LIVIGNO MEDIA KIT WINTER 2017/18 There are many advantages to taking a winter holiday in Livigno. Being at 1816m a.s.l. and able to count on slopes which reach 3000m is just one. Indeed, the Livigno plateau settles at an altitude that allows for both natural and programmed snowfall. This is guaranteed as of autumn, when the first tourists who love winter sports and athletes looking for high altitude training begin to arrive at the resort. As of 15th October, a cross-country ski trail is created on the central plain of the village with the aid of a programmed snowmaking facility (the trail totals 8km of the 30km of slopes). This is also possible due to the snow stored in spring and preserved throughout the summer under a geothermal sheet in order to be reused in autumn using the snowfarming technique. Skiers and snowboarders needn t wait long to give vent to their desire for snow as the ski lifts start operating on 1st December, and stay open until 1st May 2018. A long, ski-filled winter in an area of 115km of slopes with a total 12 black pistes, 37 red and 27 blue, all of which make use of 6 cableways (Carosello 3000 I and II; Mottolino, Livigno Centro Tagliede I and II; Cassana), 14 chairlifts and 11 ski lifts. The skiable area split between the Carosello 3000 ski zone (with a new cableway that has replaced the old facility), Mottolino Fun Mountain and the small ski-lifts close to the village, is covered by 110 systems for programmed snowmaking, used by 80% of the pistes. Two award-winning snowparks are located at the Mottolino Fun Mountain and Carosello 3000, respectively. They have received awards at a number of sectorial fairs both in Italy and abroad owing to their avant-garde structures and the events which take place there. Livigno has a number of snow play parks for little visitors, located in various different areas, and 2 kindergartens, one of which offers the opportunity to attend a day-long nursery on the snow that includes lunch. A hundred and fifty skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing and telemarking ski instructors are at visitors disposal, working in the many ski schools in the area. Livigno has set up several check points for freeriders entering the unbeaten track areas, equipped with ARTVA avalanche beacons. They are located at the entrance points to Val Federia and Vallaccia, at the top of Costaccia, Corosello 3000 and Monte della Neve and at the departure point of the Colombina at Mottolino. 10 information screens are located both at the main ski-lifts and in the village. There are two operating freeride areas, one at the Mottolino Fun Mountain and one at Carosello 3000 and, taking into account the 200m2 total surface
area of the municipality of Livigno, it can be said that half of the area is suitable for freeriding and early morning skiing. Freeride approach areas have been singled out for all those wishing to experience the excitement of skiing on fresh snow. Only within these areas is it possible to leave the beaten tracks without the compulsory self-help equipment (ARTVA avalanche beacons, spades and probes). There are two routes for alpine skiing and two for snowshoeing, as well as the beaten trail in the Monte Vago area. A new arena has been prepared for the biathlon, equipped with last generation electronic shapes that are ideal for both professional athletes and the increasing number of enthusiasts of this discipline wishing to train. The main topic running through the snow season in Livigno is that of sport: from skiing to telemarking, snowboarding to freeriding, cross-country skiing to the biathlon, snowshoeing to fat-biking, alpine skiing to paragliding, ice-skating to horse-riding and walking along the snow-covered beaten tracks. As far as freeriding is concerned, Livigno is one of the resorts which has believed most strongly in this speciality and has improved and created a number of special services accordingly. The Freeride Project, the only one of its kind in Italy, has been active for several seasons already and is based on a local daily information service about the snow cover, which supplements the regional ARPA avalanche bulletins of Bormio and the SLF, Swiss Federal Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research. This innovation allows freeriders access to up-todate information about local conditions every morning by reading the news issued by the official Livigno website, www.livigno.eu. Said news is available on the signs and videos displayed at the ski-lift stations, the totems in the village, a newsletter service to all the operators in the area and from the special App My Livigno, This service is localised in each individual area of the resort, with the aim of accurately providing information which puts freeriders in a position to choose the ideal area to go to. Moreover, every Sunday there is a meeting, free of charge, organised by the Alpine Guides which trains skiers on how to use rescue equipment: ARTVA avalanche beacons, spades and probes. For this winter season, reports have been further improved and perfected with information relating to the slopes and quality of the snow. Every day, visitors can view accurate information about snow conditions, the quality of the skiing and protruding stones from three different charts. The data takes into account the skiable area of Livigno from 3000m right down to the village (1816m), split into three different areas: alpine, the woods, below the woods, identified using different colours corresponding to different parameters. For further information and to consult the snow quality bulletin, access https://www.livigno.eu/bollettino-qualita-neve.
