19
Winter 2014
Escarpment Magazine
Within a few hours of arriving
in the Trentino
region of Italy I knew this would be a vacation experi-
ence like no other. For one thing I had an all access VIP
accreditation band secured to my wrist for the 2013
Alpine Rockfest, an invitation-only sprint giant slalom in
which the top ski racers in the World vie for the largest
single cash prize in ski racing:
€
75,000. The icing on
the cake: two homegrown Escarpment skiers, David Don-
aldson and Phil Brown, from Craigleith and Georgian
Peaks respectively, made the short list.
Alpine Rockfest is not aWorld Cup race, and from what
I experienced, it’s a welcome departure for both the ath-
letes and the organizers. Alpine Rockfest is the brainchild
of former US Alpine Ski Team coach Phil McNichol, who
producedWorld Cup wins from Ted Ligety, BodeMiller,
Steven Nyman, Daron Rahlves, andMarco Sullivan dur-
ing his 11-year tenure with the team. In 2009 Phil
teamed up with Italian entrepreneur Marco Dallapiccola
to create this invitation only pro event, free from the strict
rules and regulations, which govern the World Cup cir-
cuit. A favourite with both competitors and fans, this event
allows for more athlete interaction while promoting a fes-
tival environment. The athletes arrive alone, without
coaches, annoying radios, or World Cup points on the
line. Basically it’s an all-day party, where both fans and
superstars can kick back, relax and enjoy music, drinks
and good ski racing.
*
Luca de Alipradini enjoys some Trentiono bubbly with his Alpine Rockfest second place finish.
