Slopes flyover

I realize what I am about to write will sound highly unlikely and quite hard to believe, but rest assured it is the truth I speak. And you do not have to take my word for it, I have evidence to back my claim.

So here it goes. A fine sunny day, I went skiing with a good old buddy of mine in ski resort close to Lecco, at the footsteps of the alps, in northern Italy. The resort, Piani di Bobbio, is admitedly not one of the best for either its slopes quality, beauty of scenery, abundance of snow, or ski-lifts' efficiency.

It does have an attractive point though: its proximity to my parents' house near Milan. From there, it is only a mere 30 minutes drive to the slopes. One might think that driving for a couple of hours is a small price to pay for the privilege of skying in some of the best resorts the italian alps have to offer and the great reward of some majestic views of the alps range. But one has to consider that one's perspective on things is greatly affected by how late they went to bed the previous night and exactly how many 'a few pints' turned out to be... :-)

If one's willing to settle for an early night and face an early morning wake up call, then I recommend making it all the way out to Livigno or Madesimo. Or even to friendly, neighbouring Switzerland.

But back to my flight - there I was, glancing out of the windows. It was a gorgeous clear day. Clear blue skies. After takeoff, I kept an eye on airplane turns and heading. I tracked what direction we went by looking down at the familiar mountains and valleys.

I was able to identify the mountain range where I went skiing the previous day. To my surprise, I recognized the slopes. I also saw the ski-lifts. I even spotted the mountain hut where I stopped for lunch and had a nice polenta concia.

Now, before you dismiss my claim as a lie, I would like to point out that being a skydiver might have contributed to my ability to pinpoint the ski resort. I believe that a skydiver attains a better spatial awareness in midair and can judge his or hers position based on sighting of the ground better than someone who has never skydived or flown airplanes.

I snapped a few pictures to prove it (click on photoes to get full-size image):
This is a bird's eye view of the resort:

Close-up with some notes to help you get your bearings:

And here is a higher (although not very detailed) resolution close-up of skilift:

In case you want to check out the skiresort's website to compare slope maps with the photoes, this is their website and here is a map of the resort: