Italy

Italy '98

SFO -> EWR

EWR -> MXP

MXP -> VCE

VCE -> Cortina

Cortina d'Ampezzo

Hotel Royal

breakfast

stadia

around town

Carnival

Mangia!

Tavernetta

Faloria

Refugio d' Faloria

Freccia Nel Cielo

Lagazuoi

Monte Cristallo

Socrepes

Socrepes skiing

Venezia

Today we take a trip to the Tofana ski area, to the Freccia Nel Cielo (Arrow of the Sky) gondola. We stroll through the parking lot, show our ski passes, and queue up under the protective shelter.

The crowd gets very excited as we see the gondola arriving. Even though we've been counted, and all of us will be allowed to board, there are some who need to push and jostle to get on first. Sigh.

It's a bit crowded, but nothing oppressive. I've noted where Rose and Felicia are.

I look back to see the gondola barn from which we started. There's a bit of chatter in the car, with the predictable jokes about fraying cables. (Of course, around two weeks earlier a U.S. Marine Corps EA-6B Prowler sliced through cables supporting a similar gondola in Cavalese, a stone's throw from here. All 20 passengers aboard were killed in the plunge. Even though his plane was 635 feet below the minimum flying altitude, and over 100 miles per hour faster than permitted, he was acquitted of criminal charges. He and his second-in-command were dismissed from the corps. A thumbnail to the map they used, entered into court evidence, appears at right. The red dot shows the accident site.)

Here's a downward look as we near our destination. Given the intense international scrutiny of the case - and the prohibition of military flights for the duration - made us feel pretty safe. Still, it was an eerie feeling to be in similar circumstances.

There's something palpably powerless about being hoisted far aloft in a small gondola held by three cables. All people are really equal in such precarious places.

Oh, what we'll do for a good ski run :-)

Finally we arrive at the top of the mountain. We get off the gondola, walking past the cable motors as we get into the main shelter.

Rose (at left) and Felicia and Adam (at right) get ready to tighten their boots and put on their skis to enjoy the very long run down the mountain. It's such a pleasure having the entire day be spent on just one run. Of course, if one is hurt or has equipment problems it's a long and annoying way down.

But our entire clan had no mishaps at all on the slopes; only joy this trip. We enjoyed our day at Tofana; Freccia Nel Cielo was very good to us.

Now it's time for a short bus ride home, a shower, and then dinner.