Piste Azzurre: Twenty Years Alongside the National Team
The project was officially launched on 31 October 2006 during a press conference at the Skipass Fair in Modena. In reality, the idea had already taken shape in spring that year, immediately after the Turin Winter Olympics. Conceived by Richard Weissesteiner, advisor to the Italian Winter Sports Federation (FISI) for alpine skiing, and fully supported by then President Gaetano Coppi, the initiative proved visionary from the outset - anticipating many of today’s training needs. The goal was to create a FISI federal training centre where World Cup athletes and young talents could train with quality and intensity in a valley strategically located near several World Cup race venues. The intuition proved to be a winning one.
The initial agreement established Val di Fassa as a federal training centre through the Vancouver Olympic Games, guaranteeing top-level slope preparation, dedicated hospitality services and season ski passes for athletes and coaching staff. The partnership has continued uninterrupted ever since and is now approaching its twentieth anniversary - a historic milestone, with the ambition of continuing beyond the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.
Over the years, Italy's top skiers have built their success on the eight slopes known as the Piste Azzurre: Skistadium Aloch (Pozza), Monzoni-Costabella and La VolatA (Passo San Pellegrino), Belvedere (Canazei), Fiamme Oro, Piavac and Mediolanum (Alpe Lusia), and Tomba (Ciampedie). The Piste Azzurre have also become increasingly international. In particular, Skistadium Aloch and the La VolatA World Cup slope have hosted training camps for teams from over 20 nations, including some of the biggest names in the sport - notably American superstar Lindsey Vonn, as well as current Val di Fassa Pro Ambassadors Lara Colturi, Emma Aicher and Linus Strasser.
The Val di Fassa Pro Ambassadors
The Ambassador Pro project, promoted by the Val di Fassa Carezza Consortium in collaboration with the Val di Fassa Tourist Board, aims to strengthen the destination's international brand positioning within the alpine skiing world. Following in-depth scouting and market analysis, three top World Cup athletes were selected:
- Lara Colturi, the young all-round skier competing for Albania, who lives and trains in Val di Fassa for most of the winter with her family and team;
- Linus Strasser, German slalom specialist and winner in Kitzbühel and Schladming;
- Emma Aicher, one of Germany’s most promising young talents.
Rather than focusing on logo visibility, the Pro Ambassadors promote Val di Fassa through storytelling - sharing experiences rooted in training, competition, local culture, gastronomy, sustainability and respect for the mountain environment.
World Cup Winners from Val di Fassa
Val di Fassa also boasts a remarkable competitive record, with four local athletes having stood on the top step of a World Cup slalom podium:
- Angelo Weiss, winner in Chamonix (9 January 2000)
- Chiara Costazza, victorious in Lienz (30 December 2007)
- Cristian Deville, winner in Kitzbühel (22 January 2012)
- Stefano Gross, winner in Adelboden (January 2015)
Beyond these champions, the valley has produced generations of internationally recognised athletes, confirming its deep-rooted alpine skiing tradition.
