Mt Etna, Sicily – January 2002
Text and photos by Sarah Ferguson

Mt Etna erupted in 2001 having been dormant for several years, so it was a surprise to be invited to join Italian friends on a White Planet excursion to climb and ski this active volcano. Intrigued but trusting Mauro Girardi not to lead me astray, I joined Ezio Baggioli in Milan and flew to Catania. Umberto Tomasello, an Etna guide, took us to the open-air market, bursting with life, colour and fresh produce. However, first things first in Sicily - cappuccino and canolo. This delicious pastry has changed my life irrevocably.

On the hillside above Pedara, the Masseria Tre Monti, is surrounded by a Mediterranean garden and high walls. Our arrival set up a chorus of neighbouring guard dogs. This 150 yr old farmhouse, our base for four nights, was full of atmosphere, antiques, cats and an enormous open fire. Our hosts Anna and Saverio Curcio effortlessly provided delicious meals - fresh ricotta and pecorino cheeses - the taste of Sicily.

The recent eruption had been in the Southern region of Etna and our plan was to climb to the North East Crater, 3317m, which last blew in 1981. We drove to the NE region of Lingualossa and the ski slopes of Plano Provenzana at 1800m. The ski tows took us up to 2000m where we put on our skins for the 3.5hr ascent. Our goal was visible, 4kms away and still smoking after 21 years.

The exposed lava on the ridges of the flows was a scorched, brittle, blackened reminder of the power of the molten centre of the Earth. As we ascended, the temperature gradually dropped and the wind increased. Belching clouds of sulphurous steam rose from the crater. Around the rim of the crater, the heat of the ground had melted the snow into crunchy, crusty blisters, frozen by the cool air temperature and wind chill. The charming coastal town of Taormina lay below us and the Italian mainland was visible across the Messina Straits.

The sastrugi snow formations made the upper slopes interesting skiing but the conditions improved dramatically as we skied down, threading our way through channels in the lava flow formations. The second day we skinned up to Punta Lucia, 2991m, to the NW of the Northeast Crater and skied down the northwest slope of Etna to a forest hut with a blazing fire. Descending further down forest paths, the snow ran out at around 1500m. The walk to the road through 8km of oak forests with glimpses of wild boar was a delightful end.