Apex2100 Expands to Val di Fassa: Elite Ski Racing Opportunities in Italy

During winter 2023/2024, the Apex2100 International Ski Academy will launch a new Italian training base to complement its French home base in Tignes, France.

The Apex2100 International Ski Academy strives to become the best in the world.

Building on his unique experience as Director of Sport for Team GB through three Olympic Games between 2008 and 2012 and leading England Rugby to its first World Cup win in 2003, Sir Clive Woodward began creating Apex2100 seven years ago.

Based in Tignes, France, at 2100m, Apex’ ‘s goal is to create an international community of high-performing individuals who continuously pursue excellence — on and off the mountain — and find joy in getting better together every day.

To pursue this goal, Apex recruited New Yorker Sasha Rearick as Alpine Performance Director two years ago, coming in strong from an 18-year career with the US Ski Team.

“The goal has been to build an international, best-in-the-world ski academy which is constantly developing and trying to improve. A big part of this process is that the athletes can ski worldwide and gain exposure to different cultures, snows, terrains and experiences. In addition to our base in France, we had a big goal to have a base in the Dolomites, in Italy,” Rearick explains to SRM.

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Why Val di Fassa?

Rearick also clarifies the reasons for Apex’s decision to expand with a new training base in Val di Fassa.

“There are several reasons. Val di Fassa has fantastic training venues with Aloch and the other slopes in the area, and you have many different opportunities. We can take advantage of the variety it offers. It is in Trentino, the heart of the Dolomites where there are many NJR competitions, FIS races, and National Championships, all within a two-hour drive. It’s an ideal central base location, so the athletes won’t have to travel so much.

Additionally, the community is very welcoming and wanted us to come, which has been fantastic. They have accepted us with open arms; it’s always a great feeling.

We have an opportunity there for a multi-year project to create a long-term base in the area to build for the future. Also, in Val di Fassa, we can make a more permanent base utilizing it beyond the winter months. Our athletes can enjoy mountain biking and other sports the Dolomites offer.”

A cornerstone of the cooperation is the involvement of the Latvian Ski Federation, partner of Apex with its President Dinārs Doršs, responsible for the Post-Graduate (PG) Program (athletes in their third and fourth year of FIS) as well as organizer of the Baltic Cup races, held in Val di Fassa for many years.

Val di Fassa embraces ski racing

The Director of the Touristic Board of Val di Fassa, Paolo Grigolli, clarifies that “in addition to promotion for skiing, mountain biking, and other activities that can be done in our area, Val di Fassa has a strong ski racing history. We want to grow new champions, thanks to quality training facilities, international alliances, experimentation and growth laboratories.”

Val di Fassa has cooperated with the Italian Federation as a training base for national quad teams until 2026. In addition, the Val di Fassa Ski Academy and the Ladies International Team (LIT) of Chris Knight, former coach of Alice Robinson and Lindsey Vonn, operate there.

This winter, Val di Fassa also hosts two women’s World Cup races, European Cups, FIS races, the British National Championships and the Baltic Cups.

Paolo emphasizes as a ski racing hub, “Val di Fassa effectively brings together several federations, making its area attractive for teams to come and train and race and for young talent to develop.”

Winter 2023/2024: Val di Fassa Operations

Rearick sums up the Apex plan in Val di Fassa for this season. “Twenty-five athletes of the PG program will base full-time in Val di Fassa. Our athletes based in France will travel to Val di Fassa several times this year and spend one or two weeks there.” This allows our student-athletes to experience new cultures and travel the world. It is one of our highest prerogatives at Apex2100.

The athletes come from 24 countries, mainly the UK and France, but also Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, the USA, Canada and other European countries. A unique feature of Apex2100 is its international bases, partnership with ski clubs in New Zealand, a temporary base in Folgefonna, Norway, and another in Saas-Fee, Switzerland, that other ski academies do not offer.

Concerning Val di Fassa, Rearick concludes, “The idea is that we also bring races. We are strong internationally and with our partnership with the Latvian Ski Federation, we can execute the races as well.”

Snow has already fallen in the Dolomites earlier than usual this year, a good omen for Apex’s new home in Val di Fassa.