Review of the Alleghe 2009 trip
Alleghe – Super Dolomiti – Italy
Friday Feb. 20th – Sunday March 1st 2009
I.Introduction
Our
regular reporter Rod Allen (ESA), who went to Alleghe with the
EPO-Ski-Club for the 5th time, decided to delegate his duties this year.
“Because
of injury we have not managed to participate as fully as we would
have liked in the happenings of 2009.The general outline of the
Alleghe trip has been well covered in previous reports, so needs no
further comment, except to say that the weather was great this year
and the organizational clockwork is still in full working order”,
he said. Therefore Rod passes the pen to the club of men traveling on
their own. Their wives didn’t join them this time and this
should produce enough material for a travel report, according to Rod.
The club
of “free” men consists of Henk Silvis (5 times to
Alleghe), Jan Vollering (very experienced: 12 times to Alleghe),
Marcel Daman (5 times), Eros Capostagno (5 times) and the author of
this piece (8 times). Appointed as the author because the memories of
the other members have faded too much through drink and other
excessive après-ski activities.
II.Organization
Karel
Schuurmans is the great initiator of about
4 trips per year, where skiing in Canada or America also sometimes
belongs to the possibilities. He has been doing this for 26 years and
everything according to the EPO quality norm (Everything Perfectly
Organized).
Last year
was a jubilee: 25 years with a total of 3186 participants spread over
78 ski trips.
The
Alleghe-tour 2009 is the 13th in a row organized by Karel. Whether the number 13 was unlucky we’ll
find out later. Besides being the organizer of the travel experience
he is also the animator. He encourages us continuously, often with
the motto: “People, we’re going to go for it!”
Because of the absence of the normally correcting influence of our
wives we should surely manage this.
III.The trip
This
year the group consisted of 55 people. Families with young children,
a group of youngsters, a group of advanced people (in all respects,
but unfortunately also in age) and everything in between. We departed
on Friday. February 20th at 6 pm with two busses from the EPO terrain. The first stop, as
always, is at the Van der Valk Hotel in Moers.for dinner. After that,
although comfortable in the Royal Class coach, follows a long journey
of some 1000 kilometers. With pillows, blindfolds and “night
caps” we try to get some sleep. It isn’t easy, but after
all these years you get used to it.
Just
after 12 the following afternoon we arrive at our destination: Hotel
Centrale in Alleghe. The owners, Teresina and Loris de Biasio and
their children, are awaiting us, as always
assisted by Loris’s parents. Both still on their own feet and
without a zimmerframe.
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Of
course the ski club has got several bouquets
from the EPO-flower man ready for them.
The largest bouquet however has vanished,
“Stolen” it’s being said “and that in broad
daylight. The audacity of these Italians! “ The next
day our driver finds the bouquet in the closed
off area of the bus. |
IV.Activities and ski trips
Saturday:
We collect our skis and snowboards at the local ski-hire and put them
in the hotel’s ski- room. Others hire a locker at the ski lift
so they don’t have to carry them. We have a walk around in
Alleghe, along the banks of the lake and the shops. All this with the
intention to acclimatize and avoid altitude sickness, a warning
impressed upon us by the home front. We also take a quick look at
the Enoteca (with excellent wines) and the piano bar. Everything is
in order and nothing prevents us now from beginning the ski
adventure.
Sunday: We cautiously try out the skis on the slopes in the Civetta area. Part of the group will stay here all week. With a Dolomiti Super Ski pass there is an extra adventure to be had for an additional €40,- This pass gives access to the other ski areas in the Dolomites.
You
can get there with local busses. However, we have the luxury of our
own bus with our own driver, Arie Klop Not
any old driver but a man who’s experienced everything:
agricultural engineer, director of a large firm, teacher at a dancing
school, racing licensee and with girlfriends throughout Europe. He
considers our little group of “free” men a
bunch of boy scouts. All the more reason a must try for
us to take Karel’s motto to heart and drink to
go for it. We therefore make a start the "bombardino"with
downing the bombardinos, a local drink with
whisky, eggnog and whipped cream.
Monday:
We go to the ski area of San Pellegrino with our bus, then with the
cablecar up to the Col de Margherita (2513 m) and ski to Falcade.
From there over the ski slopes back to the bus.
Tuesday: Instead of the beautiful Sella Ronda, which we usually visit, we go to the ski area of Cortina d’Ampezzo this year. Also a very beautiful area. In 1956 the Olympic Winter games were held here. Jan Vollering decides to go extreme and separates himself from the group. He and his recruits do indeed experience their own adventure there.
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Totally
lost he is forced to take a taxi home. On the way back he has to pick
up one of his recruits. Whether this was a bar or a police station
has never become clear. Late that evening he arrives at our hotel, in
one piece but badly shaken. Karel gets the blame. Obviously, because
he does the thinking for us and he should have done that here too.
