Author: info.sgambeda

16 December 2024

BWT SGAMBEDA, THERE’S NO TWO WITHOUT THREE: KOWALCZYK STILL QUEEN. VICTORY FOR KAZAKH ATHLETE VOLOTKA IN MEN’S RACE

In Livigno, a solo performance from the five-time Olympic medalist, who claims victory for the third consecutive year, while a sprint finish decides the men’s race. Great international presence in this 34th edition.

The BWT Sgambeda was, as usual, an adrenaline-packed start to the season, the traditional cross-country skiing event that kicks off the winter season in the Little Tibet. It’s a historic event that continuously renews itself, thanks to the massive collective effort of the entire organization, always able to provide athletes with a competitive, spectacular, and scenic racecourse. The huge, meticulous work carried out throughout the week allowed participants to enjoy a track of rare beauty today.

The beauty of the track was met with clear enthusiasm from the nearly 400 skiers at the start, who gave the audience along the town and at the finish line an exciting race. Two races with excellent technical and athletic content, and, especially in the men’s race, a thrilling finish decided only in the final meters, after a long group breakaway. The perfect conclusion to a flawless day, which began with 15 centimeters of fresh snow and continued with the involvement of the entire community.

A particularly noteworthy performance came from Polish athlete Justyna Kowalczyk Tekieli, a world-class competitor, as evidenced by her five Olympic podiums. For the third consecutive year, she claimed victory, outpacing the competition with a time of 01:09:25. In excellent physical shape and with a deep knowledge of the course, Kowalczyk, who races for Team Robinson Trentino, finished ahead of German Sigrid Mutscheller, who was second, about a minute behind, and French Maya Even, who placed third. The best-placed Italian was Sara Hutter of A.S.V. Prad Raiffeisen Werbering, finishing sixth.

The BWT Sgambeda was more hotly contested in the men’s race, where a small group of athletes, led by Italian Paolo Fanton, from Team Futura A.S.D. White Fox, made the day exciting with a long breakaway, which proved decisive midway through the race. The group gradually split as the finish line approached, with Fanton and Kazakh Denis Volotka battling for the win. In the end, Volotka triumphed by a very narrow margin, crossing the line in 01:03:31, just a couple of seconds ahead of Fanton. Meanwhile, not far behind, German Jakob Walther from Ski-Willy Marathon Team overtook Frenchman Gaspard Meyer for third place, showcasing the great international character of the event.

The weekend was made even more engaging by the successful MiniSgambeda and the post-race lunch featuring Felicetti pasta and Vallespluga rooster, which framed a key moment in the Livigno calendar, combining high-level sport, tradition, cultural promotion of the area, and community participation perfectly.

9 December 2024

Official Announcement

In a completely snow-covered Livigno, with the ski lifts open and the cross-country ski loop active since October, the 2024 edition of the event will take place on a 25km course, passing through the most evocative and spectacular natural spots of the Livigno area.

The MiniSgambeda is confirmed, as scheduled.

15 November 2024

Countdown and Great Champions: Livigno Gears Up for the 34th Edition of the BWT SGAMBEDA

Technical Cross-Country Ski Loop Open Since October 25th, with Many Champions Training in Little Tibet. Meanwhile, Registration for the Classic Season Opener Remains Open.

Livigno Caput Mundi, in questo periodo dell’anno, con le discipline del ghiaccio e della neve che si apprestano ad iniziare le loro stagioni agonistiche, più o meno ovunque, in attesa che l’inverno arrivi davvero. E con il Piccolo Tibet, invece, dove la neve è già arrivata, fin dal 25 ottobre, sotto forma di anello tecnico dello sci di fondo, grazie alla pratica dello Snowfarming. Un’unicità nel panorama nazionale ed europeo che, sommata allo straordinario microclima della zona, attira i migliori atleti del circuito, nelle settimane che precedono il via della Coppa del Mondo.

