Alpine Logistics

This Christmas local weather conditions have been very variable: mild, sunny days alternating snow and temperatures below freezing. It was difficult to plan trips, especially as the centre of the low pressure systems which kept tormenting us was right over Liguria; our favourite winter climbing destination.

Apart from a few brief outings to some near-by crags at the south end of Valle d’Aosta (Cesnola) we decided to dedicate our time to exploring the Alpi Biellesi in which we live. There is a dense network of paths that run the slopes, valleys and ridges of Mombarone; the mountain which dominates the view from the bedroom window of our new home.

These outings were very interesting as, apart from great views, we found widespread traces left by the people who once populated these parts. Ruins of ‘Malghe’ (old farm houses) in the middle of forests, which are interrupted every now and then by numerous rivulets that would have guaranteed a water supply to these farmers.

Completely different from the first-world, modern-day lifestyles we now live; self-sufficiency in food production was made possible by gathering woodland nuts and fruits and using pasturelands to provide grass and hey for cattle. The houses of the farmers at that time could be defined using modern jargon as ‘organic’, since they were built using materials found in-situ; stone and wood. These structures camouflage into their environment, almost as if they’d always been there.

The network of footpaths that we’ve explored during these weeks are not sign-posted and some can only just be made out…once upon a time they would have been used daily by the inhabitants to get around but now they are barely used. You could call it ‘Walking along the lost footpaths of yesterday’s rural countryside’: an interesting way of combining the passion of mountain walking and the discovery of these valleys, once thriving with traditional farm-life.