There are trips you plan.
And then there are trips you carry inside you since childhood.

In February 2026 we left with my camper van: me, Francesco (Germa), and Alessandro (Dallas). I started snowboarding with them back in 1993. Contests, trips, endless days in the mountains. A lifetime together on a snowboard.

But this trip was different.

When I was a kid, my father, who is Sicilian, used to tell me:
“Did you know you can ski on Mount Etna?”

To me, it sounded almost unreal. Sicily meant sea, sun, and arancini. Not snow.
During all these years as a snowboarder, I always wanted to go there, but it’s not that simple: you need snow, time, and money.

Since I got the camper van, things changed. Two years ago I was about to leave because it had snowed a lot. Then Etna erupted and volcanic ash covered everything.
I had to give up.

But I always stayed in touch with the guys from Etna Snowboard. I kept watching their stories and checking the conditions.
This year, when I saw over 3 meters of snow, I said:
“This is the right year.”
And we left.

The reality of snowboarding on Mount Etna

You can only ride on the north side, starting from Piano Provenzana.

• One chairlift with an easy slope full of beginners
• 45 minutes waiting in line
• 6/7 minutes of riding down

The other areas can only be reached with very steep and physically demanding ski lifts. After a while, your legs start burning. Luckily, I can ride them switch too, so I alternated legs.

The snow:

• Lower section: icy in the morning, slushy in the afternoon
• Upper section: pure ice

The higher slopes are steep and technical. But when you get up there…
The smoking crater of the volcano is just a few hundred meters away.
And while you ride… you can see the sea.

Surreal.

From the sea to the snow in just a few minutes

When we started driving up toward Etna, it felt strange.
From the sea to the mountains in almost no time.

After 15 minutes on the road, we saw snow.
In Sicily. Just a few kilometers from the sea.

The air feels different. The wind feels different.
It’s not like the Alps.
It’s wilder. More alive. More powerful.

You can feel that you’re snowboarding on an active volcano.

Après-ski and real Sicily

At the base of the lifts there was an après-ski event organized by Volcano Gin.

• Etna juniper berries
• Volcanic herbs
• Lava stone bottle cap

Only 5,000 bottles per year.

We met the owners, toasted, laughed, and danced.
Obviously, we bought three bottles.

At the party we met Mario and Teresa, who took us to Pippo’s restaurant:

Crudités, seafood, pasta dishes.
Everything was incredible.
45€ per person.

An amazing experience.

A trip worth a lifetime

This wasn’t just a weekend.
It was making a dream come true.

Snowboarding on Mount Etna.
With two lifelong friends.

From fire to snow.
From sea to ice.
From Sicily back to my roots.

Waiting 30 years for a dream is not too long.
It’s the right amount of time.