The first fifteen years of “A taste for skiing”

Michelin-starred cuisine returns to illuminate the Dolomites with the gourmet sparkle of the “Sciare con gusto” project. The 2024-25 winter season brings a new edition to the mountains of the event which for fifteen years has enlivened the peaks of Alta Badia with a simple yet bold formula: nine Michelin-starred chefs are paired with nine mountain refuges and a dish created specifically for each occasion. The event is now the flagship of Alto Adige’s gastronomic and tourist season and is a perfect combination of nature, skiing and good food at the highest levels.

It is a story of success and solidarity that began at 2,079 meters above sea level, where Markus Valentini manages the Ütia Bioch that belonged to his father Goffredo and a refuge that boasts a tradition of Ladin hospitality since 1990. "One day while we were chatting, my friend and multi-starred chef Norbert Niederkofler said to me “We need to think of something special for the high-altitude refuges and increase the quality of the food on offer for the guests of these wonderful facilities we have in the Dolomites”. So we got the starred chefs of Alto Adige involved and asked them to each prepare a dish for a specific refuge in Alta Badia. The result was the first edition of "Sciare con gusto". Bringing internationally renowned chefs to the refuges on the slopes was a pioneering idea "but it showed how, even at altitude, sophisticated cuisine of the highest quality could be requested and appreciated" reflects Valentini. Today nine refuges are the leading features of a project that is growing every year, attracting both gourmets and the simply curious. "At Bioch we have a wine list with 1,430 labels and 11,000 bottles: something unthinkable at the beginning".

This enthusiasm is shared by Alta Badia Brand director Roberto Huber whose name also appears on the project. "We are the only resort in the Alps to offer an experience of this kind. It is extraordinary to see guests on skis, who in traditional refuges expect to find just sausages and chips, left speechless in front of a dish that has been plated and served as if in a Michelin-starred restaurant. It’s an experience that is impossible to forget".

Every year "Sciare con gusto" proposes a theme on which the culinary creations focus: from 5^th December 2024 until the end of the season in April, the theme will be "la vivacità” or “vivacity". Among the leading names of this edition are chefs of the calibre of Massimiliano Alajmo with three Michelin stars, Valeria Piccini of the two-star Da Caino in Montemerano, Viviana Varese of Passalacqua in Como, Giuseppe Guida of L'Antica Osteria Nonna Rosa in Vico Equense, Cristian Fagone of the Impronte restaurant in Bergamo, Pier Giorgio Parini of Quimérico in Cervia, Giancarlo Morelli of Pomiroeu in Seregno and Simone Padoan of I Tigli in San Bonifacio. Simone Cantafio, a "home-team" chef in Alta Badia who leads the squad at the La stüa de Michil starred restaurant at the La Perla hotel in Corvara, describes the dish he will present at the Ütia I Tablá refuge as follows: "I have revisited the tortellino in brodo, a classic of Italian tradition, with a touch of the mountains. The filling is made with Pusterese potatoes and Graukäse, a typical cheese from our valleys, while the broth is flavoured with Yuzu Kosho, a Japanese condiment that adds a citrus and spicy note. It is a warming and energizing dish, perfect for skiers”.

"Trained" in the schools of Cracco and Marchesi, Cantafio admits that it is incredibly stimulating to work together with other top chefs. "It's my fourth edition and being alongside names like Alajmo and, in previous years, Pierangelini fills me with pride. It's incredible to think that there is such a concentration of culinary excellence on our slopes."

The event not to be missed is the "Gourmet skisafari" which marks the opening of the starred season on the slopes every year: skiers can move from one refuge to another (Piz Boé Alpine Lounge, Pralongiá, Bioch, I Tablá, Moritzino), taste the chefs' creations and listen to the stories behind their dishes directly from the top names in the Michelin Guide. "It is an unforgettable event” confirms Roberto Huber “because it offers guests the chance in between skiing to taste top-quality dishes in the warm and welcoming environment of mountain refuges (these are the nine refuges involved: Piz Boé Alpine Lounge, Pralongiá, Bioch, I Tablá, Moritzino Jimmi, Las Vegas, L’Tamá, Lé). It’s a game, a way of having fun and an experience that combines the charm of discovery with the art of cooking”.

What makes "Sciare con gusto" unique is the deep bond with the territory, a common thread running through every edition of the event. Chefs are called upon to promote local products such as mountain cheeses, Alpine herbs and meats from the local areas, helping to keep the gastronomic traditions of Alta Badia alive. “People appreciate that the dishes reflect the territory” Valentini emphasizes. “The real challenge is to renew the offer every year without ever losing sight of quality. For us refuge managers it is important to continue to believe in this project because it works. Guests are always looking for something new, stimuli that satisfy them not only visually but also on an olfactory and taste level in an adventure that involves all the senses.”

Simone Cantafio, in turn, confesses that keeping the enthusiasm alive is not difficult. “We are very proud of what we have managed to build during these years and I think that the path is the right one. But we must never stop, we need to give space to creativity to evolve. Sustainability will certainly be one of the central themes of future editions.”

 Yet “Sciare con gusto” is not only synonymous with culinary excellence: for some years the initiative has had a charitable side, adding further depth and meaning to a high-profile event. For each dish sold in fact, €3 are donated to the Padua La Miglior Vita Possibile foundation, a non-profit organization at the forefront of supporting paediatric palliative care. “Last year we managed to donate more than €18,000 to the children's hospice project” reveals Valentini. “That’s a figure we are very proud of and which we hope to exceed this year.”