Home » Martina Valmassoi and a record at the limit of the human

Martina Valmassoi and a record at the limit of the human

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A challenge with itself rather than with the stopwatch. In a landscape as beautiful as it is familiar, but tremendously hard when you have to deal with the cold and, above all, with the wind, even more so if at night. The feat was signed by Martina Valmassoi, who reached 17,645 on Monday afternoon, setting the new world record for positive altitude gain with ski mountaineering skis.

A goal conquered with head and legs, after twenty-four hours up and down Mount Agudo, the “home” area for Valmassoi, Cadore di Pozzale, a hamlet of Pieve.

How did you come up with the idea of ​​competing for this record?

«I have to make a necessary premise. Until recently, I considered initiatives like this to be psychotic (laughs, ed). Then came Covid, which effectively canceled most, if not all, of the ski mountaineering competitions I would have liked to have participated in. The ski mountaineering season, but not only that, has in fact been canceled with a swipe of the sponge. At that point I started thinking about what I could do to keep myself equally fit but at the same time alive mentally. And here comes this possibility. To compete for the conquest of the world record for positive altitude gain with touring skis. I haven’t thought about it twice and since mid-January I’ve been undergoing to get where I am. But I want to say something that I really care about: I didn’t want to conquer the record, I wanted to do it at my house, in my mountains, with my friends and my close family to support me. The real satisfaction was this: having set the record in the home mountains. On Mount Agudo, in Auronzo, where, once you get to the top, where you turn around you see unique landscape beauties. For me, as a Cadore, the roof of Mount Agudo is equivalent to the roof of the world ».

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Tell us a little about the “behind the scenes” of this extraordinary event, not only sporting but also media …

«This is undoubtedly the most important sporting result achieved by the undersigned in her satisfying sporting career. And of important goals I can say, without false modesty, that I have collected several. Here, however, I went further, pushing myself into an unknown context, moving 360 degrees. I did everything myself, from organizing the event from an administrative point of view to managing the forces within twenty-four hours. I built the record in its entirety, from the moment I thought about it until the moment I actually achieved it. I like to point out the great help my friends have provided me. Some accompanied me during the adventure, especially supporting me in difficult moments. That there have been, I cannot deny it. In those cases the head was strong, the mental aspect proved to be decisive for reaching the record. Skiing at night, with the cold and the wind, was terrible. Fortunately, by my side I had Michele Da Rin to support me. Other friends have done some stretches with me keeping me company and helping me to relieve fatigue, maybe just with a word of comfort. I had stomach problems that risked ruining everything but, once I put on an extra thermal shirt, things quickly got better. I did not panic overwhelm myself, I took two good strong breaths to start up again ».

How important is this record in your career?

«I’m not a cannibal, I don’t have the desire to achieve results. Both ski mountaineering in winter and mountain running in summer (trail running, ed) are mostly fun for me. By nature I face everything with a smile, never with the typical tension of someone who has to conquer a certain result at all costs. And I repeat that I have collected a few races, even important ones and with relative victories. But always with the same attitude. It was the same this time too. This record represents the victory of a personal challenge but it does not affect what I have done so far and what I will do in the future. Because I intend to continue my very personal sporting path that will soon lead me to face new exciting challenges ».

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And what are the next challenges then?

“There are two. The one I’m anxiously thinking about will take place in late July in France. It is an ultracycling race, the Race Across France. Five days and 1100 kilometers with 25 thousand meters of altitude on a bicycle. It is an adventure in all respects, rather than a sporting event. For me it will be an absolute novelty, I can’t wait to start it. The other event will instead take place in Chamonix: it is the Tds, an ultra trail race inserted in the context of the UTMB (ultra trail ed). I signed up in 2020 but then, due to Covid, the event was canceled and postponed to 2021. Here, too, the numbers are very tough: 145 kilometers of running with nine thousand meters in altitude ».

Last question: what does Martina Valmassoi do in her everyday life?

«Sport is not my job but my job is connected to sport. I deal with social communication and photography for important brands such as Salomon and Scarpa ». –

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