Skiing in Livigno
The first impression upon arriving in Livigno was that of a magical hidden valley in the middle of the Alps. All the trees were covered with snow, as was the frozen lake between the two sides of the mountains. This holiday, I stayed in my friends' van, a cheap and pleasant way to experience this new resort. The first evening we went out for a meal which instantly gave me a good impression of this place. The food was not expensive, the staff was nice, and we were never rushed to order, even as the queue at the door grew longer.
The next day, the skiing began. We spent the morning on the east side of the mountains, in the Mottlino area. There were probably about 10 of us on the slopes at 8:30, and the pistes were incredibly well-groomed. I took the first couple of runs to warm up, enjoying the dramatic landscape the mountains around Livigno offer. The snow was perfect, with the temperature at -7 degrees, and the air was crisp—just how I love to start the day in the mountains.
Having skied in a smaller resort so far, as I am teaching my little son to ski, I felt liberated to ski on such long and wide slopes. The steepness of the reds was just right, and even the blacks were perfect for carving long to medium turns without having to brake. I spent the morning carving great turns and having fun, trying to widen my stance, which I know I tend to keep too narrow, and creating great angles. At this point, I must admit I was more focused on having fun than anything else. Livigno seemed like a great place to live or spend some time: the staff at the bar where we took a break was young and friendly, as the rest of the staff I met during the staying.
Another great thing about Livigno is that it's very cheap (at least I found it to be). When we went out for lunch, we ate at a restaurant at the bottom of the slopes for just €21, including a pizza, a burger, water, and coffee—for both of us. I don't know where you live, but in northern Italy, it's very hard to spend that little for just one person, almost impossible for two people. In the afternoon, we skied in the west part of the resort, which was busier. I don't think it's just because of the time of day; it seemed to be where all the ski schools and intermediate skiers go, hence the higher number of skiers on the slopes. At this point, I focused more on my technique, exploring how much angle I could create with my hips. By the end of the afternoon, I felt great, very different from how I usually ski and with a great will to further improve my skiing.
We ended the day by going to the top of Carosello 3000, which offered a great view of the surrounding area. From there, the block of Ortles caught my attention, and I felt at home, as that's where I used to spend my autumn and summer ski training for so many years when I used to race. At the end of the day, I said goodbye to my friend Chris and wished him a great end to the holiday. I left Livigno, asking my wife to return here with our new van arriving in March, and enjoyed a full tank filled at a 30% discount compared to Italy.
