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Passo San Pellegrino

Passo San Pellegrino

and Margharita

Insert: 03.04.2014
After the successful start of the season in Verbier I was able to run for at least a week to all my studies, exams etc. and go for powder snow. I went with my parents this time only hoping that I will find to someone to meet and have another great powder week. .




Weather forecast reported a huge powder dump, more than meter actually. Everything therefore suggested a great week . It was pretty crazy way , individual mountain passes were closed due to avalanches just after we drove though them. It took us finally to the planned 12 hours at about 15 , but we finally got to the place .

Passo San Pellegrino is basically a few dozen houses along the road , where each side along the way is covered by individual lifts . The resort belongs to the Tre Valli complex that is connected and has a range of multifaceted more accessible areas, where San Pellegrino represents the most extensive one. The most dominant centers around the mountain then the Col Margharita ( 2513m) which leads to the gondola and represents a sort of greatest attraction for freeriders , since there is a marked freeride park right on the North face .

Sunday continued by heavy dump , so we could not see or move on . I was excited that it will at least give the forest a little zaprášit , unfortunately it was crazy warm and the snow was incredibly heavy, so I struggled even more than in Switzerland. Monday was again disgusting, but fortunately less . So I decided that 'm definitely coming to gondola towards Margharita when I met a bunch of freeriders who looked like a PRO with ABS backpacks. At the top front of the station I saw a mark of avalanche four, so I think that I will not fooling around and let them go to the backcountzry , while I go down the slope.

Wednesday , Thursday and Friday supposed to be really nice weather , so I believe I will be able to test the North face of Margharita . Wednesday morning , slightly overcast, but otherwise very nice . I'm heading on the first morning gondola to catch the best snow. Once I got up with the gondola I found out that the freeride park is still closed. Lift services told me that it opens up to around 10am when he just call any of the people who care about it. All of a sudden I see one skialpinist , as he is hiking somewhere along the ridge of Margharita. From what I have seen from my apartment, he is heading to one of the other couloirs the hill offers . Turning on my music and heading towards him to see where he is going. This took me to very nice powder couloir and after the guy made his run I took mine one. If you keep keep an eye on the face it is quite safe line and  you can get back to gondola very fast and by a safe way.

Down at the station I meet one guy from the crew I met on Monday and I called him . I asked about the conditions , roads, etc. . This how I met with Albi with whom I spent the rest of Wednesday , Thursday and Friday. Albi is more or less local rider , so he knew where he could and could not go, so perfect guide . In the three days we rode whole Margharita and its North wall in several different ways. The park itself is great, but it's really rutted for a while. That it is possible to get to distant locations is required to have skinns, but it will not take much more than a few tens of minutes and can you will find very nice fresh lines.

Overall, the resort is pretty cool but quite overcrowded. A lot of local freeriders are showing up when there is a nice powder day so you have to be fast and catch the best lines. I appreciate also the PIEPS controller up at the station . The resort certainly offers more than just a ride on the north wall of Margharita . For example, the whole left side (opposite hill Col Margherita ) boasts wonderful south walls where the majority seems to be a popular playground with small cliffs . But there you would have to climb very early in the morning (lift is going not more than 600m under the top) , when, after three days , that was nicely falling sluffs everywhere around . Resort, when picking up good conditions and is not such a warm day, definitely worth it. I plan to get back here to see Albi, because I expect to ride a nice steep couloir, which was due to a few meters of wind-blown snow inaccessible . So see ya next year Margharita !
 
 
 
Author: Robin Ševčík
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
OAeV - Alpenverein

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