Oreste Peccedi

Oreste Peccedi began working as a skiing coach in the second half of the 1950s. However, he achieved international fame by preparing the Italian men’s alpine team between 1968-76. In that glorious period, the national team achieved its first victories in the World Cup with progressive and unstoppable growth, and became known as Valanga Azzurra (Blue Avalanche) after the famous first five places in the 1974 Berchtesgaden giant slalom. The Italians, led by Jean Vuarnet (1968-72), Mario Cotelli (1973-76), and Peccedi, won 48 first places in the World Cup, five overall World Cups, six in specialty events with Gustavo Thoeni and Piero Gros, and a total of 12 Olympic and World Championship medals. It was Peccedi who was the course setter for the second run of the 1976 Innsbruck Olympics slalom where Gros, under a heavy snowfall, managed to recover from fifth place to win the gold medal.

After the 1976 Olympics, Peccedi married and, after having a daughter, decided to quit the sport, preferring to put family first. Despite not being involved with the national team anymore, Peccedi was still involved with the sport and designed the Stelvio slope in his native Bormio, which was used for the 1985 and 2005 World Championships, and regularly included as a World Cup venue. It was also chosen as a venue for the 2026 Winter Olympics. Peccedi died in May 2024 after a long illness.