Canzo, Valbrona, San Primo Mount: snow and lifts

In recent years, because winters are becoming less rigid and the climate is certainly milder then before, snow in the Lake Como’s area has become increasingly desired. Yet not many years ago, many Como’s skiers were benefitting the many lifts that were also very close to our city. On each shore of the Como triangle around the lake there were ski lift services that allowed skiers to enjoy snow a few kilometers from Como.

In addition to the currently operating ski lifts of which we have already discussed here, skiing was usually practiced in areas like Pian del Tivano towards Canzo, in Valbrona and of course in Mount San Primo. Not only the Como’s inhabitants, but also the many coming from Milan were frequenting the Larian mountains in winter, that at the time were easily reachble by train and then by bus.

Today many of these installations are abandoned and closed, but it’s nice to tell many stories that are coming from the past. One of these concerns the first of the ‘900. It is curious fact to know, for example, that the first ski lift in San Primo Mount was built in the early 50s, and that before people had to climb the mountain on foot with skis on their shoulders, and then they could go down into the valley.

It seems strange to read this kind of stories today, but this tells us that there was a time when you had a passion for something and certainly less disposable income, however, the solution was could be found and this certainly made people happy, indeed, it was enough to have two skis above shoulder and to go! The important thing was to spend a fun day in simplicity.

Today, we know, things are a little changed. Better yesterday? Who knows, maybe in some ways it’s like this. For what concerns the snow, some installation are still resisting near Como, but for skiing it is necessary today to travel in areas that are at least 1 hour and half from here. But I wonder this: how many of us, with the comforts we are used to, could put the skis on their shoulders while to come down from the mountain to the pure desire to have fun?

I could find few archive photos. But I found this on attacchisci.blogspot.it, a site in which is told the story of the first ski lift in Italy and in the world. Oh yeah! Even in America before skylifts there was no other way: to rise, you had to do “snowplough“ or ‘sidestepping‘…good times!