Biella _ City Public Library _ August 2016
Max Blardone visits the atelier of his friend Daniele Basso and the monument Aquamantio in Curiel Square
A “GIANT” AS A FRIEND: MASSIMILIANO BLARDONE and DANIELE BASSO.
On Monday 1st August Max Blardone, the giant slalom champion who has scored 25 Ski World Cup podium finishes in his career, and his wife Simona were Daniele Basso’s guests in Biella.
Blardone met his friend, the artist from Biella, in Alta Badia, an enchanting place they are both strongly connected with, both personally and emotionally, just at the start of the Gran Risa ski track where he was a three-time winner and also performed exceptionally well in the first Ski World Cup 2016 Parallel Giant Slalom, where he finally gave the news of his retirement from competitive sports.
At the end-of-season party recently held by the Fan Club, Max Blardone was awarded a unique trophy inspired by Alta Badia, created and presented by Daniele Basso, the artist who created the sculpture GIGANT to be located at the Gran Risa, as requested by the Race Committee, and the Ski World Cup Alta Badia - Dolomites 2015 trophies, lit by 18,000 Swarovski crystal beads.
"Besides winning, it is essential to lead a dignified life. It is a daily feat, where courage, drive and passion conquer all, to become champions in sports and life, just like our friend Max Blardone, an example of Man’s greatness, when men overcome their limits to search for a better future.”