Get Vertical: thrills at over 3,000 metres

Obergurgl, a town whose name is literally unpronounceable. Especially if you are Italian, don’t know any German and have the French ''r''. You say it in your head again and again, and then even out loud, but it’s pointless: it just won’t come out! Then you put it on the navigator and there it is, at last, located on the map. Austria, Tyrol, Ötztal. Obergurgl is right there. The Get Vertical competition organised by Salewa gave me the opportunity to visit this beautiful resort town and its mountains whose peaks, in many cases, soar over 3000 metres.

Four days in the midst of exquisitely beautiful mountains and valleys, with the base camp situated at the Langtalereckhütte refuge (altitude: 2,450 metres) to appreciate this land of snow and ice, all waiting to be explored. And the Salewa team helps us to experience it in the best possible way, never letting us forget how important safety is (the arva check is mandatory as soon as you step outside the refuge) while also providing that perfect adventurous touch. There are about 20 of us, including the organisers and alpine guides, five of whom are Italian, in addition to yours truly, of course: Vicky, Caterina, Giacomo, Jacopo and Matteo. Completely different lives, stories, ages and personalities. Yet we all have a love of the mountains in common, which is the strongest bond that I know.

The decision to use Langtalereckhütte as our fixed base, beginning on Thursday evening, makes perfect strategic sense. Due to the altitudes, it lets us reach peaks of over 3,000 metres every day without too much exertion. The first outing started on Friday morning beneath a thick sheet of sleet, but ended with the sun shining and an indigo blue sky. It took us up to 3,472 metres on the Hinterer Seelenkogel. It is known as the ''Summit of the Souls'' in Italian, and is a spectacular peak on the border between Italy and Austria. Our route went up 17 kilometres, to complete an ascent of about 1000 metres, with a final leg on foot before arriving, at last, at the beautiful wooden cross. The descent is pure bliss in the midst of powder and somewhat demanding grooves, led by guides who constantly assess safety and give us instructions on the direction to take.

After going downhill for over an hour, we rearrange our outer skins and arrive at our refuge-home...tonight won’t be spent in the rooms, but rather beneath the stars. There is just enough time for a shower before setting off to put up the tents that the organisation has provided for us. I have already had the chance to sleep in a tent in winter, but for some it is their first time. Any fear of the cold is quickly warded off by our toasty warm sleeping bags and high altitude tents. The night rapidly flies past. At five in the morning, we are already busy dismantling the base camp and going inside the welcoming refuge where a generous breakfast awaits us, before we leave again.

Midway through the third day, a Saturday distinguished by fog, we encounter the Gurger Ferner. A long, icy and practically flat stretch marked by a Siberian charm. When you think of the great north, this is how you imagine it. Solitary rocky peaks rise out from nothing, making you feel so small... as we laugh and joke, by the end of the day we have climbed more than 1,200 metres. The climber and Salewa athlete Simon Gietl also joins us for the final two days. Following his latest exploits with ice axes this winter, he shares his adventures with us. After chatting with us for a bit on the final day, I shoot that must-have selfie with him!

Our guides are tireless with adventure awaiting on the fourth day. We make a superhuman effort to reach the altitude of 3,230 metres followed by an exciting descent to fresh snow (also thanks to the abundant snowfall during the night), going by a small route with fixed ropes as well! Wild with excitement, we reach the refuge where we have lunch before...going back home. That’s right. Four days really flew by. Wonderful, exciting, well-organised, so much so that leaving now is a real pity. But these four days of ski mountaineering have charged us up - we are full of enthusiasm. The idea is to get together again: perhaps in the summer, perhaps in the Dolomites, perhaps climbing. To repeat this experience in the mountains that we shared. So as to not lose that fine thread that now bonds us. Thanks guys, with all my heart, and thank you #salewagetvertical!