Livigno Caput Mundi during this time of year, as ice and snow sports prepare to kick off their competitive seasons almost everywhere, waiting for winter to truly arrive. Meanwhile, in Little Tibet, snow has already made its debut since October 25th, in the form of a technical cross-country skiing loop, thanks to the practice of snow farming. This unique feature in the national and European landscape, combined with the area’s extraordinary microclimate, attracts top athletes from the circuit in the weeks leading up to the start of the World Cup.

This year, like every season—and especially in this final stretch before the big event of the 2026 Winter Olympics—Livigno has welcomed world-class international athletes. Norwegian National Cross-Country Ski Team champions and athletes such as Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, Petter Northug, and Lucas Chanavat have been spotted training in Livigno, sharing the loop with young local talents and passionate cross-country skiing enthusiasts.

Presenze di altissimo livello internazionale, che anche in questa stagione, l’ultima prima del grande appuntamento olimpico del 2026, hanno scelto questa meta per affinare la preparazione. Campioni della Nazionale Norvegese di Fondo e atleti del calibro di Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, di Peter Northug e di Lucas Chanavat, avvistati a Livigno in questi giorni, allenarsi fianco a fianco con i giovani prospetti locali e con i semplici appassionati degli sci stretti.

A bond between Livigno and cross-country skiing that also shines through in the traditional BWT Sgambeda, the classic season-opening event now in its 34th edition. It’s a moment of great collective passion for the sport and the discipline, embraced by the entire community. With the start and finish lines located near the town center, the event enjoys a unique setting, offering strong emotional engagement while maintaining the high technical standards of the circuit.

Mark your calendars for Sunday, December 15th—exactly one month from today—when the event takes place. Registration is still open online for a fixed fee of €60. This is a not-to-be-missed opportunity to secure a bib and enjoy a special day dedicated to sport and culture, as an active participant in one of the most beloved and iconic moments of Livigno’s winter season.

On Saturday, December 14th, the Minisgambeda will take center stage: a fun ski-cross course featuring turns, banked curves, and small waves designed for the enjoyment of children and teens. Categories include U10, U12, U14, and U16/18.

6 November 2024

LIVIGNO: KLÆBO, NORTHUG AND CHANAVAT ALREADY AT WORK ON THE CROSS-COUNTRY RING

Opened on 25 October, thanks to Snow Farming, it is the meeting point of many champions, who choose Livigno to complete their preparation

The winter sports season is still to come, but in Livigno it is already the time has come to put on your skis and toil on the snow, thanks to the opening of the first ring of the cross-country ski run. An amazing uniqueness, for the Italian panorama, made possible by the practice of Snow Farming, the storage of a large quantity of snow from the previous season, then protected from the summer heat summer heat thanks to some geothermal sheets. A welcome habit, by now, for enthusiasts and athletes from all over the World, who, thanks to this shrewdness, can test themselves on Livigno’s snow as early as the end of October, anticipating the timing and preparing for the start of the new season. The start of winter, inaugurated even, on 25 October.

As has been the case for years, therefore, in this period Livigno welcomes several excellent names from the international circuit, with real stars of the discipline flocking to Little Tibet to complete their approach to the looming World Cup. A parterre de roi that, more than anything else testifies to and certifies the propensity for excellence of a special location, reference point for hundreds of Olympic athletes, who come from all over the Planet, and choose Livigno for its magnificent facilities, optimal altitude, warm welcome and attention to detail, a consequence of the sporting soul of the entire resort.

Already today, therefore, it is possible for everyone, athletes and amateurs alike, to hook up their narrow skis and toil on the snow, meeting some of the illustrious guests who are already populating it, such as the champions of the Norwegian national Norway with Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, perhaps the best ever in the discipline, and Petter Northug, or Frenchman Lucas Chanavat, who came to the resort to be the first three to enjoy this extraordinary appetiser of winter.

And for all fans of narrow skis, Livigno awaits you on 15 December with La BWT Sgambeda, the historic granfondo that every year attracts cross-country skiers from all over the world to celebrate together the beginning of the ski season.

