WIN - Women in Nature e le sue (altre) Ambassador

Simonetta Sandri · 6 October 2026

WIN - Women in Nature, nato per celebrare, connettere e valorizzare le donne che vivono la montagna e la natura con passione, determinazione e rispetto, ha le sue Ambassador.

Through their voice and stories, WIN collaborates with LaMunt (from the Ladin La Munt, "the mountain")—a brand designed exclusively by women for women—to bring an inclusive, authentic, and conscious idea of the outdoors to the forefront of the narrative.

With them, we want to tell the story of the mountains through a female perspective free of stereotypes, creating a network of support and sharing for all outdoor enthusiasts and promoting a careful and responsible approach to nature.

The "Women in Nature × LaMunt" Ambassadors are guides, athletes, storytellers, dreamers, and hikers: women who are different from one another yet united by the same call of the wild, ready to inspire anyone wishing to hit the trail.

After the first three (Eleonora Orler, Chiara Veronese, and Francesca Mor), we met two more: Francesca Toti and Alessia Soppelsa.

Francesca TOTI: "The mountains are my life"

Francesca is a 360-degree mountain professional, a benchmark figure in the Aprica (SO) area, and an entrepreneur in the sports and mountain tourism sector.

Since 2015, she has co-founded and directed a ski school and an associated ski club in Aprica. She handles both the organizational and strategic management of the structure and the coordination of the staff of instructors and coaches focused on the technical and personal growth of young athletes. As an International/Medium Mountain Guide (Accompagnatrice di Media Montagna), she guides enthusiasts in discovering the natural environment, passing on the culture, wildlife, and traditions of Valtellina.

How did your passion for the high lands begin, and what was the path that led you to qualify as a Ski Instructor and Medium Mountain Guide?

I am originally from Liguria—and fiercely defend my roots—adopted by Lombardy, married here in Aprica, and with two children growing up in the mountains. My passion was born in the family, thanks to my parents who passed on their love for high altitudes: I grew up between Liguria and Veneto, taking my first steps on skis at Cerreto Laghi and tackling my first trails, via ferratas, and rock faces with my dad between Trentino and Emilia.

In 2009, my training journey began with my ski instructor qualification. I worked for a few seasons in St. Moritz, Switzerland, before landing somewhat by chance in Lombardy at Passo dell'Aprica. That is where I met my husband—also a ski instructor, wildlife photographer, and beekeeper—and since then I haven't moved away. I share walks, activities, and a love for the mountains with him, including organized hikes in the Stelvio and Adamello parks to discover local wildlife.

In 2015, with Virginia (my right hand in this adventure), my husband, and another guy, we decided to take over a ski school that was closing down to give it new life. We started as three; the instructors went from ten to 37. Today we are five partners, including the national AMSI president and a snowboard instructor, and it is to all intents and effects a reality recreated from scratch. Over time I continued my training, completing the Ski School Director course and consolidating my mountain profile with the Medium Mountain Guide qualification.

Looking back at those first steps, what were the challenges in establishing yourselves?

Entering a world that is still heavily male-dominated was not easy. Making my way as a female director required double the effort, especially at the beginning: when you are a woman and not "from around here"—though proud of my origins, I know that in some ways I never will be—you have to build your credibility from scratch, in the field. You have to make people take you seriously and impose your voice to be heard, while learning not to take yourself too seriously. Competition was and is there, but the facts speak for themselves: we are still here and we continue to grow.

Today we count 37 instructors, all united under the same graphic identity: we designed a dedicated logo and new uniforms, orange and blue for men and blue and fuchsia for women. Fuchsia stands out on the slopes, but the female presence linked to this color is still in the minority, even if things are slowly changing.

Why are there still few women in this sector?

Many girls drop out during adolescence: the training path requires continuous and constant training, while city life offers more distractions. Despite this, the number of female instructors is rising. A positive signal also comes from the world of Medium Mountain Guides: in my course, out of 27 participants, 11 of us were women. A growing figure that bodes well for the future.

Being a Medium Mountain Guide allows you to live and let others live the territory all year round. When was the turning point, and how do you balance the summer and winter seasons?

