In Cortina, the Dibona refuge says no to snowmobiles
[ad_1]
The choice of silence. Walking in a wood in the snow, establishing direct contact with Nature, perceiving noises and sensations. Bringing silence back to the woods in the mountains was the courageous and modern idea taken during the pandemic that prompted the owners of the historic Angelo Dibona refuge at 2,083 meters high in Valon della Tofana above Cortina, to discontinue the snowmobile service after 50 years. A means of transport that allowed you to reach the shelter in 15 minutes. After decades it can be reached by walking on the path only on foot or with snowshoes.
The interview
“Snow has an immense value, we don’t just think about skiing”
by Cristina Nadotti
“Starting this winter, the refuge can only be reached on foot,” he announced Nicholas Recafina, manager together with his brother Riccardo of the refuge located in the Tofana di Rozes area. The story of this family (it was grandfather Mario Recafina and his wife Antonia, daughter of the great climber Angelo Dibona who built the refuge on the ruins of a military building in 1953) was selected by Legambiente which included it among the “Good practices ” of the Nevediversa dossier, i.e. those choices which, in the name of sustainability, are taking place this year in the mountains. Practices that contribute to creating a new way of experiencing the mountains. More aware and green.
A brave choice
The intention is therefore to bring hikers and mountaineers closer to silence, among the rocks and woods at high altitudes. A unique experience also for physical well-being. “We want to offer mountain lovers a place where they can rediscover nature, tranquility and silence”, explained the managers of the Dibona, despite the cancellation of transport by snowmobile through the snowy woods on the Tofane was also a courageous choice from an economic point of view. In fact, the service was used a lot, especially for dinner during the holidays. The Dibona is one of the most popular places in the Ampezzo mountains, a base for trips, via ferratas and climbs among the most popular in the Dolomites. But precisely because of the snowmobiles that carried tourists back and forth to the refuge, a point of support with its rooms also for the mountaineers engaged on the Tofane walls, “the whole area was becoming a sort of amusement park”, explained the owners when they announced their decision.
The interview
“Artificial snow cannot be the solution to the climate crisis”
by Cristina Nadotti
Time to step back
Moreover, they explained, the management of the vehicles was becoming dangerous due to the overcrowding of the vehicles. Therefore, without the snowmobile service, the refuge can only be reached on foot, with snowshoes or seal skins. Everyone agree? Not all for the truth. On the web, the disappointment of tourists accustomed to climbing the Dibona refuge at 2,000 meters in 15 minutes, even at night, manifested itself for days. But the Recafina family defends its choice and has decided that in the face of the fate of the mountain which is fighting against climate change, the time has come to take a step back.
[ad_2]
Source link
