ISPO Extended — Pampered at Pampiago

A quick hit here for Friday, then hopefully I’ve got time over the weekend to pump out more Europe content for the coming week. More ISPO, more Sportiva, and more from Austria. For now, while Sportiva product developer Sandro De Voldt and I were going through a pile of boots at the Italy HQ, we cooked up a plan for a short uphill excursion at a local resort. I had not brought any ski gear, so we scrounged up some stuff and did a few hundred meters as a “boot test” of the new Synchro. I’m not much of a guy for touring in freeride boots, but have to admit the cuff range and weight of the Synchro had me thinking this could be a boot for a lot of you freeride type folks reading here. I’ll cover the boots more, but for now, a few photos from our foray.

Sandro is a local boy and mountain guide, as well as the keeper of what is known as a ‘van’ but is more of a gear closet.

Looking easterly from Pampiago, over the Prosecco farms of Italy.

It appears the Dolomite behind me has a reasonable coating of backcountry snow, but alas it was thin enough to make adventure skiing a non option. Instead, a beer and lasagna at the “baita” (hut). Italy, of course, is known for good food. You do not get an overpriced dried out hamburger at their on-mountain restaurants. Oh no. Quite the opposite. My lasagna was a walnut enhanced version loaded with spec. World class. About six dollars.

Inside the baita restaurant. I was told that the business and land arrangements here go back to feudal times, and that the cash flow of these places in the millions.

Look what I spied. Ahoy, pastry on the port side captain!

Resistance was futile.

Espresso machines of Italy, is that a blog?

I get good ideas from Italians. Like how important colors are to our mental well being, how to add an “a” to the end of words, and how to set up a genius compressed air ski cleaning station. All ideas will be implemented at WildSnow HQ, though my air compressor will need an upgrade and Lisa will probably requisite that I stop saying things like “pass-a the salt-a.”

Any of you Italians out there care to name that pastry? Something like wild berry cake with whipped cream, only in your language? Sandro said he wasn’t quite sure of the English translation, but I think he actually did know it and didn’t want to let on that he consumed mass quantities of these things, which is why he is so skinny and goes uphill so fast.

Map below shows the layout, Baita Passo Feudo is the restaurant. This is actually quite a good sized mechanized skiing complex by U.S. standards, but is just one of hundreds if not thousands you may have never heard of, in the mountains of western Europe.