Altavia Crew
OVS presents Altavia Crew, the editorial project in partnership with Athleta Lab. Discipline, talent and dedication told by those who challenge their limits every day, through sport and adventure.
“In the mountains I discovered that it is not you who are in control, but nature. I learned to adapt to its timing, to engage in dialogue with it.”
Interview with Giulio Bosca
Born in Turin and heir to a family that has been linked to wine production in the Asti area for generations, he has made skiing his life. Let’s discover who Giulio Bosca is.
As a native of the area, how much and in what way did a mountain upbringing impact the shaping of your identity?
“I was born in Piedmont, among the hills, not exactly in the high mountains, but my upbringing was deeply shaped by mountain culture, more than by the mountains themselves. It was not so much the physical mountain, but the community I found there, the ski club, the coaches, the people around me, that became my true school of life, even more than school or the traditional family. The mountains were my family, my parental figure in a broader sense. I was never a skiing champion in the conventional sense, rather someone who always pushed to the limit. Also because, not having had the opportunity to experience continuous contact with snow from a young age, I certainly did not develop certain automatisms that come naturally to others. I grew up among hills and plains, as mentioned, but the mountains were always there and, as my career progressed, I fully embraced them…”
If you close your eyes and let your mind go to Santa Caterina, what are the first images that come to mind? And what does that place mean to you?
“When I close my eyes and look for the farthest image, but also the most vivid one inside me, I return to being a child. I see myself in the hotel kitchen, behind the curtains at the window: outside, it’s snowing, there’s so much snow, and I see people walking, pushing along the street with skis on their feet. It’s a memory that stays very vivid. I even wrote about it in a small book of stories: that scene is like a flash, almost like a postcard. I remember perfectly the hotel entrance door from the side, and the guests coming in and out while it continues to snow outside. Santa Caterina and those childhood places have been fundamental for my whole journey: there I took my first steps on the snow, I learned to know it, to feel it. I spent a lot of time outdoors, even in summer. When I think of winter, I inevitably think of skiing, the path that eventually became my life. The emotions I carry inside are all linked to that element, the snow, and the sense of peace surrounding it. A peace that has always been a constant for me. I often return to Santa Caterina, I still spend many months there every year. In autumn, for example: it’s one of my favorite seasons. Even in summer, I have lived and still live a lot in the mountains: walks, forests, meadows, animals… That freedom has always belonged to me, and I think it was my secret in skiing too. Before competitions, to focus, I didn’t need a mental coach or special techniques: it was enough to return in my mind to those memories, immerse myself in that peace. And immediately I felt the weight of pressure lighten.”
The mountains also accompanied you along your academic journey. What was it like to explore other snows, compared to the familiar ones, and other cultures, such as that of the USA?
“My approach to skiing changed radically during my experience in the United States, a true revelation. I was almost on the verge of quitting; in fact, I thought I would stop competing as a professional after that experience… but it turned out to be incredible, almost mystical. In college, even though it is not legally considered a ‘professional’ sport, everything was pushed to the highest level: cutting-edge training protocols, an organization far more structured than the Italian one, and a mindset that truly changes you. That experience reignited my passion for skiing. I also found my own way of living the mountains: escapes with friends, camping, weekends in the absolute middle of nowhere, where the only thought was enjoying ourselves together, exploring what surrounded us. Heading out on adventures, in the most beautiful sense of the word.”
Your family heritage is tied to a great winemaking tradition. What role do mountain traditions play in your approach to it?
“A huge role. Making wine, if you think about it, is very similar to living in the mountains: in both cases, you are not in control. Nature is in charge — the vintage, the climate, the soil, the wind. It is a relationship of respect, not domination. I am very fascinated by the biodynamic aspect, that agricultural spirituality that may seem absurd — like the buried goat horn — but ultimately it is a search for balance, just like the one you look for in the snow or the perfect wave. They are different languages of the same dialogue with nature. And the mountains taught me not to rush, to follow the timing, the seasons, the silences. Making wine is the same: you have to wait, observe, listen. It is a tradition that roots you, teaches you humilit.”
Which values of the mountains shaped you and supported you as an athlete?
“I believe skiing is a combination of elements: technique, of course, but also sensitivity, adaptability, awareness of one’s body and of the environment. The technical aspect is essential, but the way you absorb it as a child makes the difference. In my case, everything happened naturally, without pressure. The first steps on snow, playing outdoors, that constant contact with the environment: all of this shaped a particular sensitivity in me. Perhaps a gift, but above all an innate familiarity with snow and with the rhythm of the mountains. I shouldn’t be the one to say it, but I can see the difference between those who become exceptional athletes and those who don’t. That ‘something extra’ often comes precisely from a natural relationship with the discipline, from a personal way of living it. I, for example, was very independent: I didn’t put too much pressure on myself, I didn’t always follow set patterns. I trained a lot, but in my own way. I liked to invent my own training sessions even in summer: they told me not to ride a bike, and I did it anyway, sometimes up to Passo Gavia, then I would leave the bike and continue on foot. It was all part of my way of living sport. When you do something with pleasure, it becomes your strength. And perhaps that is exactly what took me so far.”
Speaking of family, you have shared the slopes with your brother, and you continue to do so. Can you tell us about this shared journey, which you have inspired and guided as the older brother?
“I am the older one; I learned by making mistakes, and he was fortunate enough to avoid many of them thanks to the path I had paved. In recent years, we have spent a lot of time on the slopes together, training, pushing each other, and growing as athletes and as people. And then there are the memories, the ones that stay with you: the first times together on the slopes, when we tried to understand how the “mountain worked,” or when the coaches told you what to do and, little by little, you tried to do it better than them. I remember one photo in particular: we were both wearing the bibs of category leaders. Two boys from the plains, in a place where no one skis, and yet there we were, side by side. Or when we started preparing our skis, hours and hours spent shoulder to shoulder… These are simple images, but they tell it all. It’s something of ours, a deep bond that goes beyond sport, made of moments that are not always easy to tell, but that we feel deeply.”
“Far from Courmayer, in America, I found my way of living the mountains. Without crowds or noise: into adventure.”
As a passionate writer and former professional skier, what does it mean for you to tell the story of the landscape that marked your growth and development?
“Today I work with words, language, and communication, and this is a new challenge that I have embraced with passion. I enjoy reading, writing, and expressing myself, because it is a way to explore parts of myself I didn’t know and to challenge myself in a different way. I am an 80-percenter; I believe in the possibility of evolving and continuously discovering new things.”
What “other paths” have you learned to discover in your life in the mountains?
“The “other paths” for me are those that go beyond the groomed slopes, competition, and standard routes. They are paths of adventure, discovery, and autonomy: I chose to ski even though I was not a mountain kid, I decided to go to the USA and return to compete again, something no other Italian skier has done… I believe these are the “other paths” that the mountains have shown me, and that I have followed. These paths are neither standard nor codified. They are personal trails, paths you build with your own pace, with your own experience, where safety is fundamental but so are challenge and respect for nature.”
Thinking of the details that inspire you most about your mountain, Courmayeur, what would you mention?
“Courmayeur is undoubtedly my mountain, and the image I love most of all is that of winter, when you are the first to ascend the slopes. There is a unique moment at dawn, with Mont Blanc staring you in the face, and the snow crunching under your feet in the cold, almost sharp silence. It is an intimate moment, in which the mountain makes itself felt in all its power and beauty, far from crowds and noise, in a space that is almost sacred and remote.”
Previously
Episode 2: Giulio Bosca
Former professional skier, now ski instructor and coach and television commentator for Rai.
