Toptour in Italy and Norway

Since Easter we have been doing few toptour trips (both in Italy and in Norway) that I would like to talk about, but due to lack of time I still have to postpone it.

I may just anticipate that we have been in Jotunheim, up to Galdhøpping (2469m), the highest top in Norway. Not really high considering the Alps standards. For the ones familiar with Biellese, it is like a Mucrone (see below) but with glacier around ;-)

In the meanwhile I have found this article about a trip in one of the mountain in our region: Colma di Mombarone on PlanetMountain.com

And here a picture from one of our trips, this was taken in Italy. The mountain pictured in the background is Monte Mucrone. Lot of snow this year in our mountains ;-)

More pictures from Romsdal

Even more pictures from top-tour in Romsdal. One from us

This should be Romsdalshørnet

And even more from Trygve! Great job!

Top-tour in Romsdal

This weekend we went for some top-tour in Romsdal. A beautiful area for top-tour and freeride, where the mountains rise out from the fjord.
We had two nice trips.
First day driving from Oppdal, we arrived in Åndalsnes and started the trip around 12. Amazing for Italian top-tour style, but here we are in Norway and it is usually more convening starting a bit later to find better snow conditions.
The goal for the first trip was Loftskarstinden, to meet some other friends there. However we had to change our goal and aimed to Galtåtind.


We met our friends anyway, because the two tops are connected through a traverse. We met in between and started our descent from there. It was initially quite steep and scary for me but I manage to get down. The snow was not the best but we enjoyed the day very much.

On the traverse, Loftskarstinden in the back.

Yesterday we went for another trip to Blånebba. This time we started a bit earlier. In front of us a group of 5 people preparing the track for us ;-)

Preparing for the trip, Blånebba in the background

It was foggy, but once we got to the top it cleared up. It was beutiful to be up there, beautiful surroundings and nice friends!

Then we started descending, the snow was powder! So we went up again! Beautiful day! Great snow!


These were just a few pictures I took with my mobile, more maybe will come. Most of the guys had big camera with them. One of them has a pretty nice website, but picture will come sometime after Easter. But there is planty of more pictures to enjoy there ;-)

SkiBike 2009 - IV edizione

Per il quarto anno consecutivo i nostri amici della sezione Alpina del gruppo Pietro Micca organizzano la SkiBike! Forza ragazzi!

Ma cos'é la SkiBike?
É una gara che prevede un tratto di mountain bike ed un tratto di sci alpinismo.
La gara non é solo individuale, ma ci si puó partecipare anche in due con la staffetta.

belliinfoto.it

Quando e dove?
La gara avrá luogo domenica prossima, 22 Febbraio!
La gara parte da Biella (420 slm), prosegue verso Biella Piazzo e Favaro su strada e su strerrato fino ad arrivare ad Oropa per "la Vecchia", la strada del trenino. Ad Oropa (1180m) presso il piazzale delle funivie verrá organizzata la zona cambio dove gli atleti lasceranno la bici per inforcare gli sci.

belliinfoto.it

Poi proseguiranno tramite il Pian di Gé e il lago delle Bose, verso il lago del Mucrone (quota 1995m) dove é posto il traguardo.

Che dire, davvero una gara emozionante! Poi con la neve di quest'anno, immagino sará davvero un bello spettacolo!

Se siete interessati potete trovare ulteriori informazioni e modalitá d'iscrizione sul sito http://www.skibikebiella.it/
Se invece volete spargere la voce, prego!

Dimenticavo, la gara ha una categoria maschile e femminile e per la staffetta si puó partecipare anche con squadre miste!

belliinfoto.it

Foto dell'edizione 2008 qui

In bocca al lupo agli atleti!
Ed un "Alé alé alé, pussa chi n'duma" per gli organizzatori!

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English please:
For the fourth year, our friends from the Alpine section of Pietro Micca are organizing the SkiBike race! Go guys!

But what is the SkiBike race?
It's a race that includes a mountain bike part and a ski touring part.
The race is not only indivivual, but it is possible to take part to it as a team of two for the staffetta (relay).

When and where?
The race is next Sunday, the 22nd February 2009!
It starts from Biella city (420 slm), and continues towards Biella Piazzo and Favaro on the road and on terrain till Oropa through the way called "la Vecchia", the old train road. In Oropa (1180m) by the parking lot of the lifts, the changing are will be organized. Here the athlets will leave their bikes and get their ski equipments.

Then they will continue through the Pian di Gé and the Bose lake, towards the Mucrone lake (1995m) where the finishing line is.

What to say? A really interesting race! Moreover with this year snow, I imagine it will be a beautiful experience!

If you are interested, you can find more information and registration modalities at http://www.skibikebiella.it/
If you want to spread the word, you are more than welcome to do that!

I forgot to say, there are both male and female cathegories and for the relay mix team can participate as well!

Pictures from the 2008 edition here

Good luck to the athletes!
And I must say "Alé alé alé, pussa chi n'duma" to the organizers! (They will understand me ;-))

Skiing in Oppdal

My brother is here to visit us. Last week the weather was not so good to go skiing, that's why we did the trip with the dogs.
But this weekend we headed to Oppdal. Saturday we went on the tracks and met some friends. The weather was perfect, blue sky and very pleasant temperature for the end of January the sun was pretty warm ;-)

Take a picture with a mobile phone is not always easy...

Today we try with toptour ski (sci alpinismo). Our goal was to get on top of Storhaugen. It has been some time since it snowed last time. There was little snow, and it was hard and crosty. We could not get on top with the skies, so we decided to come back without reaching the top. It was a very nice day. Even if we did not got to the top, the view was nice anyway.

Skiing near Trondheim

Since we came back to Trondheim it has been snowing a lot. Last week there was probably around 70 cm of snow in our garden.
Then it became warm and it rained, at least in town. We had decided we wanted to go skiing, we were planning a weekend in Oppdal, then L. had to leave and work (in the weekend - sigh).

Well, I was so eager to go skiing that I went anyway on Sunday. I went to Vassfjellet. I took the bus on Sunday morning, so I did not had to worry about the icy road when driving.

It was a very nice day! I first went up til the top (I had my top-tour skies with me) then I used the ski-lift til the bus was leaving at 16:30.


L. came back on Monday and we planned to go ski again in the week. So yesterday we did go to Vassfjellet again. The tracks are lighted up.


It was good exercise, but we could not stay there long it was SO COLD! Here a picture of us.

Sembriamo un po' alieni, ma dovevamo pur proteggerci dal freddo, credo che le temperature fossero attorno ai -12 gradi.

We are planning to ski also during the weekend, this time in Oppdal has originally planned. Some friends will join us. We are renting an apartment at IMI-Stølen for a night. The apartments have 4+2 beds, so it is a convinient solution for small groups of people.
Have a nice weekend!

Sci-alp a Vassfjellet

Ieri siamo andati a fare sci-alpinismo a Vassfjellet (circa 20 km da Trondheim). Abbiamo risalito le piste fino alla cima.

La neve era fresca . Un piacere scendere in fuori pista, tra gli alberi e una trentina di centimetri di farina!

Yesterday we went for top-tour in Vassfjellet (about 20 km from Trondheim). We follow the track and we got till the top.

The snow was fresh. It was a pleasure to go down off pist, between the trees and with 30 cm of powder!

Che bella giornata!

What a wonderful day!