The second edition of the “Ostello Sunset Skialp” event, a ski and snowboard mountaineering competition that takes place on the slopes at sunset and at night in the ski area of Campo Imperatore (AQ), an iconic location in the entire Apennines, known for showcasing the best of the mountainous region of Abruzzo during the winter season, was held on Saturday, April 5th.

The logistical base for the competition and gathering was the highest hostel in Europe, with the extraordinary opening of the Gran Sasso d’Italia Tourist Center’s cable car, illuminated at night in a breathtaking setting that left a lot of emotion for all participants, solely for promotional purposes.

The weather forecasts by Stefano Bernardi Meteo were strictly followed, creating a fairytale atmosphere with a stratospheric light that transitioned from yellow to red, purple, and blue before the nightfall, making everything magical.

Around a hundred enthusiasts participated in the event, mainly from central Italy. Fifty of them skied under the technical direction of Raffaele Adiutori, with 10 in the athlete section on the longest track.

Afterwards, there was a pasta party and awards ceremony at the hostel before the fantastic night descent on the cable car. The track started with a downhill start followed by the first adjustment at the “Fontari” cable car and a climb through the “Del Parco” slope until reaching the finish line at the “Scindarella” facility. Then, there was another adjustment and descent towards the “Fontari” area, repeating the loop twice for women and snowboarders, and three times for skiers, before returning uphill to the hostel for a total elevation gain of 650m and 920m respectively, with a distance of 8 and 11 km.

At the highest point of the race on Monte Scindarella, the Alpine rescue of the Guardia di Finanza provided assistance, while at the lower exchange and on-track support was given by the State Police; also present in case of emergencies was the Carabinieri patrol.

Upon arrival, the personnel of the hostel and the ski instructors of the Tourist Center awaited the appearance of the light trails, applauding the male winner Carlo Silvagni (1h 27m 54s), who was followed by Gianluca D’Andrea (1h 39m 51s) and Fabio Daniele (1h 50m 00s). In the women’s category, Valeria Chiappini won with a time of 2h 03m 48s.

The Skialdeiparchi looks forward to welcoming all enthusiasts in 2026, while Live Your Mountain invites you to follow its summer activities and events starting with the ABRUZZO VERTICAL CUP on June 2nd in Introdacqua (AQ) with the Vertical del Monte Genzana.