Usually in March · Zambla Alta
Trofeo Comune di Ardesio, cross-country race at the Conca dell'Alben
Trofeo Comune di Ardesio, free-technique cross-country race at the Conca dell'Alben: the 1 March 2026 edition, the 2025 one, categories and getting there.
This is the other race of the provincial cross-country circuit held at the Conca dell'Alben: it is organised by the Sci Club Ardesio, a club from the Val Seriana, on the Centro Fondo trail, in free technique with individual starts every thirty seconds. The fourth edition, on Sunday 1 March 2026, brought 146 athletes to the start, from Super Baby to Giovani/Senior, on a foggy day with wet snow but present along the whole course, and it was the last race of the season's provincial circuit.
It returns every year: the date shown is that of the latest documented edition, the next one should be confirmed with the organisers. Last documented edition: 1 March 2026.
The 2025 and 2026 editions
The third edition came out of a postponement: the race, scheduled for 29 December 2024, was cancelled for lack of snow and made up on Sunday 2 March 2025, again with the Sci Club Ardesio, on the Centro Fondo Serina trail. It counted for the provincial champion titles of the youth categories. A week later, on 9 March, the Trofeo Angela Maurizio was raced on the same trail, it too pushed back from January.
The fourth edition, on 1 March 2026, closed the provincial circuit: with this race the Bergamo FISI committee assigned the final «red bibs». Among the 146 athletes there were twenty-three Super Baby. We have not found reports of the first two editions.
Documented editions
| Edition | Date | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd | Sunday 2 March 2025 | Make-up of the 29 December 2024 race, postponed for lack of snow; provincial titles | FISI Bergamo, L'Eco di Bergamo |
| 4th | Sunday 1 March 2026 | 146 athletes, fog and wet snow; last race of the provincial circuit | FISI Bergamo, Lecconotizie |
Categories and race format
The race is open to FISI athletes from ski clubs, divided by age: in the 2025 results list Under 10, Under 12, Under 14, Under 16 and Giovani/Senior, besides the Super Baby, the under 8s; in 2026 the federation used the traditional names Baby, Cuccioli, Ragazzi, Allievi and Giovani/Senior.
Free technique sets it apart from the Trofeo Angela Maurizio, raced in classic: those following the circuit thus see the two cross-country techniques on the same trail, a few weeks apart. The individual starts, one every thirty seconds, make the race a time trial.
The Centro Fondo trail and how to get there
Federations and press call the trail «Centro Fondo Serina»: it is the cross-country course that runs from the Colle di Zambla through Pian della Palla and the Conca dell'Alben towards Valpiana di Serina, managed by the Sci Club Valserina for the municipalities of Oltre il Colle and Serina. In 2026 FISI placed the race «at the Conca dell'Alben», where the loop of about 2.5 kilometres with artificial snowmaking, funded by the Region in 2021, lies.
For those accompanying athletes or wanting to watch: you drive up from the main village along via Drago to the car parks at Pian della Palla, about 800 metres as the crow flies from the village centre; from the Colle di Zambla the dirt road is a trail in winter and closed to cars. Scheduled buses do not run on Sundays.
What the weather is like in early March
The 1991-2020 averages of the ERA5 reanalysis given in the Zambla Alta page show a March minimum of about −4 °C and a maximum of 6 °C, with about 35 centimetres of fresh snow in the month. On race day in 2026 FISI described fog and wet snow; that year the season on the Oltre il Colle trails lasted until the end of March, when the Tablanata was held at the Conca.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions: Trofeo Comune di Ardesio, cross-country race at the Conca dell'Alben
When is the Trofeo Comune di Ardesio held?
In the last two editions, in early March: Sunday 2 March 2025 and Sunday 1 March 2026. The 2025 race made up for a December date lost to the lack of snow; the 2026-27 calendar has not been published yet.
Why is it called Comune di Ardesio if it is raced at Oltre il Colle?
Because it is organised by the Sci Club Ardesio, a club from the Val Seriana, which brings it to the Centro Fondo trail at the Conca dell'Alben. The sources we read do not explain the choice of trail.
How does it differ from the Trofeo Angela Maurizio?
The Trofeo Angela Maurizio, run by the Sci Club Valserina, is raced in classic technique; the Trofeo Comune di Ardesio in free technique. They are the two provincial cross-country races held at the Conca dell'Alben in recent seasons.
How many athletes take part?
In 2026 there were 146, from Super Baby to Giovani/Senior, according to Lecconotizie; twenty-three of them were Super Baby.
Sources
- fisibergamo.it · www.fisibergamo.it
- Lecconotizie – Sci nordico, 4° trofeo Comune di Ardesio (3 marzo 2026) · lecconotizie.com · accessed on 1 October 2026
- FISI Bergamo – Fondo, i risultati della gara di oggi a Oltre il Colle «3° Trofeo Comune di Ardesio» (2 marzo 2025) · www.fisibergamo.it · accessed on 1 October 2026
- L'Eco di Bergamo, TG BergamoTV – Sci di fondo, la gara recuperata a Oltre il Colle dallo Sci Club Ardesio (8 marzo 2025) · www.ecodibergamo.it · accessed on 1 October 2026
- FISI Bergamo – Conca dell'Alben, innevamento programmato per l'anello di fondo e la pista da discesa (4 settembre 2021) · www.fisibergamo.it · accessed on 1 October 2026
- OpenStreetMap – Conca dell'Alben · www.openstreetmap.org · accessed on 1 October 2026
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