The Summer Blizzard
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Get lost with these guys in the Stelvio National Park, Italy, as they go in search of chilly Alpine mountain adventures, prime trails and cockle-warming log fires. Hike-a-biking through knee deep snow might not be everybody’s idea of a good day out on the bike but the downs make it all worthwhile.
“Three riders, one summer blizzard and an amazing adventure on the trails of Stelvio National Park!”
Riders: Marcello Pesenti (pro-rider Team Airoh Ion Santa Cruz), Luca Zambonin, Jacopo Zotti
Where: Stelvio Nationl Park (Italy)
When: August 2016
Video maker: La montagna chiama
Elevation gain: about 1300 m.
Elevation loss: about 3100 m.
Distance: about 45 Km.
Tour description: The weather forecast was bad: rain and snow above 2500 m. We couldn’t disappoint our special guest, so we did not get discouraged, stuck to our plan and began the adventure! Late in the afternoon we took an off-road vehicle to cut short the climb, then, inside a summer blizzard, we pedaled up to the Pizzini-Frattola mountain hut where we had a warm meal and a bed for the night. The day after the sun shone, the sky was blue and a blanket of snow covered everything. We carried on our shoulders the mountain bikes and with the snow up to the knees, we trekked up to the Zebrù Pass (3000 m.), where began the downhill. We rode down first on the snow, then on an amazing mountainside single track with a lot of flow. Arrived in Bormio, after lunch, we took two gondolas to reach Cima Bianca, the tallest point of the tour. Fortunately the sun was warm so the snow that fell the day before had already melted, so from here we descended having a lot of fun and without any problem on a wonderful alpine single trail. It was an epic adventure that we will never forget!
