GREAT DAYS 2019: HERE’S WHAT HAPPENED!

Nature, sport and friendship. Three words that sum up Great Days 2019, the event organised at Livigno’s Carosello 3000 Mountain Park in Valtellina. A jam-packed programme of mountain bike riding, excursions, parties and a treasure hunt on the famous Tutti Frutti trail.

A three-day event celebrating the beauty of the mountain and one of the most thrilling outdoor sports there is: mountain biking. The event took place on the tracks and trails of Livigno’s Mountain Park Carosello 3000. Here’s the lowdown on what happened:

Friday / Welcome to Little Tibet

Sunset Ride: Participants enjoyed a cablecar trip up to an altitude of 3000 metres as the sun began to go down. After a group photo at the Freedom Eagle (a sculpture symbolising the outdoors and that depicts the Carosello 3000 logo) everyone began the 1000-metre descent on the Coast to Coast, H-Dream (Hutr) and Blueberry Line trails. Along the way, riders stopped at a panoramic lookout with views of Livigno lake where they were welcomed with an aperitivo of local products from the Livigno valley and where the events for the weekend were presented.

Welcome party at Marco’s Pub: A dinner of locally-sourced meats was followed by a screening of the “Transnaples” video, a project by Hans Rey that aims to illustrate the beauty of mountain biking in areas near big cities. At the end of the film, the party kicked off with some rock and blues by the band Rock’n’Roll Kamikazes.

Saturday / Riding and Tactics

Tutti Frutti Team Challenge: Who said a bike event has to be all about speed and adrenaline? For the Tutti Frutti Team Challenge it’s imagination and cunning that count. A mix of orienteering and a treasure hunt where teams of participants, equipped with a special map of the 45 km route, had to find objects and people, complete tasks and take part in photo contests, all using Instagram stories.

Participants of the Team Challenge had to face tasks that included finding a Highland cow, taking a dip in the river Spöl and reaching the snowy viewpoint at the Madonon.

They even had to find Wally, the famous character dressed in red and white stripes, who made his first appearance during the Tutti Frutti Team Challenge and who will be back on the Carosello 3000 trails for some weekends in the summer. Anyone who finds him will have to be quick with their smartphone because the most original photo will win some special MTB gear (see info).

Après-bike and prizes: During the sports events, the official drink of Great Days was the wellness drink Holy, but at the end of the day it was time to relax at the après-bike event with the craft beer 1816, produced in Livigno’s renowned brewery and served directly from the 500-litre tank installed in a vintage VW van. There was music and laughter as all the teams came on stage to discover their scores and receive prizes which included FTPro bike gear.

Sunday / Nature and Friendship

Mtb Tours: Sunday morning was dedicated to riding, with various tours led by the Bike Livigno guides. There was an enduro ride where participants could try out a section of a new trail, The Bomb, almost entirely built by hand and which will be officially opened to the public in early August. There was also the Wild Goat e-mtb tour, where participants ventured into the wild Federia Valley to discover old-school style single trails.

Party in the Woods: Participants of the tour then met up at the Plascianet hut for the Party in the Woods. A closing party for the event - there was an open-air BBQ and a chilled-out friendly atmosphere. Surrounded by nature, there was also an unplugged guitar and violin concert by YetiDuo.

Guests at the event included:

The Italian Enduro champion Jessica Bormolini, pride of Livigno, who is currently defending her national title whilst also competing to be crowned champion of the WES (World E-bike Series).

The Swiss Paralympic athlete Murat Pelit, together with the guys from Ti-Rex Sport, an association that works to give people with motor disabilities a chance to enjoy sports such as skiing, wakeboarding and, of course, mountain biking.

The mountain bike pioneer Hans Rey, who has played a big part in the development of Livigno as an internationally-recognised MTB destination and who recently designed the Tutti Frutti Epic Tour, a tour that can be completed in a single day and that includes the most stunning and accessible trails of the Mountain Park Carosello 3000.

Livigno’s Great Days will be back in the summer of 2020 (dates will be announced soon) with new guests and an even more exciting programme to celebrate nature, sport and friendship.