The 54th Trofeo Topolino of Alpine Skiing is at the starting gate, and starting tomorrow a wave of skiers from over 40 nations will descend upon the Trentino snows of Folgaria for the world’s premier youth skiing event. The Agonistica and Martinella Nord slopes of Fondo Grande will host the Giant Slalom and Slalom races for the Allievi (Under 16) and Ragazzi (Under 14) categories, awarding the medals of the “mini World Championships” of Alpine Skiing over the next two days.
This evening in Folgaria, the big-event atmosphere will begin to build with the opening ceremony at 6:30 PM, featuring a parade of the 42 participating national teams through the center of Alpe Cimbra and culminating with the lighting of the cauldron by an exceptional torchbearer, Stefano Gross. Like all great champions of the White Circus, the Val di Fassa slalom specialist boasts a “Topolino” past: the GS Fiamme Gialle athlete, winner this year of the World Cup Slalom in Adelboden, took part in the great Disney celebration in 1999, finishing 12th in the Giant Slalom.
Tomorrow, the spotlight will shift to the slopes of Fondo Grande with the Allievi Slalom and Ragazzi Giant Slalom races kicking off at 9:00 AM, when the young Italian skiers will take on nearly 300 peers from around the globe. The long list of participating nations brings together countries with a rich skiing tradition—such as Austria, Switzerland, Germany, France, Slovenia, Sweden, the United States, and Canada—alongside delegations from Armenia, Argentina, Venezuela, Japan, Australia, and Israel, to name just a few.
As usual, Italy will field two teams, composed as follows: Giulia Di Francesco, Elisa Platino, Marta Rossetti, Damian Hofer, Tommaso Nardi, Giacomo Dalmasso, Nina Bachmann, Isabella Lantieri, Filippo Della Vite, and Alessandro Pizio (Italy A), while taking to the slopes for Italy B will be Carlotta Saracco, Elisabeth Dander, Elena Sandulli, Davide Baruffaldi, Alex Vinatzer, Matteo Franzoso, Lucia Pizzato, Carlotta De Martino, Matteo Noris, and Davide Damanti. The races take place on a single hillside, and from the Fondo Grande finish area spectators will be able to admire the runs of the Italian and international young skiers, while between slaloms there will also be plenty of entertainment at the Disney Village. Side events organized by the committee led by Mauro Detassis will also liven up the center of Folgaria, with the Ciao Mickey Party tonight at 7:30 PM and the Disney Evening at the Teatro Cinema Paradiso scheduled for tomorrow at 8:30 PM.
Tomorrow’s races will start, as mentioned, at 9:00 AM with the Allievi Slalom on the Martinella Nord slope, while the Ragazzi Giant Slalom will be contested on the “Agonistica” slope in a single run. On Saturday, the two categories will swap disciplines.
For more information, visit the official website www.trofeotopolino.net
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