15 October 2024

WINTER IS COMING: LIVIGNO IS READY FOR THE MOST ANTICIPATED SEASON FOR ATHLETES AND SNOW LOVERS

Thanks to snowfarming, cross-country skiing takes center stage as early as October. In the “Little Tibet,” registrations for the Sgambeda are now open, combining sport, culture, and tradition.

Even though memories of a truly remarkable summer, filled with major events, mindful tourism, and plenty of sports, are still fresh in Livigno, the first days of autumn have already brought a glimpse of the future, hinting at the eagerly awaited snow season. In this “Little Tibet,” winter comes earlier than elsewhere, especially for cross-country skiing, thanks to the snowfarming technique. This allows for an early loop of natural snow, stored at the end of the previous season, to be ready by late October. This unique feature, combined with the extraordinary microclimate, attracts top athletes from the circuit in the weeks leading up to the World Cup. These high-level international athletes have been choosing “Little Tibet” for their training for years, and this season, the last before the major Olympic event in 2026, they’ll be found on Livigno’s snow once again.

As temperatures temporarily drop in recent days and with just a month to go until the first outings, the spirit of a place with a special bond to cross-country skiing comes to life. This bond isn’t just reflected in the number of champions who choose the area for training but also in the traditional Sgambeda race, now in its 34th edition. The race has become a symbol of Livigno’s collective passion, as a community, for sports and cross-country skiing in particular.

There’s great anticipation for this event, which over the years has carved out a special place in the hearts of both local enthusiasts and visitors. They’re always enchanted by the triangle of sport, culture, and tradition offered by the event. The start and finish near the town center provide a unique setting, with high emotional involvement, while maintaining the technical complexity of a significant course. This creates the blend of sport and magic that has always distinguished skiing at these altitudes.

This year’s Sgambeda is scheduled for Sunday, December 15, but online registrations are already open, with interesting promotions available in the early weeks. It’s the perfect opportunity to secure your bib number and ensure a spot for a special day dedicated to sports and local culture, as well as a pleasant reminder that winter is coming everywhere, but in Livigno, rest assured, it arrives earlier.

18 December 2023

BWT SGAMBEDA 2023: AGNELLET AND KOWALCZIK TRIUMPH IN LIVIGNO

Great historicity and international spirit: the perfect mix of past and future turns the 33rd edition into a cross-country skiing festival

Great success of public and participation in Livigno, for the edition number 33 of the BWT Sgambeda, which gave emotions from the beginning to the end, making unforgettable this last Sunday before the Christmas holidays. Numbers excellent and growing numbers compared to last year, with participants coming from every part of Europe and representing more than 100 teams, testifying to the fascination by the historicity of this event and the profound process of internationalisation, which has long characterised the events organised in the Livigno area.

France, Norway, Spain, Finland, Czech Republic, Poland, Austria and Switzerland are just some of the nationalities represented by this year’s bibs, for a true celebration of cross-country skiing, capable, thanks to its strong roots in the social fabric, its long tradition and the technical quality of the course, to bring together professionals of the discipline, amateurs from all latitudes and a latitude and a large representation of local athletes.

30 kilometres are planned for this 2023 edition, distributed along a route of rare naturalistic beauty, enhanced by numerous spectacular passages, designed ad hoc to make the most of the unspoilt nature surrounding Little Tibet, thus offering the athletes and the public, present along the entire route, snapshots worthy of a postcard or a landscape painter’s brush. The ideal setting to give also emphasise the good technical performance displayed by the participants.

Among the men, with a time of 01:06:06, the winner was Frenchman Gerard Agnellet, bib number 204, who broke the resistance of Italian Paolo Fanton, unfortunate protagonist of a broken pole, right at the climax. However, the challenge between the two, who were able to break away from the other members of the leading group, was exciting. leading group. Completing the podium was Daniele Serra, first among the pursuers, while the best of the Livigno athletes was, in the end, Saverio Zini.

