Great Days is an interesting festival organized every year in Carosello 3000 Livigno. It is an event focused on spending great time on bikes, without unnecessary pressure that usualy comes in with traditional biking competitions. In 2021, I already had the opportunity participate in the previous edition of the Great Days and I liked it so much that was happy to come back here this year also. Together with the team from Jafi Sport we already knew more or less what to expect, but in the schedule of the event some novelties waited for us also. We had the opportunity to ride again with a real legend of the MTB scene Hans “No Way” Rey. A large dose of good time spent on the trails was complemented by concerts with live music, delicious local cuisine, and beatifull views of Italian Alps. Below You can find what was happening during the Great Days 2022.
What is Great Days Festival?
Great Days is a festival aimed at mountain bikers of various levels of advance. It takes place in the Carosello 3000 resort in the Livigno Italy. Place is famous thanks to amazing alpine singletrails and flow lines that stretch for many kilometers with spectacular views around. The whole event lasts for 3 days, and its format is focused on adventure rides rather than typical competitions. The team of organisers is focused mostly to provide relaxed atmosphere and having fun on the bike and after it. Most of the riding takes place together with all participants or in groups. There are no divisions here by age, advancement or equipment. The organizers of Great Days and the Carosello center are happy to welcome people on e-bikes and on those without assistance. At end of every great day there is an after party waiting for the participants with local cuisine, good beer and live music. In short, if You want to have a nice ride in good company, then the Great Days festival is for You!
Great Days 2022 – Day 1 – Sunset Ride with Hans Rey
Great Days 2022 began on Friday, July 29. During the day there was time to ride on the trails of the Carosello 3000 resort. The festival started in the afternoon at 18:00, so after official closure of the lifts. But the plan was to have a one more good ride from the top to bottom. The tour is led by Hans Rey himself. Unfortunately, this time the weather forecast was merciless and while it was dry and sunny during the day, one hour before the start of the event the storm came with a lot of rain. Fortunately closer to the official start time the weather was improving, and although it was still wet, but it wasn’t raining anymore. The originally prepared route has been shortened a bit, but anyway the Carosello 3000 gondola took us to the top station. Instead of traversing the entire upper part of a mountain, we rode down thru the Coast to Coast, H-Dream and the Blueberry trails, which guaranteed a long and cool descent. Hans Rey was leading the group ride, and after fun descent he took us straight to the Allegra restaurant, where we had a prepared welcome party. A bit dirty but happy, we went to try the local delicacies and to use well the drink coupons.
Great Days 2022 – Day 2 – Tutti Frutti Team Challange
The second day of the festival is a team challenge. The start of the day was at 10:00, so we had time to recover from the last day party. In the morning, each of the 17 teams received a special map on which there was a list of tasks to be completed. The main plan of the ride for this day is the Tutti Frutti Tour designed by Hans Rey. It connects 10 different trails in a 45 km long ride and with 3500 meeters of elevation to cover. Of course we were using all of Carosello 3000 and Sitas resorts lifts and gondolas, so that there were only few short climbs. Points are awarded for each part of a trail done. An additional points can be gained by spotting “weird” stuff, which was placed by the organizers in the area, or by some actions like for example “Photo with a man in flip-flops”, or taking the swim in mountian river. Points are calculated based on the photos sent by each team by the Instagram app. The main idea is to ride thru all day, and have some fun while doing it!
We gathered five of us in Polish Team Jafi. When 10:00 o’clock struck, after gathering first easy points for drinking a beer, we took the gondola up. After our mistake at last year edition when we were thinking that the counting of points continues almost to the end of the day, this time we knew that we had to make it by 4 p.m. The game is prepared in such a way that there is probably no option to get all the points and you have to figure out how to conect different places and trails. Of course we wanted to also ride as much as possible. In the end, we managed to complete the full Tutti Frutti tour, including ascent to the peak of Madonon and great ride down to the Federia Valley. In this couple hours there was good fun, lots of beautiful views, couple of cool beers and nice team train rides on the flow trails like Roller Coaster or Blueberry. Of course this year there were many different things from year 2021 to do and see, to catch those extra points. This time we managed to comeback on time, and attend at prize giving party. What is worth highlighting is the fact that absolutely every starting team had their moment of glory there, and received some gifts from the organizers. Our team managed to overtake the team of Hans Rey and eventually take second place that day. The afternoon prize giving was just a warm-up because the main attraction of the evening was the live concert in Pub Marcos where the “Saving Peach” band rocked till late hours.
