Oropa Sport - Mucrone
A high basin above the sanctuary of Oropa where two lifts are derelict and the access gondola still runs; the slopes are no longer groomed and are skied only off-piste by experts.
- Region
- Piedmont
- Country
- Italy
- Status
- partially abandoned
- Reason for closure
- The lifts reached the end of their technical life, and were awkward to use in the first place - it appears that when the upper cable car was running, skiers had to climb a short stretch on foot to reach it. The pistes are no longer prepared.
History
Oropa Sport is the basin above the Santuario di Oropa in the comune of Biella, running from about 1,800 m up to the anticima of Monte Mucrone, facing east and southeast. It is reached by a cabinovia that leaves from behind the sanctuary and was working when the Piedmont census was compiled, so the access is intact; what is abandoned is the skiing above it. Two installations are recorded as dismissed: the funivia to the Mucrone anticima, of which only the ruins of the lower and upper stations survive, and the Baby skilift, which left behind part of its cabins, its concrete plinths and its protective netting. The causes given are the end of the lifts' technical life and, candidly, poor functionality - it appears that when the upper cable car was in service skiers had to climb a short stretch on foot with their skis to reach it. The pistes are no longer groomed, and the basin is now used for off-piste skiing by experienced skiers only. Neither the construction nor the closure year is established in the survey, which records both as not determined, so they are left empty here rather than guessed. The surveyors graded the environmental damage six out of six against a feasibility of clearing it of two.
Lifts
| Name | Type | Manufacturer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unnamed lift | Gondola | The funivia to the Mucrone anticima, abandoned. Only the ruins of its lower and upper stations remain | |
| Baby | Surface lift | A beginners' skilift, abandoned. Part of its cabins, the concrete plinths and the protective netting remain | |
| Unnamed lift | Gondola | The cabinovia up from behind the Santuario di Oropa to Oropa Sport. Not abandoned - it was working when the census was compiled |
Sources and further reading
More in Italy
Location
45.6334, 7.9480