In spring 2017, the Livigno Avalanche Centre became a member of the European Avalanche Warning Services Association (EAWS), that acknowledged the service offered by the resort as respecting the standards of quality of the most important national avalanche centres. On the theme of programmed snowmaking, the Livigno Tourist Board took part in the European Prosnow competition launched by the Community Research and Development Information Service. Aplsolut is a set up that deals with the Freeride Project and avalanche and snow bulletins in association with Livigno Tourist Board. It was one of the organisations involved in creating H2020 PROSNOW, the project funded by the competition, which will build the demonstrator for a weather forecast and snow management system (ranging from a week to several months) specifically adapted to the needs of the ski industry. PROSNOW applies last generation knowledge for forecasting weather and snow conditions and investigates and documents the added value of these services. The project proposes a system for the alps (France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Italy) for seasonal weather forecasts and climate assessment PROMOTIONS The season begins on 1st December with a number of offers which must absolutely not be missed. The Skipass Free promotion is active until 22nd December and then repeated in spring, from 7th April to 1st May 2018. This promotion allows visitors to ski at lower prices when they book a stay at one of the affiliated accommodation structures (4 nights in a hotel or 7 in an apartment). Another special offer proposed by Livigno is the Family Week. Kids Go Free for families with children under 12, that runs from 27th January to 3rd February 2018 and from 17th to 24th March 2018. Accommodation, ski school, skipass, equipment hire and access to Aquagranda Slide&Fun are free for one child under 12 and discounted by 50% for every other child under 12 in the family, if accompanied by two paying adults. LIVIGNO CARD WINTER Livigno Card Winter groups together all the different activities offered by the resort, from recreational to sporting, cultural to gastronomic, available to visitors every week. Livigno Card Winter is a valuable tool for a holiday in the area, both in winter and summer (when it becomes Livigno Card Summer) and is issued in the hotels, the apartments and the Tourist Office. A range of activities, such as tandem paragliding, excursions onto the snow on snowmobiles and quads, courses about how to drive safely on the snow, snow playgrounds for children, skiing at altitude with lunch in an alpine cabin, skiing courses and competitions, gastronomic tours,
snowshoeing, nordic walking, fat bike excursions and descents on toboggans will all be included in Livigno Card Winter for the 2017/18 winter season. AQUAGRANDA ACTIVE YOU Located at 1816 metres a.s.l., Livigno is the ideal place for training at altitude, so much so that it has become one of the most sought-after resorts of athletes and sports federations from all over the world. Besides its altitude, the services Livigno offers teams and athletes play a fundamental role: modern sports facilities, which are being constantly evolved, and dedicated structures, able to satisfy athletes needs. The Aquagranda Active You centre has given the resort a significant boost in this sense, offering the most modern preparation machinery, special work out rooms, and a 25 metre swimming-pool (a 50 metre pool is currently being planned) chosen for training at altitude by Federica Pellegrini. An athletics track with a real grass football pitch in the centre, and two tennis courts will soon complete the sporting offer. The part of the complex kids like best is Slide&Fun with water games, a magic castle, a baby pool for 0 to 3 year olds and 3 slides of varying difficulty (which adults can also use) which wind in and out of the building at a height of 12 metres, measuring around 100m each in length. Once again for the little ones (aged 3 and up) Aquagranda offers Kinder Care with babysitters who look after of the children in a special area full of games and entertainment. This is completely free for anyone using at least one Aquagranda service. The Kindergarten service is active during the afternoon, providing animation actually in the pools in the Slide&Fun area. The Wellness&Relax area of Aquagranda Active You, which has been completely refurbished in an alpine style focussing on the typical architecture of the Livigno valley, boasts 1500m2 of pure wellbeing to date, organised in 4 separate areas: pools with hydromassage loungers and water jets; 3 relaxation rooms (Swiss stone pine, hay and the sounds of nature); the steam area with the Swiss stone pine bio-sauna, Finnish sauna with antique wood and the steam room, specially designed to house infusion rituals along a course which ends with the cold reaction tub and Kneipp water-treading course; and the regenerating bar where visitors can enjoy freshly-prepared juice extracts, organic juices, tasty dishes and, why not, a delicious aperitif, too. Wearing a swimming-costume in the area with the various tubs and in the relaxation rooms is compulsory, whilst in the saunas and steam rooms costumes made of synthetic fabrics are forbidden. Visitors can choose either to enter nude or wear a costume in TNT ( the hire of which is free), that is ideal for use in the saunas, as it doesn t give off the harmful fumes pro-
