Winter’s at the door and there’s always something new taking off in the upper mountains of Valle Spluga. Take speedriding. This new adventure has rather crept up on us over the last couple of years but has now become a considerable force within our Alpine corner. Acquarela, alongside SpeedSpiritMadesimo with Luca Marchioro have combined to give impetus and fresh opportunities to try a fantastic new experience. It’s a mix of freeride
skiing, parachuting and paragliding and thus combines two magical winter sports’ elements during a descent: the snow and the air. And all within the utter peace of the mountains.
A completely new approach to tackling the winter slopes awaits you in Madesimo and Montespluga. Twisting and turning on skis, yes,
but also using flight to “sail” over obstacles in your path. The variety of options provided by Groppera, Val di Lei, Alpe Motta in taking to the air and flying all the way down to Campodolcino make Vallespluga a natural. Literally. And with the modern transport systems it’s simple to get absolutely anywhere and discover trails offering up every level of difficulty. The flight from Groppera, leaving Cavallina behind, all the way down to Campodolcino can have few Alpine equals with regard to beauty and length (2000m height differential). In recent years there has been a vast number of new recruits to the sport alongside expert skiers and “fliers” from Italy and abroad, so much so that Madesimo has become synonymous with speedriding at the very highest level. And in April and May, magical Montespluga enters the equation. Making your way up to the tops on skins you’ll be spoilt for choice with so many options of taking to the air spread out before you.
It’s a genuine sports carousel, also taking in snowkite enthusiasts, a close relative to speedriding. Two classics for you: from the Cecchini bivouac (recommended for snowkite) and from the Suretta bivouac (perfect for speedriding). But the options remain endless with new routes being discovered every year.
There’s probably a magic one just for you to fly away on!
