Month: January 2019

In hindsight, it seems that this was the Conservative Party’s plan all along:

1. First by recklessly triggering the Art. 50 declaration without knowing what kind of Brexit it wanted, and not even establishing a dialogue within the UK Parliament or the UK public;
2. Then by setting up a series of artificial red lines which are impossible to achieve without multiple breaches of International agreements and/or disruption of current wealthy status quo of the UK economy and well-being and/or disruption of any remaining good-will with the other EU-members;
3. Then by agreeing a Withdrawal Agreement with the EU and misleading the EU that this Withdrawal Agreement would have had the support of the UK Parliament while instead showing that the UK Government had simply the head in the clouds of Fantasyland all along;
4. Now time is almost over: there are no Parliamentary days (nor political will, to be honest) to actually reopen the Pandora’s Box and renegotiate the Withdrawal Agreement, even with a three-month extension (probably even a 300-months extension would not be enough to square the circle).

My understanding is that there will be further exercise in pantomime from the Conservative Party, ever more detached from reality and legal obligations and imbued of fantasy, unicorns and exceptionalism, until the end of March 2019.

Then I’m afraid there will be either “no deal” Brexit or Brexit will be scrapped (only if Theresa May and her Tory party find a way to save face and blame somebody else).

I’m sorry for my beloved British friends, to be honest.

I personally recommend the legendary Forcella Rossa slope on the Tofane Dolomites, in Cortina d’Ampezzo.

How to get there

From Cortina d’Ampezzo (Socrepes) take the two cableways to Col Druscie’ and then to Ra Valles. Once out of the arrival station, turn right and take the right hand lane, initially following the Pian Ra Valles chairlift line. Pay attention, you will find a passage not particularly large to your right.

The Forcella Rossa slope starts here with a sign in Italian on the middle of the slope: “Pista per sciatori esperti” (slope for expert skiers only — see below.)

Description

In the shadow of the Tofana there is a track considered really difficult not so much for its steepness in itself (72% on the third, more difficult, wall) as for the reduced width of the track, combined with a generally difficult snow (when it’s icy, the slope becomes dangerous even for expert skiers). The panorama is of the highest quality, descending between the characteristic dolomite rocks.

You are entering the Forcella Rossa slope (n. 51 on the Tofane ski-map).

After the hill the track begins with a fun wall with some rocks on the right side and a wonderful view of the Cortina valley in front of you. After a while you will realize you are actually descending into a funnel with the wall gradually tightening until it is closed by an imposing rock to your left.

The track, now very narrow, around the obstacle on the right side pointing decisively to the right. The track widens first and then retreats into a challenging wall followed, after a 90-degree bend, by another wall, even more challenging, albeit wider. After this second wall, the most complex stretch of the slope ends and it now points decisively towards Rumerlo passing under the cables of the Col Drusciè – Ra Valles cable car.