Great Days 2022 – Day 3 -TK Avalanche or E-bike trip
On the third day of the Great Days festival, You could choose to take the tour around Livigno area on E-Bikes led by Hans Rey. The second option, which we decided to go was a race in the form of Avalanche. This means the mass start downhill race. But before we started the main race the qualification runs awaited us. They were smaller races with randomly selected five competitors on the Blueberry trail. There is no timekeeping here, just riders start in one moment, and who will be first on the finish line wins. My personal bad runing start resulted in overtaking 3 riders on the winding trail. But still I was able to finish my qualifying run in first place. As it is aimed more to have fun than serious racing, everybody from first run was going to the main and final one. The result from qualifying run was only considered when placing the bikes for the mass start. The main Avalanche start has been set near top staion of gondola lift. Begining was more like freeride section, but it was wide enough for overtaking. Later the trail lead thru Bikers United and Blueberry Trails for a long and interesting run.
After the starting signal, the Avalanche began and we all run together to get our bikes. First part of trail was pretty steep and loose, but also wide, so allowed to determine the order of riders before entering the narrower single trail. In fact There were 30-40 of us there, so a lot was going on. Some people started to cut corners on a winding trail, so at times it turned from an easy single trail to interesting freeride. I was left behind at the start again, while Remek from our crew quickly moved to the first position, and as an experienced DH and 4x rider, started pushing hard to keep his position. Unfortunately, in one of the cornering sections he pushed a bit too much, and ended it with a crash. Seeing what was happening, we stopped to help him, so none of us complete the main avalanche. Fortunately, it all happened close to the gondola middle station, so needed help was organized quickly.
Great Days 2022 – Party in the Woods
After the Avalanche and E-Bike Trip with Hans, to wrap up the whole 2022 festival for good, there was one more party in the middle of the forest. Especially for Great Days, a barbecue was set up at small mountain hut, which is hidden a bit from main slopes of the Carosello Resort. Local delicacies which was served with a cold beer, accompanied by chillout live music and surrounded by beautiful alpine views, tasted absolutely flawless. Finally, there was also the prize-giving for the race. Before the official farewell took place, everyone present could get the gadgets from the sponsors of the event. For our crew, because of that crash it was perhaps not the best day possible, but anyway, each of us will have good memories of the great time spent here. Personally, I really like this concept of ride and fun on a bike in an international group of people with a similar passion. If only I will have such an opportunity, I would love to come back to Livigno for the next Great Days festival, which will take place on July 21-23, 2023, and see for myself what the organisers will think up for next year.
Great Days – participation
Great Days is an event for all mountain bikers. To use the potential of Carosello well, you just need to feel good on singletrails and flow tracks with rollers and berms. The vast majority of them are easy and do not contain technically difficult elements, such as big jumps or drops. However, more experienced riders will not be bored either, because there are a lot of places when You can go really quick and catch the good flow. With the expansive views of the Alps all around, You just can’t have the fear of open spaces. To take part in Great Days, you need to register via the Carosello web site. A full 3-day package is available, but also a single packages for each separate day of the event. There are no special age or equipment divisions here. Everybody can ride and have fun together. The recommended bike for riding here is the most versatile All Mountain or Enduro bike. It also easily can be done, on a hardtail. The Carosello bike park and the organizers of Great Days will also welcome every person on the E-bike. If you are only focused on ambitious descents and would like to come here on a typical Downhill bike, then better go to the neighboring Mottolino bikepark. But You can also rent Enduro / All Mountain bike on the spot and catch some magic of Carosello trails. While riding here, sometimes you have to pedal up a bit, but it’s definitely worth it.
Great Days 2022 – summary
It was my second visit to Livigno and the second time at the Great Days festival (article from 2021 is here), and I really hope it will not be the last. Although this time I knew what to expect, it was definitely not boring. The festival itself is distinguished by a loose approach to the subject of having fun on the bike the nature of the whole event is truly unique. Typically Italian spirit helps the integration of local riders and organizers with each participant. The Carosello 3000 trails themselves may not offer the most extreme experiences, but they fit perfectly into the atmosphere of this event. If you’re planning a biking trip to Livigno, the Great Days festival can be the perfect introduction and warm-up before discovering the next kilometers of single trails in the area. It is definitely worth staying here longer than just these 3 days, because there are plenty of possibilities for a good and varied ride in Livigno and close area. This time we spent and ride here for 7 days in a row and we would definitely not be bored even if we stayed here for the another 7 days. Great Days Festival will return next year on July 21-23, 2023. If you like the concept of such a festival, be sure to follow the Carosello 3000 profile, and maybe we can catch up and ride together at Great Days Festival 2023!
About Carosello 3000
The Mountain of Livigno – Italy. Visit us for great skiing, freeriding, mtb, trail running, trekking and more outdoor adventures.
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