Actually, I qualified as a Medium Mountain Guide a bit later than other experiences. As I said, as a girl I always went to the mountains with my father, then for a period I stopped, until I started frequenting the trails again with my husband. The real turning point came thanks to a special person who took me by the hand and taught me so much: Paolo, an alpine guide who is now also the godfather of my second child. It was he who pushed me to take the course, because he knew me deeply and saw potential in me that deserved to be valued. The facts would confirm his intuition.

For me, summer and winter are two complementary worlds that balance perfectly: during the cold season, my main focus is on snow, working full-time as a Ski Instructor and Director of the ski school; summer, however, becomes the ideal time to dedicate myself completely to guiding and hiking, allowing me to let people experience the territory in all its beauty and continuity throughout the year.

Aprica boasts a strong tourism tradition. How do you collaborate with local operators and institutions to promote the mountains in a sustainable and active way?

It is a delicate topic. I "escaped" from the purely commercial logic of the agency I used to work for and from tourism made of flags to plant or stickers to paste: when I step onto a trail, I prefer to do it almost in silence. My philosophy is to make people get to know the valleys rather than collect peaks, with the awareness that the mountain must be understood and respected even before it is experienced.

And to truly know it, you need a clean attitude. For me it is an almost sacred question: when we go to the mountains, we are treading on land that is not ours, whereas today there is a tendency to consider everything immediately available at one's disposal, often due to a certain type of tourism narrative and the exasperated impact of social media and the internet. For this reason, I frequently find myself saying "no" to requests born of such frenzy, steering the promotion of the territory toward a truer and more conscious experience. I prefer working with small groups who choose to come to listen, learn, and experience the mountain with the pace and respect it deserves.

Today the mountains face great challenges, from climate change to new tourists. How do you cope with them?

I feel a strong sense of responsibility, also thinking of my children and the fact that we must help them see and experience what risks disappearing shortly. Unfortunately, today we often witness a superficial approach: people going up in sneakers who then require helicopter rescues, a "disposable" tourism that risks devaluing the mountain. My way to adapt and guarantee a future for this work is to go against the grain, trying to create a new market ourselves. I left the logic of agencies to propose a more natural and authentic experience. For me, true importance must be given to silence and isolation. I remember an emblematic experience at a small refuge: 16-18 beds, with very few services and no running water.

Among the youngsters I was guiding, a couple were initially perplexed; I tried to make them understand where they were, facing incredible starry skies that cannot be seen anywhere else. It is often exhausting to reconcile my vision with the demands of frenetic tourism, but I want to continue believing in it and investing in those who think like me, to convey that the mountain is respected, not consumed.

What is the most important advice you would give to a woman who wants to turn her passion for the mountains into a successful entrepreneurial business?

To do so while always staying true to her own values, without ever letting herself be distorted by the surrounding human environment. Turning a passion into a business requires tenacity, but true success lies in building a reality that reflects who you truly are, defending your vision and authenticity even when the context pushes back.

Why WIN, and how do you bring your experience to it?

I chose WIN because it shares a different vision of the mountain, far from the dynamics of mass tourism. It is a reality that opens up, welcomes, and acts as a conscious brake against the temptation of homogenization or chasing big numbers at all costs. I bring all my field experience to it: the tenacity of someone who recreated a ski school from scratch, the sensitivity of someone who guides on trails, and the firmness in defending a niche, authentic, and respectful approach. My story can demonstrate that it is possible to do business in the mountains by placing values, the quality of the experience, and the protection of the territory at the center, creating a sustainable model consistent with the true soul of the high lands.

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Alessia SOPPELSA: "The Dolomites with Alessia"

A Medium Mountain Guide and professional ski instructor operating in the heart of the Dolomites, through her platform "Dolomiti con Alessia" she promotes an authentic and tailor-made approach to exploring the mountains and experiencing them in every season.