Arie appears to earn a bit on the side in his spare time. He knows nothing about playing poker, so called, and therefore the youngsters let him join them. In doing so he manages to trick them out of all their pocket money. Now the boys have got less to spend in the bar. This has its advantages, because they are more approachable in the morning.
Wednesday: First we go skiing or snowboarding respectively, via Col dei Baldi in the Civetta area to Pescul. Then we take a local bus over a beautiful mountain pass to the Passo Giau (the trip however is not included in the ski pass). Here we ski the Grande Guerra tour: the First Word War 1914-1918, between Italy, France, England, Russia and Serbia on the one hand and Germany, Austria and Hungary on the other. To cross a flat part of the piste we let ourselves be dragged along behind a sleigh pulled by two horses. The snowboarders take place in the sleigh and the skiers grab hold of the loops in a rope. €2,- per person and no change given.
Next
we ski to Arabba where Arie is waiting for us with his bus. In Arabba
you get the most delicious spaghetti carbonara in restaurant Mr.X.
The young people have hired snow scooters to challenge Arie (the
racing licensee) to a race. What happened there Karel has censored
from this report. But the stories about it are getting better and
better.
The ladies
have had enough of our moaning about missing our wives and think we
might cheer up with a night in the piano bar. After a reluctant
agreement we go along. We even get persuaded to dance. Dancing
instructor Arie is perplexed. He’s never seen anything like
this in all his career. Whether that is meant positively or not we
leave an open question, but we are having a great time.
Thursday:
The great EPO slalom competition at Col dei Baldi is on the program.
You can read the tension from our faces: “Please, don’t
let me finish last”. Risking life and limb we take the plunge
down. Just in time we make a correction in order not to miss an
awkwardly placed gate. We do not want to make the same mistake as our
previous champion Bogdan. Eventually we manage to reach our goal: not
to get disqualified and not to finish last.
After all
the emotions of this exhausting day we get a chance to recover with a
candle lit dinner. But not for long, because the Super Bingo is about
to begin.
As always
led by Karel, and this year assisted by his wife Mieke. Karel proves
to be very good in empathizing with his audience: we really
appreciate the alcoholic prizes.
Friday: Up to the Latermar ski area in our bus. Skied from Predazzo via Campeago to Obereggen. Excellent lunch in our favourite mountain restaurant, lovely on a sun drenched terrace. With great effort we get up to take the trip back to Predazzo. But there we first want to try the toboggan slide. Whether the widows’ pension will be sufficient doesn’t enter our heads. It’s now or never. First we get some Dutch courage. Feeling great we take our places on our sledges. We fly down. From time to time an adjustment to avoid an obstacle. In our enthusiasm we forget to brake. Accidents seem unavoidable, but fortunately the sledges are fixed to rails, because Karel also takes the home front into consideration. Fearful perhaps of a claim for damages: “Go all out for it…but with measure.”
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In the evening there is the prize giving of the slalom competition in our hotel followed by a great EPO fireworks display on the shores of the lake.
Saturday:
The rooms have to be empty by 10 o’clock, we carry the
suitcases to the cellar. We also want to use this last day for
skiing. With the local bus opposite our hotel we leave for Marmolada.
Another beautiful day. On our return we freshen up in the sauna.
Then we have our farewell dinner. Finally we load up the busses and
off we go.
Sunday:
After an extensive breakfast in Moers we arrive at the EPO terrain at
12 in the afternoon of March 1st.
We are relieved, everything is still standing.
Conclusion:
The area
of the Dolomites remains fascinating with all its imposing mountain
tops.
Difficult
to imagine this was once a coral covered bottom of an ocean.
We have rarely had such good weather as we did this time. The snow was excellent and even one meter higher than last year.
The value
for money of this winter sports holiday is very good. Transportation,
breakfast, dinner and ski passes are all inclusive. Ski hire is at
reduced rates and the drinks in Hotel Centrale are relatively cheap.
In a comparable ski area it would be difficult, if not impossible, to
find it cheaper. On top of that, here you don’t have to arrange
anything yourself, because Karel has thought of everything.
It has been proven that the number 13 is not an unlucky number. Because on this 13th Alleghe trip nobody had to go to a hospital and a doctor wasn’t even needed for a flu attack. Maybe this was also due to the weather and the snow conditions this year.
As far as
the ladies are concerned, thank you very much for the plasters on our
souls.
Mieke and
Marja were also kept busy with this. And if they decide to also stay
away next year no one would blame them. But Karel promised us that if
next year even more wives decide not to come along, he will get in
touch with another club to fill the bus and the hotel. And not like
before, the club of tall people.
So,
nothing stands in the way of our final conclusion: The same again
next year!
Karel, thank you !
Ronald de Groot
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English
translation by the team Marja and
Rod Allen. 
CLUB EPO-SKI AMICALE:
UNRIVALLED, SURPRISING and SENSATIONAL