MATTEO RUFFIN
Everyone calls me Teo, or Ruffo. I live in Premosello, a small village in the heart of the Val Grande National Park, the largest wilderness area in Europe. My passion for the mountains began early, thanks to my parents and our mountain home. Since childhood, I have lived the mountains intensely: at five years old, I learned to ski on a small lift for the village children, while summers were spent among pastures, streams, and shepherds. From those experiences grew my love for nature, which guided my growth and later my path in mountaineering.
At sixteen, I took my first ski mountaineering course and discovered a true passion. In summer, I began exploring new disciplines: sport climbing, alpinism, and, in winter, ice climbing. During those years, I was lucky to meet climbers and guides who passed on their experience, values, and respect for the โhigh lands.โ Thanks to them, I learned not only technique but also the elegance and safety needed to move in the mountains.
Over time, this calling became my profession. I began the path to becoming a Mountain Guide, earning the UIAGM certification and other specializations, such as canyoning guiding, the FISKY course director license, and the AINEVA Level 2 observer qualification. I have worked as a mountain rescue technician, instructor, and helicopter rescuer; I have opened new climbing routes and equipped many crags. The mountains are my world, and my work allows me to share them with those who trust me. I donโt have a favorite season or discipline โ what matters is living each day peacefully, surrounded by emotions, landscapes, and smiles. The smiles of people are the greatest reward of this job.
Among my most meaningful experiences is the opening of the route โDolce Enrico,โ dedicated to my father, who passed away in October 2021. Today, I continue to explore, trace new routes, and live the mountains as an endless source of joy and vitality. The seasons change, and with them, so does the way I feel โ itโs the extraordinary rhythm of nature that makes me feel alive.
Website: https://www.breathsofmountains.it/
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