In the middle of the night, when darkness enveloped the Dolomites, an extraordinary feat traced a new road on the asphalt and rock of the UNESCO-recognized site. At 3 in the morning, the Paralympic champion Luca Da Prato set off from the Auronzo refuge to reach the 2,454 meters of the Forcella Lavaredo. The Italian athlete from Gorizia Nuoto, originally from Medea in Friuli Venezia Giulia and holder of world and European records, tackled the slope equipped with a wheelchair equipped with off-road wheels and an electric Triride. Accompanying him in this challenge against gravity was the professional photographer Marco Ray, a profound expert and documentary maker of these mountains, who proved to be an essential guide along the path.
The champion’s story and the emotion of dawn
The objective of the ascent was to witness the sun rise in front of the majestic panorama of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo. Once the descent was completed, Luca Da Prato expressed all his joy for the success of the route:
Everyone knows me for my world records in a wheelchair and for some extreme adventures, always aquatic, such as freediving under the ice with the world champion Alessia Zecchini, but this time I wanted to challenge the rock and gravity at 2,454 meters high. Getting into the wheelchair, equipped with off-road wheels and an electric Triride, was pure magic and shows that we can also reach the sky if we desire it with all our heart, in this one life of ours, which can give us so much if we live with love, fighting for a better future and for our desires.
The key role of Marco Ray and the stop at the refuge
The success of the climb was made possible by the perfect understanding between the athlete and his companion. Luca Da Prato underlined the decisive contribution of his traveling companion:
The Triride and my willpower worked miracles, but without the help and guidance of the professional photographer Marco Ray this historic undertaking would have remained impossible.
Recalling the initial stages of the crossing, the athlete added:
Marco Ray knows those peaks very well, having filmed and photographed them all his life, but this time together we thought of an almost impossible adventure. We met at night, at 3 in the morning, outside the gates of Auronzo di Cadore and began our journey. Marco Ray’s shots of this crazy adventure stop time and words leave room for silence in the face of something unique and incredible.
At the end of the descent, the two stopped at the Lavaredo Refuge for a breakfast offered by the managers, before saying goodbye to the friend and photographer who immortalized those special moments.
The retreat in Cadore and the preparation towards Kocaeli
A feat made possible thanks to a prolonged period of sports and rehabilitation preparation that Luca Da Prato has been carrying out in Cadore since the beginning of June. The stay serves as a lead-up to the European Paralympic Swimming Championships, scheduled for 7 to 12 September in Kocaeli, Turkey. During this retreat, the swimmer alternated training with an active presence in the area, participating in the award ceremonies of the canoe and paracanoe races on Lake Auronzo di Cadore, speaking as a speaker at the Luca Molin Trophy on Lake Misurina and rewarding the young participants of the Camignada Kids. The athlete completed his program by also carrying out swimming and freediving sessions in the waters of Lake Auronzo and Lake Braies.
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