Yesterday together with Luca Iz0fyl I made my first Sota activation in ski mountaineering aiming for the summit of Monte Rodondo I/AB-020 2062 m. a by now classic top of the Sota references in Abruzzo. The weather wasn’t great but anyway we climbed using a closed ski slope (we were the only ones climbing… very strange sensation) and then a long approach in fresh snow towards the top of the mountain.
Once we reached the summit we used a cross to support the EFHW antenna for 20 meters and we switched on the Elecraft Kx3 to make some QSOs on 20 meters on ssb and cw (thanks to Marcus @HB9EIZ for the Summit to Summit). We preferred to do little radio activity because the weather wasn’t stable and it was the first time I went up and down a mountain on skis in fresh snow.
The descent wasn’t easy for me, the day before it had snowed and the snow was powdery and maybe too much, I fell a couple of times and in a couple of passes I took off my skis and continued on foot. Then we took the slope again and from there I skied easily. Overall a wonderful day, today my legs are “metal” but the joy was enormous. Look at the photos to understand why
Superb, we activated OE/SB-188 today also on skis. The ski resort was fully open so we only had a short skin (and walk!) of about a kilometre up to the summit cross. Judging by the photos there is not as much snow in Austria as you had in Abruzzo.
You can see my ski poles and skis with blue skins on the rocky summit, but the peak is less than 100 metres smaller than your Monto Rodondo.
My inverted V dipole snapped as I was rigging it and I had no spare, but a reef knot worked well as I made 24 QSOs on 20 metres before I got too cold. MM0DHY was telling me about some light kevlar wire he had ordered from overseas. Might a good investment?
!
