Alpe Cimbra: Sport for Everyone, but Really for Everyone
By Massimo Terracina
Alpe Cimbra is a Trentino ski area that includes 4 municipalities: Folgaria, Luserna, Lavarone and Vigolana. The luxuriant nature made up of woods, pastures, lakes, streams and paths invites you to practice countless activities and when the snow covers the mountain, the Alpe becomes a white paradise for skiers and snowboarders.
It is here, at Coe pass, that a unique initiative is being developed, aimed at assisting those who, with limited capacity, need specific, unique, dedicated and personal attention to each guest.
"It was 2011 when a team of professionals, the Italian Ski School “Scie di Passione” set itself the goal of giving anyone, regardless of limits - explains Stefano Carbone, technical director, from Bologna transplanted to Folgaria, graduated in physical education - giving the opportunity to live and practice sport in the mountains all year round. The needs of our students are the center of our attention. The instructors of “Scie”, motivated and prepared, are able to make your day in the mountains an unforgettable experience."
All this is part of a particular sensitivity developed by the territory towards this "segment" of people who have special needs.
"It is not enough to say that the possibilities exist, we must act so that hurdles do not exist - explains Daniela Vecchiato director of the tourism promotion agency of Folgaria - Alpe Cimbra - We have equipped ourselves with reserved parking spaces in an excellent position, training the people who work on the plants, shelters, hotels and accommodation facilities because all of this is a puzzle made up of many pieces for the welcome that meets the guests, and their families, who need special attentions."
Furthermore, thanks to the use of specific aids and a dedicated preparation of all the staff, Scie di Passione is committed to promoting the daily integration between disabled and able-bodied people through sporting practice and the organization of dedicated projects that often also involve school groups and which, in any case, have as their objective the full usability for all of the mountains in both summer and winter.
The history of the school dates back to the 1st Day of Skiing in the snow, on 03 February 2011 when an idea by Corrado Sulsente and Tommaso Balasso, in collaboration with the Brain Power and Fair Play Associations, 130 children from the High Schools of Schio, able-bodied and disabled, they approach skiing in perfect integration in the Folgaria District. The enthusiasm and emotion experienced on that day gave shape to an even more important project.
In the following years, the current Association of Ski Instructors - Scie di Passione was born, based in Passo Coe in a small caravan transformed into a welcoming secretariat. The staff was made up of 10 young ski instructors, all specialized in teaching disabled people (motor, sensory and cognitive-relational) and motivated to pursue this challenging project: to promote sport for all and disseminate the culture of winter sports for the disabled.
In 2012 Scie di Passione officially became the Italian Ski School, recognized by the Autonomous Province of Trento. The number of instructors increases to 18, and the “fleet of vehicles” (monoskis and dualscars) rises from 6 to 9, again with self-financing by the instructors. In addition to Alpine skiing, Scie di Passione decides to expand its action in the world of Nordic skiing.
2015 sees Passo Coe become the logistic center for all the activities proposed by the “Masters of Scie”, which are increasingly developed articulating between outdoor activities (snowshoes, Nordic walking, fat-biking) and more classic sports (skiing Alpine skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing) up to hosting the FISIP Italian Disabled Ski Championships on Alpe Cimbra.
The SNOW4ALL racing circuit is integrated with the weekly TRAINING4ALL training sessions, thanks to which many skiers meet on the snows of Folgaria to improve their competitive
technique by sharing moments of pure fun. In 2017 the proposals of Scie di Passione are enriched with the offer of summer activities in the area, from Nordic Walking to Mountain Bike, sport and nature remain protagonists.
In 2018, a Joelette arrives, a kind of sedan on wheels, to make summer activities accessible to people with motor disabilities. In March the FISIP Italian Alpine Ski Championships return to Folgaria. The staff reaches 30 instructors to guarantee the service to the numerous Italian and foreign school groups who choose Alpe Cimbra for their sports trips. Always alongside the Edelweiss Ski Club, sports inclusion projects such as the Emma Project (integration between unpaired and other guys) continue.
