Neveplast Start Section in the heart of Dolomites

 

July 2020. Falcade, place of the ski Area San Pellegrino, opens the summer season with an innovative format designed for the athletes of the Ski College Veneto and local ski teams. One ski slope in Neveplast surface, named Falcade Start Section, to train the starting at the gate even with no snow.

The 12th of July the special test of the slope made by the girls of the Italian tv show Donnavventura, while they were in Falcade for the recording of the new travel format “Donnavventura” on RETE 4 tv channel.
In Molino, during the last sector of the slope Le Buse – Molino will be operating from the 12th of July and all the summer, a multidisciplinary center in artificial ski slope Neveplast designed to allow the athletes of the alpine skiing and snowboard training the starting section during the summer even without snow.

The project includes two start sections for skiers one more steep (54%) the other flat (40%) to exercise different set up that can be found in a race.

The carnet of starts was completed by a pump track with whoops for cross, SBX and SKI specialties. The ski slope is developed on a surface of approximately 500 sq. mt. to detect the speed at the start of the athletes has been installed right after the gate and at the end of the slope, chronometric detection systems. With the concept Neveplast the technical gesture at the start can be repeated many times having the same feeling as on real snow.

The format Falcade Start Section was designed mainly for the athletes of the Ski College Veneto, flagship of the Municipality of Falcade, that for over 30 years has hosted students – skiers from all over Italy and, through a program that harmoniously combines sport and school, forges them to build a career as champions or professionals in the winter sports field.

Now the guys of the Ski College Veneto have an additional teaching tool to be more competitive during the races. With the Falcade Start Section they will improve the technical gesture at the exit of the starting gate without moving from home, even during the summer. The center is open to all the Italian ski teams that can arrange summer training retreats in Falcade. The management of the reservation for trainings on the slope has been assigned to the Ski Area San Pellegrino for the summer 2020 and the use is totally free of charge.

Among the athletes belonging to the Jet-set of the Ski World Cup that practice on the format Neveplast Start Section shines the name of Carlo Janka, the Swiss star of fast ski disciplines who has been training on the Neveplast for 4 years with his team mates of the Swiss Ski Team. For SBX champion Michela Moioli from Bergamo has her own pump track in Selvino built specifically for her.

The concept Neveplast dedicated to the starting trainings has a dominant agonistic declination, but wants at the same time be for Falcade an authentic flywheel to promote the area and an excellent stage for events.

Talking about events, on July the 12th the group of Donneavventura, that were in Falcade to show the beautiful places of Belluno area during the recording of the TV show “Donneavventura Italia”, tried the ski slope. It wasn’t the first time for the gorgeous and adventurous reporters: “Donneavventura” infact inaugurated in October 2019 the slope Copenhill of Neveplast: 400 meters of length on the roof of the waste to energy plant in the Center of Copenhagen.

How the project started.

The project Neveplast Start Section of Molino was developed from an idea of Davide Pettini, member of the Cda of the Ski College Veneto that, facing the restrictions imposed to contain the COVID-19 diffusion, thought about an alternative to snow to guarantee the training of the athletes of the college. The choice easily felt on Neveplast, a company that Davide knows very well and had already worked with for events in the city. The intuition was shared with Luca Marchetti president of the Ski College Veneto and with the Mayor of Falcade Michele Costa that in a very short time turned to the implementation phase.
A brave choice the one took by the Municipality of Falcade that in a situation like no others while facing the post-pandemic crisis comes up with innovative solutions rooted in sport and in the authentic soul of the area which are now more that ever among the first drivers of travel motivation. The project is ambitious and is realized thanks to the partnership between Ski Aera San Pellegrino and precious contribution of DMO Dolomiti, which is attentive to find best practice to promote the Belluno’s Dolomites.

Michele Costa. Mayor of Falcade.

“In an exceptional scenario of generalized crisis post pandemic, solid proposals will be needed. There are not certain recipes but is during difficult moments that opportunities can arise. We started from our roots and from the long tradition in skiing and winter sports which has always characterized the area valle del Biois. The ski resort in Falcade has been protagonist of amazing skiing challenges and privileged stage of international sport events. One of the excellences Falcade praises is the Ski College Veneto, hub of champions and referee point in the Italian context for teenagers that are dreaming a future career as professionals of winter sports without giving up on school.
The project developed by Neveplast, designed to improve the starting exit of the athletes, since the beginning seemed an excel tool to facilitate the training of our athletes, skis on feet, also in summer. Also, it appeared to be a potential attraction for the touristic summer offer in our valley.
I wish the ski slope will become the favorite destination of the Ski College athletes and of the Ski team Val Bios as well as nearby local ski teams or national ski clubs.
Among the goals we want to reach there is catching a new segment of tourists refreshing the target of our traditional touristic demand during the summer.
Thanks to this new opportunity I believe many young people will spend some days in our beautiful mountains combining the training on skies to other sport activities in a magic dolomitic context.
We created a special synergy with the Neveplast team. I hope that this first project will lead to future collaborations. We have the same vision of the company Neveplast of bringing as many as possible on the mountains, all year around.”

Renzo Minella. Marketing Manager Ski Area San Pellegrino.

“The mountain with its endless spaces and pure fresh air, after the pandemic jumped at the top of the Italians’ summer destinations wish list.
The privilege of walking on our dolomitic path admiring the breathtaking surroundings, breathing fresh air, gained a priceless value in these times of health emergency. The extraordinary event changed irreversibly the way of travelling and all of us as tourism professionals, must face it. We can not go back but we can look to the future bringing effective solutions to attract tourists 12 months a year, enlarging the offer of summer activities that is where we profit can be. Spectacular views and social distancing is not enough to grow the tourism: tourist is becoming more curious and must be stimulated with new services that will make his staying not only a pleasant time, but also an active and fun time.
This summer, because of the notorious restrictions imposed by the health emergency we had to cancel some scheduled events. However, it is on the new Falcade Start Section that will take place two big appointments which will involve the whole Italian skiing movement and will host great ski champions together with little athletes from the ski clubs.
As business operator and mountain marketing specialist the idea of mountain that Neveplast has of guaranteeing snow and ski trainings also during the summer, is in my opinion, a good way to extend the winter season, which is always too short”

Luca Marchetto. President Ski College Veneto-Falcade.

“ I am enthusiast that the project Falcade Start Section has been built. In the alpine skiing discipline, especially in the fast ones, the initial phase f the race from the exit gate to thee pushing in the first meters is crucial for the final result. If a good start does not guarantee the win it helps maximizing the possibility to obtain great results.
The start section important also for the athletes of cross, ski and snowboard. Very often it is hard for our guys finding the right way and the time to training the starting section. The Neveplast format to train starting sections in Molino is tailored on our student-athletes and gives them the possibility to altern training on glacier and “at home” without moving.”

Camilla Ronchi