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WHO’S DOING THE RIGHT THING?

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Today I went snowboarding in the Monte Rosa ski area. Three valleys connected with (only a few) state of the art lifts systems (the majorities are old, decrepit and slow)!  The sceneries were breathtaking..probably the most beautiful 4000mt peaks I have ever seen..a multitude of south facing glaciers cascading to the valleys floor..incredible valleys, crests and other things.. My first time back on the slopes on a daily paid ski pass (20% discount for been a “seasonaire” in the area..not bad, I’ll take that..) in more than 15-16 months. The most beautiful views from Passo dei Salati at almost 3000mt..I was able to see into the pianura Padana completely covered in a blanket of clouds / fog.. Never seen anything like this before..wow! Immense. The lack of snow was shocking. The high temp was shocking too..at 3000mt was barely cold..more than a month of high pressure - good weather is causing the snow on every south facing slope even above 3000mt to basically my and expose the rocks and g
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MTB FOR ALL?!

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The world of Mtbiking as we know it is bursting with sensational YouTube edits (Danny MacAskill & Brandon Semenuk both come to mind here but they are not the only two riders for sure) from Enduro trail riding to World Cup DH..from insane street riding to jaw dropping natural backdrops..we watch those amazing videos in awe and respect for those pro athletes executing perfectly choreographed tricks, with multi angle 4K video making equipment, microphones and killer sound tracks…. And then….then the reality is that the vast majority of mtb & accessories buyers are “average Joe’s “. They might or might not have a background in Bmx, xc, DH or even MX meaning that their abilities to ride an mtb are above average but….what about everybody else’s? Should Mtbiking be more inclusive? Should there be more content created for intermediate & beginners? Should the bike industry (globally speaking) do something about it? As much as kids all over the world get inspired by MacAskyl, Semenuk
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LA MONTAGNA E IL TURISMO DI MASSA.

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 L’industria dello sci..benessere economico per centinaia di migliaia di persone.. Stupenda macchina “crea soldi” dite voi no? Si, vero.  Se pensate che il costo di una “gondola” o cabinovia moderna su aggira sui €20 milioni. Pensate anche a questo: in una stagione invernale in impianto del genere può ricavare circa €400 milioni..costi operativi e di gestione da sottrarre, ovviamente.  E’ un calcolo approssimativo basato su 3000 presenze giornaliere, 7 g su 7 g, con il giornaliero a €50 / lo so, un po’ troppo alla buona ma pur sempre un’idea, no?! Cifre un po’ “azzardate” considerando che la stagione invernale ha fluttuazioni a yo-yo, però e’ un’importante esercizio per capire (a grandi linee), il volume di ricavi che un’impianto del genere può portare nelle casse di un’azienda fra le più potenti di tutto l’arco Alpino. Chi “fa veramente i soldi” ed intento, chi veramente si arricchisce come paperon de Paperoni, sono gli azionisti di aziende di questo tipo..e di altre tipologie di azie
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THE 15 MIN CHALLENGE.

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  When you set off for a bikepacking trip, how do you plan / organise your meals?  Are you a dehydrated / freeze dried meals kind of bikepacker or are you more into cooking from scratch..even if it’s going to be a simple pasta with tomato sauce, tuna, sweet corn and Parmigiano? Or..are you a restaurant, pizzerias, food stores, cafes, supermarkets, gas stations kind of guy / girl? During lockdown I had plenty of time to search the internet for those ready dehydrated / freeze dried meals. In sports such as alpinism, mountaineering, expeditions and backpacking these meals are quite the normality.  A quick google search is enough to stumble upon a vast availability of products in the market and at first, it can be overwhelming to choose the right meals for you from. I found a lot of similar “dishes” like the famous chilli con carne (or sin carne for the vegetarians); Mac & cheese; Indian Dahl; and the unmissable pasta dishes like pasta primavera; pasta arrabiata and so on.. I bought se
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LIFE IS AN ADVENTURE, OR IT’S NOTHING...

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Since I moved to Chamonix, I always wanted to ride this route (mostly on tarmac). I already rode the TMB on mtb and that was an epic solo adventure so I wanted to replicate and recreate the same kind of adventure.  I think I got what I asked for. Departure day / Friday 11:00am Taking the advantage of the two good weather days I spotted on the forecast I packed my bike the day before (Thu) so I was able to get and go on Fri morning..BUT..it kind of didn’t go as planned. I overslept and woke up at 8:30am and by the time I was ready to roll it was already 10am / then..doubts started to creep in! Fear; indecisions; apprehensions..you know..the same creep really!  I spent 30mins sitting by my ready to roll bike, wearing the helmet and all stuff..just thinking if I was ready or not.  So..from Chamonix to Martigny was quite straight forward..then I took the train from Martigny to Orsiere just to avoid a dull section of the a main road. From Orsiere I knew it going to be hard: 100%
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