22
Escarpment Magazine Winter 2014
I’ve been around many world-class ski competitions, but never have
I seen such skill, power, control, and speed — my god the speed these
guys came down the course with was incredible! But before we get
into the racing, I need to set the scene…
In the days leading up to the race I was wined and thoroughly dined
in the small mountain village of Andalo. My favourite by far was en-
joying oysters and wine at Rifugio La Roda which has the most
breathtaking view of the Gruppo Di Brenta, a mountain range of the
Rhaetian Alps in the Italian Dolomites. With some 1,100 inhabitants
Andalo remains a sleepy town, despite the world-class ski resort of
Paganella located in its backyard. Traveling without skis makes me
nervous, as you never know what type of rentals will be available,
or if the equipment will be of this century. With six people in our
group the prospect of touring around Italy with a separate vehicle
for luggage was unthinkable. Thankfully the helpful, unpretentious
locals are eager to please, especially the amazing staff at Rent And
Go, conveniently located in the gondola building. I was able to find
a pair of last year’s Blizzard GS skis comparable to what I ski on at
home. Their tag line is “Sport Yourself”. We did.
Trentino (along with Lombardy's Franciacorta) is where Italy's best
sparkling wines are made, using the Champagne method and usu-
ally referred to as Talento. In true VIP style I was treated to a private
tour of the world famous Cantine Ferrari facility including a stroll
through the cavernous cellars far below ground. One could get hap-
pily lost in the maze of floor to ceiling wine crates, full of ageing vin-
tages. Ferrari wines and bruts are exceptionally priced and
ridiculously easy to drink. No relation to the Ferrari automobile pro-
ducer, founder Guilio Ferrari started the winery in 1902. He was as
passionate about Chardonnay and Pinot Noir sparkling wine as the
French and was confident that the climate and soil of the Trentino re-
gion was ideal for these grapes – he was right. The winery now pro-
duces over 4 million cases per year and produces wines that range
from around $30 to $150 per bottle. Sure it’s more expensive than
Prosecco but it should be, it’s more laborious to produce, and re-
quires more time in-bottle for the secondary fermentation to happen
which results in a more expensive production costs.
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705-443-5508
Ever since the days of the old Ski Barn,
there has been one place where
Blue Mountain locals come together — Jozo's.
When you’re done on the slopes, head into Jozo's
for daily specials, live bands, big screens
and the best prices on Resort!
There’s only one ORIGINAL
FEATURE
|
alpine rockfest
The view from Rifugio La Roda
