Yesterday I went to the local section of the CAI (Italian Alpine Club). It did not go as I expected.
The guys from CAI are a cheerful gang that meets twice a week to talk about its freeclimbing adventures and organize new ones. Or so I like to believe. When I presented the reason of my visit they addressed me to Claudio, a nice guy, as well as a knight of the roman pilgrims (or something like that) that invited me to exit the crowdy and loud room to quietly talk outdoor. After I explained my project Claudio lighted a cigarette, puffed the first drag and pronounced: you are crazy as a horse. Then he added: if my wife wouldn’t kill me I’ll leave with you. And that’s how I understood that I was in a usefull place: for the first time in fact the people I talked about my idea took it seriously. The moment that most warmt my hearth has been the alpine pass question: at the beginning I thought, without really spending time on it, to walk also through the Alps; but there I encountered so many critics and denies that I accepted the option of crossing the mountains with an alternative transport mean. A fear of mine in presenting myself at CAI was also this: to receive a further and more influentil deny for my winter crossing plan. Well, Knight Claudio took me unaware: at my question if a unexperienced traveller could face the Great Saint Bernard pass in january he answered: once there you’ll be very expert; if I were you I wouldn’t deprive myself of such an emotion, I would regreat it.
But there will be snow!
So what? You’ll put on some snowshoe.
There you are. I really forgot about experience points. I better take a 20 sided dice with me, you never know.
They weren’t really able to help me out about the technical clothes topic. As I feared, everyone has his own opinion, his own favourite brand. I will have to choose myself and I am terrible at that. They also let me understand that there’s a long queue for the technical sponsor, since lots of people use to ask for it. Damn you, money.
