The Canalone Miramonti in Madonna di Campiglio is one of the temples of world alpine skiing. For more than seventy years, this is where the 3Tre has written memorable chapters in FIS Ski World Cup history, crowning champions and delivering unforgettable emotions to slalom fans.
In recent days, however, the iconic 3Tre course revealed a completely different side: instead of racing down it, athletes had to climb it. It became one of the most striking and talked-about images of the 2026 Top Dolomites Outdoor Festival, held from 5 to 7 June between Pinzolo and Madonna di Campiglio. A record-breaking edition confirmed the event’s continued growth, marking the eighth edition of the festival and the third of the Trail Run, with more than 2,500 athletes from over 15 countries taking part.
The major new feature this year was the debut of the Ultra 3Tre, a new 61-kilometre course with over 3,000 metres of elevation gain, named after Italy’s longest-running alpine skiing classic. Born from a collaboration between the worlds of 3Tre and trail running, the project immediately captured the attention of outdoor enthusiasts and industry observers.
The most iconic moment of the race came on the very slope that hosts the World Cup spectacle every winter. After more than thirty kilometres along the trails of the Brenta Dolomites, the athletes faced an unprecedented challenge: tackling the Canalone Miramonti in reverse.
No snow, no poles, no gates to negotiate. Just a steep grassy slope to conquer metre by metre, with gradients reaching and exceeding 28%. The climb transformed one of the World Cup circuit’s most famous courses into a spectacular test of endurance.
It was a change of perspective that brought together two seemingly distant worlds. On one side, the history and prestige of the 3Tre; on the other, the growing culture of endurance racing and mountain running. The result was one of the most photographed and shared sections of the entire festival, with hundreds of runners battling their way up the same course where the world’s best slalom skiers compete every December.
The Ultra 3Tre represented much more than a new race distance. It was a celebration of the region’s sporting identity, with a course symbolically connecting the great sporting traditions of Madonna di Campiglio: a capital of alpine skiing in winter and an international outdoor destination throughout the summer season.
Images of athletes taking on the Canalone Miramonti quickly spread across the web, further strengthening the position of Madonna di Campiglio and Val Rendena as a destination where sport and the mountains can be enjoyed twelve months a year.
As another memorable sporting chapter comes to a close, the 3Tre is already looking ahead to its next great event. On 23 December, the Canalone Miramonti will once again be covered in snow to host its traditional FIS Ski World Cup slalom. The same slope where, for one intense weekend in June, trail runners wrote a new and fascinating chapter in its history.
