On Saturday, December 1, we headed up to Passo del Tonale to attend the inauguration of the new 6-seater “Vittoria” chairlift and celebrate the 50th anniversary of Sinval, the lift company that made skiing history on the Adamello.
In the late morning we reached Passo del Tonale, where plenty of snow and a temperature of -5 degrees awaited us. Our meeting point was Ristorante Baracca, a welcoming venue with a modern style that symbolizes the new development of Adamello Ski.
After the introductions, we went up to the terrace of Ristorante La Baracca, which overlooks the new chairlift. The ceremony then began in the presence of the President of Sinval, the President of SIV, the Mayor, a delegation from the chairlift manufacturer—BMF—and Floriano Omoboni of SKIONLINETV.
During the ceremony, Alessandro Mottinelli recalled the key role that Sinval plays in winter tourism in what is now the Adamello Ski area; it is thanks to the founders of this company that skiing developed at Passo del Tonale—foresight that paid off and made it possible to write 50 years of history marked by growth and development for tourism and the economy of these towns on the border between Lombardy and Trentino.
The celebrations continued with the presentation of the new surface lift and the new “Vittoria” Chairlift, 2 ski lifts that replace the 2 old surface lifts and modernize the nursery slope area where beginners take their first steps on the snow at Tonale.
“Vittoria” is the first 6-seater chairlift in the Adamello Ski area and the first chairlift built by the Swiss company BMF in Italy—a project that, despite the difficult economic climate, was strongly pursued by Sinval and supported by all local operators to continue progressing and improving the ski area. Next came the blessing of the lift by the priest and the ribbon-cutting ceremony performed by the authorities together with local youth.
Technical specifications of the Vittoria chairlift:
- bottom drive station
- ride time 2’ 20’’
- hourly capacity 2400 people
- motor power 280 horsepower
After a quick refreshment at Ristorante La Baracca, we strapped on our skis to try out the slopes of Adamello Ski.
We rode from chairlift to chairlift until reaching Valbiolo, where we made our first runs; however, poor visibility prevented us from skiing for long and, given the time of day, we had to limit ourselves to a few slopes at Passo del Tonale. Indeed, once we reached the Paradiso peak at an altitude of 2600 meters, we had to turn back because visibility was so poor that it was safe neither to go up to the Presena nor to ski down the slope.
Nevertheless, from what we could see, Passo del Tonale is definitely an appealing destination, as it manages to offer abundant snow all season long (we found just under a meter of snow) and a variety of slopes that connect with the Paradiso-Presena ski areas and descend toward Pontedilegno, where the other ski area extends.
All of this is served by modern ski lifts that prevent queues from forming at the lifts and make getting up to high altitude fast.
It is certainly a ski area well worth a visit, and we are already thinking of planning a trip soon, hoping to find good weather and fully enjoy this fantastic ski domain.
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