The enchantment of snow in Upper Val di Non

The change of seasons is an enchanting and perpetual natural phenomenon, and one that produces everlasting wonder and emotions. Each season has its own peculiar features, so much so that one can feel that change is near. It’s that time of year again, when ice cold morning air carries the smell of snow all the way down to the valley floor and right into the town. The falling snow changes the landscape, blanketing the trails and making everything around us quiet and muffled. We just need to take a few steps into the woods to immerse ourselves in this world, where trees are laden with snow. There, a snowy trail provides a route for vehicles to reach the mountain huts that are open in winter.

Can one short trail give us the same thrill that only far more challenging trails provide during the summer season? It’s hard to tell. The fact is that the perennial fascination produced by the magic of snow remains unparalleled. We leave the road linking Ulten Valley to Upper Val di Non, between Trentino and Alto-Adige and take the forest road leading up to the small village of Proves. Tucked away from the ski resorts, Malga Cloz and Malga Revò mountain huts are open in winter, overlooking fairy-tale landscapes that summon the emotions of anyone travelling in those areas.

The temperature drops just below zero and we admire the landscape imbued with the perfect light of the weak-warming winter sun. The meadows surrounding the mountain huts and the summer mountain pastures are covered in a thick blanket of snow that extends beyond the woods, and all the way up to the snowy peaks of Catena delle Maddalene mountain range. In the distance, the snow-covered mountain top of Vedetta Alta is so white that you can almost visualise how deep and thick the snowpack is there. The Brenta Dolomites unfold before us on the other side. We become mesmerised by the hypnotic, white snowscape, but the quiet stillness of the woods calls to us as we resume our walk, following new tracks in the snow.

Walking off the beaten track on fresh fallen snow is not to be missed. Equipped with Tamaskan boots insulated with warm and waterproof Primaloft lining, our feet fall deep into the snowy ground. These boots also come with protective gaiters and heat-sealed zips to ensure snow protection, making them the ideal companion for walking through deep snow. And so we resume our snow hunting journey through the mountains, with their enchanted snowscapes that are forever suffused with deep silence and wonder.