BardoLesa Italian Alps Winter Event Hilarity
BardoLesa is an annual sled race in Bardonecchia, Italy and it’s a blast.
Last Saturday I attended BardoLesa in Bardonecchia, Italy and it was brilliant crazy fun. Campo Smith was awash in good cheer as 20 homemade sleds took the slopes. Each sled had its own theme and a daring team willing to race down a ski jump just big enough to send sleds and in some cases bodies flying.
BardoLesa in Bardonecchia, Italy
I’m happy to report despite some very cringe-worthy moments, everyone walked away on their own two feet. Some of the sleds however were not so lucky. A few crossed the finished line piece by piece, albeit to hearty cheers from the crowd.
BardoLesa Video
Check out the hilarity in this YouTube video I pulled together from the evening.
At 1:18 in the video above, you’ll even see Simone Passerin and his crew fly by on a Shaun the Sheep sled. Simone and his company Sirio Construction are the fine folks who did the work on our home renovation here in the Italian Alps. They are also the folks doing a face plant in the snow in the last image of this BardoLesa 2022 Instagram gallery.
Some sleds seemed to be built for speeds while others for creativity. Perhaps the most creative was a BardoCola vending machine spitting out pint-size skiers before transforming into a delivery truck complete with a horn blast. Other sled themes included Frozen, Bonnie & Clyde, NASCAR, and one near and dear to our hearts a Bagna Cauda sled complete with live flames.
I will fully admit I was horrified when The Chicken House sled crashed down. Like a sports injury replay, I couldn’t bear to watch. One of the young members flew off and was promptly run over by the sled. Thankfully my friends standing nearby shouted “Oh no! Wait, no… she’s okay, she’s up running. She’s okay!” Not only was she okay but The Chicken House crew claimed the top prize for the fastest sled at BardoLesa 2022.
Other winners included Most Beautiful: Bardo Cola, Shaun the Sheep, Beauty & Beasts, and the Ugly crew: Pack for Keffeina.
BardoLesa History & Future Date Details
The BardoLesa 2022 theme was Fast & Fúrb. This year’s poster below should give you a good feel for what to expect from future events.
BardoLesa 2022 marked the 6th year for this winter Italian Alps Event. In sync with Carnevale, our entire mountain town was awash in confetti and good cheer. Vittorio Montabone, then president of the Pro Loco and now deputy mayor of Bardonecchia was the mastermind behind the original BardoLesa in 2016. Mr. Montabone summed up BardoLesa 2022 perfectly in his closing remarks. “Thank you all! It was nice to breathe a bit of normality despite the difficult times we are experiencing. ”
It didn’t matter when sleds got bogged down. Flying, pushed, or walked across in pieces everyone cheered when a new sled crossed that finish line. That’s the spirit of a small Italian Alps town of Bardonecchia. We’re 3,000 people living in the Italian Alps and we are here for fun thank you very much!
Each year the Tourist Association Pro Loco Bardonecchia puts on BardoLesa. For details on future BardoLesa events check the official Pro Loco Bardonecchia website. Follow ALOR Italy for more stories of fun from life in the Italian Alps.
That looks like so much fun!! I’d love to see that race. Thanks for introducing me to it. Maggie
Honestly, if you’re ever anywhere in Italy please let me know. I’d love to come say hi!