The Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic flame touched one of the most symbolic and spectacular places in the Alps: Punta Gnifetti of Monte Rosa, at 4,554 meters above sea level, where the Capanna Margherita stands, the highest refuge in Europe. Here the torch reached the highest point of the entire pre-Olympic journey, transforming a day of cold and wind into a moment full of meaning. Not a simple scenographic passage, but a gesture that united sport, territory and mountain community in a single, powerful image.
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Alpine guides as torchbearers
The Alpine guides from Gressoney, Champoluc, Alagna, Macugnaga and Zermatt brought the flame to high altitudes, later supported by ski instructors. After reaching Capanna Margherita, the group faced the descent on the Lys glacier to Passo dei Salati, and then returned together towards Gressoney-La-Trinité. A real Alpine relay, which showed how the peaks are not borders, but meeting spaces between valleys and peoples who share the same mountain.
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The values of sport among the peaks
The presence of the flame also ignited a deeper message. The Aosta Valley institutions have underlined how sport is a vehicle of inclusion, respect, fair play and sense of community. In an area where winter sports are part of the collective identity, the passing of the torch represented an ideal bridge between Alpine traditions and the future of the Olympic Games, speaking above all to young people, invited to see sport as a path of growth and commitment.
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A Monte Rosa that changes face due to the climate crisis
But under the symbolic light of the flame, Monte Rosa also tells another story. The climate crisis is profoundly transforming its glaciers. The Indren Glacier, one of the most studied, has lost around 900 meters of front in just under a century and has seen its minimum altitude rise by over 250 metres.
Throughout the Alpine chain, glaciers have already lost around 65% of their volume in the last 150 years. Melting accelerates slope instability, the formation of proglacial lakes and the degradation of permafrost, with direct consequences on safety and tourism activities.
A scientific research network led by the University of Turin and other bodies operates right here, monitoring the evolution of the ice and Alpine landscapes. From the Angelo Mosso Institute to the Sesia Val Grande UNESCO Global Geopark, Monte Rosa is today an open-air laboratory where climate, geology and biodiversity are studied.
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