the best the Giant Slalom world cup race is held every year). In the picture you can see me carving down the Gran Risa..
  
• Arabba and Porta Vescovo... another incredible long and beautiful slope...
• Corvara...La Vallon is another black slope with an awesome view..

Then If you have time, skills and the weather is good you should not miss the Val de Mezdi...its an off-pista that crosses the Sella Group from Canazei to Colfosco. Too bad when we where there the snow conditions were not good enough (high avalanche risk). But I am gonna come back soon or later and....

All in all we found perfect snow conditions, sun for six days ...it was not too cold...












The only bad part has been ......coming back to work!!!!!

See ya!!
Pp

First Post

Well, One could ask ask himself why write personal staff on the web. It's a very interesting question that does not have a single simple answer, here though I will try to give mine.

First of all I don't get many chances to write ...especially in english I apologize for enourmous amount of gramatical and syntax errors I will certainly make....let me tell you practicing written english is by itself already a good reason to blog.

Besides that I have friends all around the globe and I am very happy to share my thoughts, feelings, photos and whatever comes to your mind with them.

Other than that .....why not blogging....