Press releases

12 ott 2007

DAONE VALLEY CONFIRMED IN 2008

12.10.2007

Everybody learning in the Daone Valley
In January the Ice Master World Cup will take place in Daone. These days Romolo Ghezzi, the president of  "Comitato Pareti di Cristallo", is in the seventh heaven.

The reason? The confirmation given by the UIAA, the International Union of the Climbing Associations, in which besides confirming the choice of this resort in Trentino for the Ice Climbing World Cup planned for 18th, 19th and 20th January 2008, even the choice of the competition in the Daone Valley as archetype for the other organizing commitees is made official.
Considered that our competition will be the first one in the schedule of the Ice Climbing World Cup 2008, during those days in Daone there will be the delegations of the competitions Saas Fee in Switzerland and Busteni in Romania, besides a selected group of the Japanese Federation that is going to suggest a stage of the championship probably in Sapporo in 2009. «For our staff - Romolo Ghezzi argues - composed of 200 volunteers who for the whole winter work hard in order to guarantee a high level event, this recognition can be considered a big reason for proud. I think above all about what we succeeded in doing last year, despite warm weather conditions that questioned the carrying out of the competition till the end. A test bench, that of 2007, which has shown the brilliant professional competence of our commitee».
Seven editions of the World Cup, two of which belonging to the World Championship. Any anticipations on next January event? «Ours is the only World Cup competition in Italy, and I want to say it quite clearly».
Even this year in Daone there will be two planned competitions: "difficulty" and "speed", both contemplated in the World Cup Championship. Concerning Ice Boulder, we should remember that the first experiences of the application of axes and crampons in this specialty (world-famous in climbing) have been done in the Daone Valley».
Last year the victory of an Italian athlete Jenny Lavarda was celebrated. Will she still be the favourite one?
«For what she did last year and during the summer, I would say so. Concerning the athletes, expecially last year, the competition in Daone was international; not only for the 5 Japanese ice climbers (2 women and 3 men) who had enroled since the first hour. In all, 110 climbers took part in the last edition, representing 16 nations. In detail: Scotland, France, Spain, Germany but also Sweden, Croatia, Switzerland, Slovenia, Russia, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Austria and obviously Italy and the already mentioned Japan... We trust we will improve further our starting list».

Any news about the structure of the competition? «Riccardo Milani, our organizing director, and Maurizio Gallo, our technical engineer, are working on it. Every year we try to create something new, even because of  the athletes' increasing technical level. The artificial structure of the competition will be about 30 m wide and 25 m high for the "difficulty", with a 40 m rope lenght in overhang. The wall built for the "speed" will be about 15 m instead».

The World Cup will be together with many other side events. Will it be the same in January 2008? «From 18th to 25th January 2008 in the Daone Valley the most important European outdoor winter sports event will be organized even this year. From 18th to 20th January the tenth International Ice Meeting edition for climbing, ski-touring and snowshoeing lovers will take place. Its aim will be that of promoting the training and learning of mountain activities and winter excursions. From 22nd to 25th January we will propose the  educational "La Scuola in Montagna" again for students attending schools in the Giudicarie valleys and in the rest of Trentino, in order to make the young aware of the problems related to the safeguard of the mountain landscape».