Immersed in an enchanting valley between the Stelvio National Park and the Engadine, Livigno is capable of satisfying the needs of the most demanding tourist: snow, sport, important events, shopping, nature, walks in the open air and folklore too, all in one unique and magical reality.
Its success is determined by an inseparable binomial between nature and sport that makes the Small Tibet of Lombardy the perfect synthesis between relaxation and dynamism, thanks to a perfect microclimate that assure heavy snowfall during the entire winter season and perfectly snow-covered slopes from November to May. During the summer the climate is pleasently mild with air that remains fresh and crisp for the whole season.
It is an ideal climate then for practising any type of sporting discipline whether its summer or winter. Despite the development of accomodation and the skiing facilities, Livigno has still managed, over the years, to conserve the typical environmental, natural, cultural and architectural characteristics of the Alpine culture wich make Livigno and its valley the best in the World.
During the winter Livigno, with its 74 slopes covering a total of 115 kilometres divided between the resorts of Mottolino and Carosello 3000, is ready to host an average of 9 thousand people a day. Recently the resort has renewed the majority of its draglifts with six-seate covered chair lifts that have automatic hitching. They allow for a combined hourly capacity of all the installation of more than 47.000 people per hour consequently making queues for the reascent inexistent.
Livigno, as well as for skiing, is the undisputed homeland of the most modern disciplines associated with the snow i.e. telemark and snowboarding, in this last case thanks above all to Snowpark, one of the biggest in Italy, that offers to all lovers of the "board" fixed structures for halfpipe, jump and one of the best slopes available for boardercross.
But there's more; for the more daring, Livigno accompanies us into the new "alternative" trends. The protagonist is Freeride, the art of off-piste downhill skiing, to wich Livigno, as well as guaranteeing highly-trained Alpine guides, adds teaching sessions relevant to the use of ARVA, to basic nivology and the study of the stability of snow-covered mountainsides.
Also for the 2009/2010 winter season there will be all the big events: from the traditional Skieda and Sgambeda, by now of international fame, to the Special Events, like the Ice Party, an end of season event with a high-altitude concert. Livigno offer more than 250 shops that benefit from the advantages of belonging to a duty-free area so there is the possibility of buying any type of merchandise at reasonable prices.
Skiing at Livigno
Skiing history
Skiing competitions with sporting connotations only began to be mentioned during the second half of the Nineteenth Century in Norway. Alpine skiing however, was a much more recent development, starting at around the beginning of the Twentieth Century.
In the old Norwegian language, the word "skid" means "covered with skin". People actually used sealskin or reindeer skin to prevent the boards that were being used as early "skis" from sliding backwards when they had to go uphill. There is also another possible origin to the word, wich is also Scandinavian: "Ski" actually means a piece of wood taken from the most seasoned part of the tree trunk, wich was then used for skis.
In some areas there it was the custom to use two boards of different lenghts. The shorter ski was used for the pushing movement and the longer one ensured a proper sliding movement was achieved. Those who used skis of the same lenght pushed themselves forwards using a stick or a lance, which eventually became useful ski poles.
Just like many other sporting disciplines, skiing has also passed through a military period during its evolution into its modern form. Norwegians in the 17^ century organised competitions aimed at training their young soldiers. The specialties obviously had a military leaning: rifle shooting at speed ( a forerunner of the biathlon), and the freestyle downhill competition, a cross country race that was attempted with a rucksack and bayonet.
The first non-military race was also held in Norway: King Harald was defeated by one of his warriors during a skiing challenge. Skiing in the modern sense of the word was first talked of only during the second half of the nineteenth Century: in 1860 the King of Norway again gave a cup as a prize for a race held in Oslo, whereas the discipline spread to the rest of Europe after this. There is a curious anecdote regarding the introduction of skiing to Italy: in 1897, on his return from one of his journeys, the engineer Adolf Kind, a Swiss businessman, brought an old model of a ski made of ash to turin. It is said that the people who saw Kind coming down the Bardonecchia slopes, red in the face and with a flowing white beard rippling out behind him in the wind, ran away terrified, shrieking: "The devil! The devil!".
The wonders of the Alta Valtellina - The magic of snow
A third new ski-lift, the Bormio-Bormio 2000 cablecar, was built last year and replaces the Bormio-Bormio 2000 cablecar, which was constructed in 1969. The Oga-Valdidentro district is the ideal place for those who want to ski without stress, down gentle slopes that are always well covered with snow. The maximum altitude is 2.625 metres with 10 ski-lifts and no less than 30 kilometres of ski slopes.
Santa Caterina Valfurva is the domain of competitive skiers, who are spoilt by the maniacal care lavished on the slopes, which are always in perfect condition with plenty of snow and are often enlivened by the presence of numerous Ski Clubs. The maximum difference in height is around 1.000 metres, from 2.725 to 1.740 metres; From 2004/2005 season, two new cabin-cars for eight will be serving the 40 kilometres of ski slopes connecting Santa Caterina Valfurva to the valle dell'Alpe at an altitude of 2.725 metres.
Livigno, which is reached via the S.S. 301 road, welcomes enthusiastic skiers with its slopes that face different directions, so that it is always possible to ski in the sun, even on the shortest days, from early morning until sundown. The ski-lifts are right up to date: 3 cablecars, 14 chair lifts, 16 ski-lifts, making a total of 33 lifts with an hourly capacity for 46.460 people; the overall difference in height is 1.200 metres (1.800-3000 metres). The 115 kilometres of ski slopes are suitable for skiers with very varied technical abilities and an extensive snow making system is available.
