Trafoi, in Alto Adige, hosted the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the Avalanche Azzurra, the five champions of Italian alpine skiing who became legendary with the achievement, on 7 January 1974, of the first five places in the giant slalom of Berchtesgaden, in Germany.
The legendary five, Piero Gros, Gustav Thöni, Helmuth Schmalzl and Tino Pietrogiovanna, with Linda Stricker (wife Erwin, who passed away in 2010), together with Herbert Plank, Paolo De Chiesa, Marcello Varallo, Chicco Cotelli, participated in the initiative.
“It was a very nice period, because at least three or four of us were always in the top ten positions”, Thöni recalled on the sidelines of the celebrations.
The event was organized at the Bellavista hotel. “We could only have the party at Gustav’s house, who for us was the great captain, our driving force”, said Gros in this regard.
The heir of the Avalanche Azzurra, Alberto Tomba, didn’t want to miss out on the initiative either. “We celebrate – he said – among kids, all of a certain age, but it’s always a thrill to be together with champions who were my myths”.
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