Veronica Crippa, an Italian in France

The paths with Veronica crossed for the first time in Turin in 2015, obviously through trail-running.

Subsequently, the trail-running led us to share other situations, but I remember above all two:

the journey from Turin to Cortina, the pre and the post at the Lavaredo Ultra Trail 2016;
the journey from Chamonix to Turin with the car full of beers from Germany; the pre, the during and the post at the TA Trail Aid Corro ma non tremo in Turin in 2017: a beautiful day with many friends;

During the second occasion we were already both “emigrants“: I for a few weeks in Germany and she for a few months in France, specifically on the other side of the Mont Blanc, in Chamonix.

Therefore, there was enough time to exchange views of living abroad, on the advances and disadvantages of interacting with different cultures. But surely, for Veronica, a lover of the mountains, sports and outdoor, the Chamonix location was not the worst of the world.

And on this aspect comes the concept of “trailer“, which is perfectly suited to Veronica, often running around the multitude of trails that Chamonix offers her.

So tonight, we picked up the phone and we made a very pleasant video call Wiesbaden (Germany) <-> Chamonix (France), talking about the current restrictions, the current differences in the way of experiencing sport compared to Italy and finally concluding with my five TRAIL questions.

T like Tor des Geants

“In 2018 I followed you from Germany while you walked & ran day after day along the paths of the Tor des Geants (TOR330 – Tor des Géants® | Tor des Geants), one of the most difficult endurance races in the world. What did that experience give you? do you plan to do it again?“

“Wow. Is perhaps one of the most difficult questions received. The reason is that I have lived this experience differently from others. I read the words and experiences of other people and I did not completely reflect myself. It is clear that on a human level it changes you. But I do not think it has anything to do with the Tor itself, the passages on the summits, the volunteers (fantastic!) or the people at the finish line. It is more linked to a personal experience, to the ability to fight with one’s fears and overcome one’s weaknesses. And this experience you can do in any competition or training with more than three days without interruption, without any sleep. Moreover, I was so focused that I hardly remember anything from those 5 days“.

“Will I do the Tor again? For the moment I am not planning to do it. But I am also a person who thrives on emotions and I will also decide based on that when the time comes”.

R like Road bike or (bike) roller

“Vero, you have a past as a triathlete and as far as I know your passion for cycling is always very present. It is not unusual to see some photos of your bike with beautiful mountain landscapes in the background. The restrictions related to the various lockdowns have not generally blocked cycling, but during the most rigid moments, with absolute restrictions, many people have adapted their training plans with the bike rollers at home. What about you? and what do you think about the use of the bike rollers to train?“

“I have always used bike rollers and I continued to use them moving to Chamonix. Living in the mountains with cold winters, snow, ice, short days, I consider them essential for training. During the 2020 lockdown they were fundamental, as we only had 1 km around the house and a maximum of 100 meters of elevation to train. Not too much. And fundamental was the offer of Angelo Furlan for some on-line training, which kept all attendees motivated and active with two weekly live sessions that allowed us to distract ourselves from the limitation of the lockdown”.

A like Aiguilles Rouges

“Vero, living in Chamonix you have the opportunity to explore very beautiful, but also very technical, trails. For a newcomer there, would you recommend the trails of the Aiguilles Rouges? Do you train there?“

“I absolutely recommend it. The race is very fun in my opinion (link: www.aiguillesrouges.fr | Trail & P’tit Trail des Aiguilles Rouges). The race track is always different every year and of course they are mountain paths with passages to pay attention to. If you approach it with a competitive spirit, you must certainly have a lot of experience. But, if you approach it with the right explorative spirit, without hurry, everyone can do it”.

I like Importance

“Vero, you have also finished the PTL (Petite Trotte à Léon), one of the events of the UTMB (UTMB® (utmbmontblanc.com)). The PTL is a race in teams of 3 inseparable and loyally supportive people, moving through a rough, technical and mentally and physically demanding mountain environment. How important was the mental part and the support of your two teammates in this experience?“

“The PTL is just mental! You run little or nothing. It is not a real race. It is not important to take 4 or 5 days. It is more important to enjoy the “journey” and therefore you can go slower, obviously having a physical basis to spend many hours around. The real difficulty is precisely the mental aspect because you are alone and at the same time with two other people. In addition to sleep, hunger, the fear of getting lost, the darkness, individual management and time management with the other two are added. There are difficult mental mechanisms that all three of us learned during the race. However, it is an event that taught me a lot and of which I still remember many moments”.

L like Lombardy

“How much do you miss your region? Is there any route / trail there that you have in your “to-do-list” or that you would recommend?”

“I miss it because I grew up in Lombardy. Of course, I miss family and friends. However, I was already an emigrant within the region, moving between Monza, Lecco and Bergamo. So, there isn’t a well-defined place that I miss“.

“Trail or path to recommend? I would like to re-do the “Sentiero-1” of the Adamello, a wonderful and wild technical path Alta via dell’Adamello – Wikipedia. And then I would like to do the “Sentiero Roma” that I have not yet done Sentiero Roma – Wikipedia“.

“Then, maybe we will do both together, because I have not yet done! Thank you, Vero!”

Additional information about Veronica

In case you would like to contact Veronica for more detailed information about his being an “emigrantrailer” in France, it is useful to know that:

Age: 45 years (1976)
Country of origin: Italy (Monza, Lombardy)
Country of current residence: France (Chamonix, Haute-Savoie)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/veronica.crippa
Instagram: @liberamente.vero
ITRA profile: – ITRAWeb
Spoken languages: Italian, English