A long-awaited inauguration
A unique plant in the Bergamo area and with very few similar plants also in the rest of the Lombardy provinces. In Gromo, in the upper Seriana Valley, the opening of the new area dedicated to roller skis and biathlon. The idea was born from the world of hunting, from the hunters of Federcaccia di Gromo, supported by the Municipality and realized thanks to a contribution from the Region. The area is called “Biathlon Gromo-Arena Valle Seriana”. There is a roller ski slope, where you can also practice cross-country skiing in winter, and a polygon for biathlon, the discipline that combines rifle shooting and Nordic skiing. We wanted to equip this space for the boys of our ski clubs - explains Aldo Santus, president of the hunters section of Gromo -. Often, in fact, they carry out roller ski training on the roads with the risks that this entails. In addition, they will also be able to train for cross-country skiing without having to go too far ».
How the idea was born
The idea was born three years ago by hunters, who found the support of the municipal administration and also of the Lombardy Region. At the inaugural moment, among others, the regional councilor Paolo Franco (thanks to his agenda the funds arrived from the Region), the councilor of the Gal Valle Seriana and the Bergamo lakes Cinzia Baronchelli, the commander of the winter sports section of the Davide Carrara Carabinieri Sports Center, the biathlon manager of the Fisi Alpi Centrali Committee Michele Camarda, the regional president of Federcaccia Lorenzo Bertacchi, the president of the Bergamo Fisi Fausto Denti. “For our association it is a huge boast, I do not hide it and we are honored by what Federcaccia Gromo has done, thanks to the support of the municipal administration - said the President Lorenzo Bertacchi-. A project that starts from afar, Aldo Santus told me about it almost 15 years ago, he had it in his head and with his stubbornness it has been realized. It is the first plant to be born in Bergamo, from a sporting point of view it has a great value.
A great social value
It is a winter discipline, but in the rest of the season the track can be used for ski roll and makes safe training possible for everyone, even the youngest. It is an important space with a great social value: this is an example of our commitment in the world of everyday life. Biathlon has hunting roots, such as clay pigeon shooting and archery. There are petroglyphs from the third millennium BC in Norway that portray hunters on skis, we have Chinese documents that deal with the practice of hunting on skis of the second century AD, writings by Virgil of 40 BC that deal with hunting on skis; the roots are those and the sporting discipline was born with the military evolution, the first competitions of the 1800s were called military patrol competitions. In Sweden, Norway and Finland, rifle hunting on skis is still practiced ”(source: FIDC).