Among the women, the triumph of the Polish Justyna Kowalczyk, a profound connoisseur of the course and a regular on the top step of the podium. With a time of 01:14:12, she crushed the competition, repeating last year’s victory, and confirming herself as an athlete of the highest level as certified by her five Olympic podiums in her career. With her on the final podium were Frenchwoman Emilie Bulle and German Sigrid Mutscheller, respectively one minute and 14 seconds and over two and a half minutes behind.

The event, inaugurated on Saturday by the MiniSgambeda, another appointment of conviviality and sporting event, was finally concluded by the pasta party in Plaza Placheda, a moment of celebration that best represents the spirit of the event. A strong point in Livigno’s philosophy, always happy to invest in sport as an instrument of social cohesion for the entire community. A vision that was also realised in the presence at the start of numerous local athletes, including the former Olympian Marianna Longa, and about ten amateurs who a dozen amateurs who have participated in every single edition since the event’s inception.

11 December 2023

Livigno: everything is ready for the BWT Sgambeda

Thanks to the abundant snowfall, the completion of the cross-country track that will host the event is imminent: 30 km of sport and nature open to the public

Winter has definitely arrived, in Livigno, and with its heavy snowfall has whitened from top to bottom one of the favourite tourist-sport destinations for tourists and athletes from all over Europe, giving a breathtaking view. The timing is truly perfect, with the Sgambeda, a traditional early season event, now just around the corner, scheduled for the weekend of 16 and 17 December. The Piccolo Tibet cross-country race, in fact, has long been an integral part of the identity of the area, because it manages to perfectly combine the sporting DNA of the locality and its strong historical character, giving the event a real aura of magic.

For this 2023 edition, moreover, a welcome novelty, the name of the competition is linked, for the first time in its history, to that of the Austrian company BWT, an acronym for Best Water Technology, which has been active in the field of water treatment systems for over thirty years. It is a meeting of similar philosophies and a profound communion of intentions, that which unites the Mondsee and Livigno-based company, linked by the shared desire to contribute to the creation of a cleaner world, where an ethical and conscious use of water resources can be promoted. A theme that is as topical as ever, even in this early winter, during which many mountain realities have suffered.

While waiting for the start of the race weekend, which will be inaugurated by the MiniSgambeda on Saturday 16 December, the first event of the weekend, all Nordic skiing enthusiasts will be able to start experiencing the race track, which will be available to the public, in its entirety, from the end of this week, thus offering lovers of the discipline the first moments to remember of a season that already promises to be very long and unforgettable.

30 abundant kilometres of Alpine beauty, evocative passages through the woods and immaculate snow: the perfect place to unite the love of nature and the love of sport on the same horizon. A timeless passion, which for thirty-three years has found in the Sgambeda one of its most successful expressions at national level. The event is scheduled for Sunday 17 December, and for which some bibs are still available: the last opportunity to take part in a race that is, at the same time, history and sport, participation and challenge, tradition and future.

8 November 2023

WINTER IN LIVIGNO HAS ALREADY ARRIVED AMONG CHAMPIONS AND LA SGAMBEDA

The whitewashed Little Tibet of Italy hosts many international stars, so the countdown to the December event has begun.

“Winter is coming” is a famous motto of one of the most famous Houses in modern literature and looking at the calendar that is indeed the case. However, if winter is looming just about everywhere, in Livigno – thanks to its strategic location and unique microclimate – it has arrived well ahead of all other Italian resorts. Heavy snowfalls have changed the landscape of Little Tibet, whitening the valleys, the forests, and the town centre creating a magic atmosphere.

A boon not only for tourists but also for winter sports enthusiasts and above all for cross-country skiers since the track in the village plain is already open and available to everyone. A technical loop of several kilometres, which keeps being extended day by day and will reach its full length in the coming weeks. A real cross-country skier’s paradise made of 35 kilometres of forests, trees, and pristine snow.

A beauty and precociousness that has been noticed even by the great champions of the discipline, who choose Livigno en masse every year as a training location combining the benefits of altitude training with plenty of natural snow.

Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, king of the discipline and one of the most winning athletes ever, the whole male and female Norwegian national team, the Frenchman Lucas Chavanat, who stood 16 times on the World Cup podium, the male and female Swedish selection: these are just some of the stars you can meet going cross country skiing on the technical loop in Livigno as proof of the deep relationship that binds the town and this discipline. A bond that is best expressed through the event La Sgambeda, which has been bringing the whole community together for decades around this noble sport made up of hard work and participation. A unique moment of empathy with nature, with other, and with the snow.

Also in 2023, La Sgambeda will therefore be one of the most eagerly awaited events of the winter schedule thanks to its long tradition and deep connection with the inhabitants of Livigno. The 30-kilometre race is taking place on Sunday, 17 December preceded on Saturday by La MiniSgambeda an event that once again highlights Livigno’s focus on sport as an instrument of social wellbeing and collective growth.

28 November 2022

ONE MONTH TO THE SGAMBEDA 2022

With the 32nd edition of the Sgambeda, scheduled for Sunday 18 December, Livigno confirms once again to be the favourite destination of cross-country skiing and of all its fans, professional and not.
After the recent awarding of the Sprint World Cup stage, scheduled for 21 and 22 January, the first in the centenary history of Livigno, it is in fact the turn of the traditional granfondo, which for more than three decades has characterised the winters of the resort.

The course, 35 kilometres, runs from the Livigno plain to the most beautiful mountain landscapes, and will test the competitors, who will be called to run it in free technique. Five categories are foreseen, subdivided according to the age of the participants: from 18 to 30, from 31 to 40, from 41 to 50, from 51 to 60, and finally the over 60s, testifying to the inclusive and participative nature of one of the most complete sports of all. In each category, registration is open until 15 December, by visiting lasgambeda.it

Great expectations, therefore, in Livigno for an event that over the years has been able to carve out a special place in the hearts of its visitors, always fascinated by the triangle of sport, culture and tradition proposed by the format. The start and finish near the town centre, in fact, give the event a unique setting, while maintaining the technical complexity of a circuit of absolute level. A circuit that, in part, is already available to the athletes, thanks to the opening of the cross-country ring, which took place on 28 October: the practice of snowfarming, also this year, allowed the skiers who came to Livigno to finish their preparation to put on their skis before everyone else.

In addition, for the 32nd edition of the Sgambeda, there was also the welcome return of the Pasta Party and the prize-giving ceremony, at the Centro Polifunzionale in Plaza Placheda, after two winters affected by Covid regulations.  The perfect way to reconnect with the traditional format of the event, which has always been the perfect meeting point between competitive and amateur sport. A not-to-be-missed appointment for all snow and cross-country skiing lovers, who will therefore meet in Little Tibet on 18 December to celebrate the arrival of winter with a day of fun, nature and competition.

7 September 2022

SGAMBEDA IS BACK: APPOINTMENT FOR SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2022!

The date of the 32nd Sgambeda has been decided; it will be run on Sunday, December 18.
35 km in free technique in the beautiful scenery of the Piccolo Tibet
Registration open since September 15th on the website lasgambeda.it

With the conclusion of the summer season it is already time to think about winter, in our case the first thought certainly goes to the Sgambeda, our granfondo that for 32 years has animated the spectacular snowy tracks of Little Tibet.

The date is set for Sunday, Dec. 18, while registration will open Thursday, Sept. 15 on lasgambeda.it. The registration fee until October 31 is 50 euros, then until December 15 it will rise to 60 euros. Five categories according to age, 18/30, 31/40, 41/50, 51/60 and lastly over 60, and for the top five males and females a very attractive prize money.

For the 2022 edition, the classic 35-kilometer course is planned to be run in free technique with start and finish near the center of Livigno, taking advantage of all the facilities of the Livigno Cross-Country Center. Then, at the end of the race, all the services of the pre-covid period such as showers, locker rooms, prize-giving and the highly awaited pasta party will return, all in the Plaza Placheda , which will be the event’s headquarters on race days.

This is a great opportunity to participate in one of the most expected events for cross-country skiers from all over Europe; mark the date of September 15 to secure your place on the start list of the Sgambeda 2022.

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