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The Pill Outdoor Journal 55

The Pill Outdoor Journal 55 is here! On the cover there is a photo by Alexis Berg anticipating one of the moments captured at the Lavaredo Ultra Trail.

An issue full of contrasts, where stories of ultrarunning are alternated with tales of long journeys in search of the self and unexplored places.

To get it? 1332 Outdoor Store, 510 Hotels and on our shop online. 🌲❤️

Available in Italian (€6) and English versions at (€9.50). Shipping included.

EDITOR’S LETTER

For a few weeks I have been following the highly recommended scientific dissemination portal by geologist Andrea Moccia: Geopop. There are several videos in which he addresses the issue of global warming but one of them, of which I want to summarize the content, struck me. The ability of the planet earth to manage the quantities of carbon is explained, by way of example, with a 750ml bottle of wine. Since I like beer and I like the idea of a 750ml beer even more, I’ll bring you the same metaphor in the form of hops. Let’s imagine the earth’s atmosphere as a 750ml bottle of beer. Let’s imagine then filled with 750ml of beer (possibly an amber beer), that is the quantity that the bottle is able to manage. Then take a small glass (the one that you pours out, filled with genepì, inside beers on tap) and pour it into the bottle. Immediately there is a problem: the additional genepì overflows from the bottle.

There are still several people, Andrea explains, who see natural sources of carbon dioxide as proof that man-made CO2 is not a big problem. But let’s think about the bottle: the problem is not that the bottle contains 750ml of beer, since it is specially designed to handle that amount. The problem is that extra shot. The same concept, Andrea continues, applies to our emissions. The problem is not the 750 gigatons of carbon that the atmosphere contains and is capable of handling. Those 750 billion tons, being emitted naturally, have found an impressive natural balance and remained almost stable over time. The ocean, for example, releases about 90 gigatons of carbon into the atmosphere every year but absorbs about 92 from the atmosphere. Plants, Andrea continues with the examples, absorb about 120 gigatons through chlorophyll photosynthesis, but they release, at the same time, 59 with the respiration of plants and 58 through the decomposition of soils. You don’t need to be Einstein to notice that the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere is almost the same that the atmosphere loses. In other words, the biosphere, the lithosphere and the hydrosphere are capable of removing the same amount of carbon from the atmosphere that they release in it. An exceptional natural balance. Now, returning to the bottle of beer: it is as if this bottle exchanges the same quantity of liquid with other bottles, always letting out as much of it as it lets in, keeping the level stable. The problem is those 8 or 9 gigatons of carbon that we release into the atmosphere each year through human activities. This “small” quantity (because it is small, Andrea emphasizes, compared to the natural one) is a pain in the ass for the natural balance because the system cannot manage it. Furthermore, the consequent serious problem is that once the balance is broken it is not possible to reverse it, at least not in human times. The issues are complex, but the key message is this: “The problem is not the bottle, but the shot.”

Chiara Guglielmina

96 hours in Cortina:
La Sportiva Lavaredo Ultra Trail
An injured Filippo Caon reports on the Lavaredo Ultra Trail, not as a runner but as a spectator. Wind and rain, health and illness await.

96 hours in Cortina:
La Sportiva Lavaredo Ultra Trail
An injured Filippo Caon reports on the Lavaredo Ultra Trail, not as a runner but as a spectator. Wind and rain, health and illness await.

In Nepal you also climb mountains
Chiara Guglielmina and Matteo Pavana tell us about their recent trip to Nepal, which took place between November and December 2021, to document the humanitarian mission of the voluntary organization Cuore Attivo Monterosa in the remote Arun valley.

In Nepal you also climb mountains
Chiara Guglielmina and Matteo Pavana tell us about their recent trip to Nepal, which took place between November and December 2021, to document the humanitarian mission of the voluntary organization Cuore Attivo Monterosa in the remote Arun valley.

On Everest to touch the sky: Andrea Lanfri
The mountaineer, paralympic athlete from Lucca and Ferrino ambassador reached the highest peak in the world and set the record for the fastest and highest running mile in the world.

On Everest to touch the sky: Andrea Lanfri
The mountaineer, paralympic athlete from Lucca and Ferrino ambassador reached the highest peak in the world and set the record for the fastest and highest running mile in the world.

Climbing is not a sport, it’s an art: Sean Villanueva & Nicolas Favresse
The essence of climbing told by two climbers who are also artists, but first of all friends

Climbing is not a sport, it’s an art: Sean Villanueva & Nicolas Favresse
The essence of climbing told by two climbers who are also artists, but first of all friends

Running like baking: Davide Palluda
Michelin-starred chef but also runner, in nature he learned to appreciate the beauty of the areas where he grew up, in Roero (CN, Italy), because: “the more you know one thing, the more you respect it.”

Running like baking: Davide Palluda
Michelin-starred chef but also runner, in nature he learned to appreciate the beauty of the areas where he grew up, in Roero (CN, Italy), because: “the more you know one thing, the more you respect it.”

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Find Your Element
After two years, the hold on restrictions has finally loosened: Lorenzo Alesi and Alice Linari took advantage of this for a journey through the Elements but, more importantly, through themselves.

Find Your Element
After two years, the hold on restrictions has finally loosened: Lorenzo Alesi and Alice Linari took advantage of this for a journey through the Elements but, more importantly, through themselves.

Fedchenko: The forgotten glacier
Picture organic clothing documentary tells of Cédric Gras and Matthieu Tordeur’s journey to Tajikistan to explore the Fenchenko Glacier, driven by a passion to learn about places where humans are not welcome.

Fedchenko: The forgotten glacier
Picture organic clothing documentary tells of Cédric Gras and Matthieu Tordeur’s journey to Tajikistan to explore the Fenchenko Glacier, driven by a passion to learn about places where humans are not welcome.

Run with the Flow
To try to meet ultrarunner Florian Neuschwander, Chiara Guglielmina ran in Vienna for the Wings For Life World Run. Too bad Florian participated in the same event but in Munich. No worries, Chiara found a way to ask him some questions!

Run with the Flow
To try to meet ultrarunner Florian Neuschwander, Chiara Guglielmina ran in Vienna for the Wings For Life World Run. Too bad Florian participated in the same event but in Munich. No worries, Chiara found a way to ask him some questions!

The real challenge against time is another one
The Monte Rosa SkyMarathon, the highest skyrunning race in Europe, was held again this year. We would like to tell you how it went, but with due reflection on what happened last July 4 at the Marmolada Glacier.

The real challenge against time is another one
The Monte Rosa SkyMarathon, the highest skyrunning race in Europe, was held again this year. We would like to tell you how it went, but with due reflection on what happened last July 4 at the Marmolada Glacier.

Perseverance – “one step at the time”
Saronno – summit of Mount Breithorn (4164m) in less than 24h: Stefano La Mastra’s journey in a mix of bike, splitboard, sweat, rain and policemen told by his traveling companion and reporter, Camilla Pizzini.

Perseverance – “one step at the time”
Saronno – summit of Mount Breithorn (4164m) in less than 24h: Stefano La Mastra’s journey in a mix of bike, splitboard, sweat, rain and policemen told by his traveling companion and reporter, Camilla Pizzini.

You can find The Pill Outdoor Journal 55 on our online store and in the best European outdoor stores.
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