duced by synthetic fabrics heated to high temperatures. For detailed information about Aquagranda: https://www.aquagrandalivigno.com/ MUS MUSEUM OF LIVIGNO AND TREPALLE MUS! Museum of Livigno and Trepalle s attempt is to witnesses the spirit of adaptation and art of getting-by, developed over the centuries by the inhabitants of Livigno and Trepalle. Attempt after attempt they managed to find a fragile equilibrium under the harshest conditions of isolation, and the result of all these efforts is a town with a language, traditions, food and clothing unlike any their surrounding town at a lower altitude. Livigno is today a place where tradition and innovation combine. With wealth, progress and tourism, getting by is no longer necessary and surviving through the cold winters is no longer a problem. Located in an ancient house, the museum offers innovative tours to help tourists and locals alike to better understand this town history along with the energy and dynamics that led to the current present. History is not so far away, it is also what happened only yesterday and is likely to be more easily forgotten. EVENTS The Livigno season kicks off on 2nd December 2017 with the first big sporting event of the winter. Thousands of cross-country skiers will be on the pistes for the first marathon of the international season: La Sgambeda, which is now part of the prestigious Visma Ski Classics circuit, that groups together 13 classical circuits from all over the world, including Vasaloppet and Marcialonga. The Christmas market village will be set up for the whole of Advent through to 24th December. The characteristic little wooden houses near the square of the Church of Santa Maria Nascente, at the entrance to the pedestrian zone offer chocolate, mulled wine, crepês, hot fritters and surprises for children, whilst adults can purchase artisan goods. On 31st December 2017, Livigno will be lit up both by the traditional torchlight procession of ski instructors and guests and the fireworks that will greet the new year. On the 6th January, everyone in Livigno greets each other with: "Bondì Ghibinet", whilst the children ride through the streets of the village on sleds looking for sweets and little gifts. This popular custom is found throughout Valtellina to symbolise the arrival of the three Wise Men who brought gifts to baby Jesus. The word Ghibinet is probably a mispronunciation of the German "Gaben-nacht", which means night of gifts. Anyone who doesn t answer the 6th January greeting immediately with "Bondì Ghibinet!" has to pay a forfeit by offering a little gift. Serious snowboarding starts in January. The most talented snowboarders aged under 16 arrive in Piccolo Tibet, as this area is also known, to compete in the World Rookie Fest (from
20th to 25th January 2018 in Snowpark Mottolino) in search of that international showcase which will open the doors to bigger competitions. At the end of the season, telemark skiing calls enthusiasts from every corner of the world to Livigno for La Skieda, a free heel event comprising sport, fun, culture and nature, planned from 17th to 23rd March 2018. Other scheduled events are Carnival from 10th to 17th February with all the floats, the Lamborghini Winter Accademia from 15th to 25th February, and the European Freestyle Cup on the 22nd and 23rd March in the Mottolino snowpark. AFTER SKIING Livigno has a huge duty free area to go to after a day on the slopes, where visitors can indulge in some shopping. Stores of all kinds are located here, some of the most popular being the perfumeries, duty frees, hi-tech shops, jeweller s, clothes boutiques and of course stores selling sports items where visitors can make tax-free purchases. Even après-ski time is an essential part of the Livigno lifestyle, making it one of the most popular resorts for visitors looking for this as well. Music, dancing and a glass or two in company make the perfect end to the day for many snow enthusiasts. To finish the evening, there are a huge number of pubs and clubs in which to listen to live music, dance and meet other people. This vocation for providing night time entertainment makes Livigno one of the most popular resorts amongst young people and those on the lookout for fun at night even during a holiday on the snow. TEAM LIVIGNO The Livigno ambassadors are both local and non-local athletes which practise a range of sporting disciplines: alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, snowboarding, biathlon, freeskiing and freeriding, mountain biking, rugby and swimming. They are entrusted with the mission of taking the name of the resort around the world during the competitions and circuits in which they take part. In more detail, Team Livigno consists of: Dorothea Wierer (biathlon), Federica Pellegrini (swimming), Jole Galli (alpine skiing), Roberto Nani (alpine skiing), Saverio Zini (cross-country skiing), Nicolas and Thomas Bormolini (cross-country skiing), Thomas Bormolini (biathlon), Ian Rocca (freestyle), Luca Miningher (freestyle), Yuri Silvestri (freestyle), Maurizio Bormolini (snowboarding), Paolo Rodigari (biathlon), Rudy Zini (biathlon), Jessica Bormolini (mountain biking), Rudy Biancotti (rugby) and Mattia Longa (mountain biking). All these athletes consider the slopes and mountains of Livigno and Aquagranda Active You to be an essential reference point for their sports preparation and achieving great results.
2018, the year of the winter Olympics in Pyeongchang in South Korea, will be a test bench for many athletes and they will be able to count on the experience of champions like Dorothea Wierer and Federica Pellegrini in order to follow their sporting dreams of five interlaced rings. TUNNEL There is also news concerning the rates for the Munt La Schera tunnel (Switzerland) for those arriving from Northern Europe. It will be possible to purchase the ticket online (only valid for Saturday until 4pm) at a lower cost, i.e. 32.00 instead of 45.00. General information APT Livigno Via Saroch 1098 23030 Livigno (so) Tel +39 0342 977800 fax +39 0342 977829 info@livigno.eu - livigno.eu