La Sgambeda 2006

December 28, 2006

The La Sgambeda race takes place In Livigno, Italy. This small and picturesque alpine resort elevated over 1800 m, offers excellent skiing conditions at the very beginning of the skiing season in Europe. It is the first race in the FIS Marathon Cup Series. Though not a Worldloppet Series Race, La Sgambeda attracts many citizen skiers looking for the early start of the winter season.

This year Livigno was one of the very few places in Europe that offered good conditions for cross-country skiers. Unlike previous years, when Livigno was covered by snow from the early December, this year the race has been threatened by the lack of snow until the week-end preceding the race. The snowfall on the 7th and 8th of December covered the valley with 30 cm of snow which was barely enough to perform the race. The organizers made a big effort to prepare the course in the short time that they had after the snowfall. Sunny but cold days during the pre-race week made it an excellent training period for those who decided to visit Livigno.

The weather changed on the race day. With the temperature rising quickly above zero during the day, the snow became soft and choppy which slowed down the pace and made the race more difficult. The elevation of the race course (over 1800 m) and difficult snow conditions made 42 km distance quite a challenge for many recreational skiers.

Over 1000 participants from more that 22 countries, very good organization and beautiful course ensured that La Sgambeda was a great beginning of the winter season.

Let’s hope for more snow during whole 2007 winter!!!

See you all at Jizerská Padesatka in the Czech Republic.

The winner of La Sgambeda was Ahrlin Jerry from Sweden at 1:44:00

Some results of IAWLS members who participated in this race:

This page was last revised on September 16, 2007