A Medium Mountain Guide (Accompagnatrice di Media Montagna) is a qualified professional who guides individuals and groups to discover the mountain environment safely. She is not just a guide along a trail: she shares the territory, its history, nature, and local traditions, transforming every hike into an authentic, engaging experience suited to the participants' level. With the additional International Mountain Leader qualification—which Alessia obtained in 2026—she can guide people on snow-covered terrain with snowshoes and microspikes and practice the profession even outside Italian borders. As a Ski Instructor, Alessia offers lessons for all levels and organizes guided ski tours across the most famous Dolomite resorts. Both in summer and winter, she organizes walks focused on history (such as World War I trenches), geology and nature, basic forest orientation, as well as photographic outings dedicated to sunrises, sunsets, foliage, and multi-day treks. We asked her a few questions.

How did your passion for the Dolomites begin, and what was the path that led you to become both a Ski Instructor and a Medium Mountain Guide?

My passion for the Dolomites was born around the age of three, from my mountain outings on the backs of my mom Ilde and dad Sergio: they took me to the mountains and little by little I took longer and longer hikes. I must say that between ages 8 and 10, sometimes I cried because I didn't understand the point of all that effort just to reach the top... Then, something changed. My dad took me to the highest mountains in Veneto, such as Monte Civetta, Monte Pelmo, Monte Antelao, and many others, and I understood that the mountain gives something you have to feel inside and out: emotions that make you grow and also give you time to meditate, which is not something to take for granted nowadays. Since middle school, my biggest dream was to become a ski instructor; this came true in 2023 with sacrifices and the help of my uncle Roberto, a ski instructor, to prepare me for the selections. Since my character leads me never to settle, last year I thought I should also turn my passion for hiking and trekking into something more: that's how I became a Medium Mountain Guide.

You offer a personalized approach: what is the philosophy guiding your activities?

I want to offer what aligns with my passions, as I believe the people who choose to ski or hike along with me should share similar values to mine to fully enjoy what I try to convey. I like the idea that people can disconnect from daily life while always maintaining their own "rhythm," which translates to their own pace, their own way of seeing things but also learning from others, giving the opportunity to open up to new experiences and perspectives. I try to recount what surrounds me through my eyes—those of someone who loves the mountains but also seeks to make their history understood and how we can best experience them while respecting them. The ultimate goal is to be happy, content, and grateful for what is around us, for what we learn or teach others, and for what we can do to improve ourselves and live serenely by dedicating some time to ourselves.

In winter you divide your time between teaching technique and guiding Ski Tours among the Dolomite peaks: what are the destinations or routes you love most to help discover?

In winter, besides teaching alpine skiing technique, I really enjoy guiding people on the Ski Tours that Dolomiti Superski offers. The best known is the Sellaronda ski tour, which can be done in both directions, clockwise and counterclockwise: it offers crazy views of the valleys and mountains, and that's also why it is very popular. What I love to help discover above all are the lesser-known ski tours, much like in summer I love guiding people to the wildest places in the Dolomites. With more experienced skiers, I love doing the Great War ski tour, which crosses Alleghe, Selva di Cadore, Passo Giau, Lagazuoi, San Cassiano, Corvara, Arabba, and the Marmolada: besides the panoramic aspect, I like recounting the events of the Great War and making people understand what happened in these valleys. One of my favorite tours is the one in the ski resort of Alleghe, Val di Zoldo, and Selva di Cadore. Skiing at the foot of Monte Civetta and with a spectacular view of Monte Pelmo, you can have fun learning something new on the slopes and across the different valleys you see. I like it because these are home slopes and places I have always loved, at the foot of my favorite mountain, Monte Civetta.

Your outings range from World War I history to foliage and orientation didactics. Can you tell us about them?

Summer and autumn hikes aim to engage and fascinate participants, knowing how to value grand panoramas as well as seemingly simple elements, like the forest. Thanks to the Medium Mountain Guide course, my approach guides participants to interpret and explain every detail of the natural environment, relating it to daily life. The storytelling of the territory and history adapts to every type of public (adults and children), stimulating curiosity and passion for the surrounding environment. In recounting events like the First World War, the priority is certainly not a list of dates, but making people empathize with the daily life of the era to "experience" that precise historical moment directly.

Tourist influx to the Dolomites is increasingly significant. How do you try to convey an approach to the territory that is respectful, conscious, and sustainable?

Fortunately or unfortunately, the influx to the Dolomites is constantly growing: "fortunately" because it creates jobs in the service sector and gives many people the opportunity to experience and discover this UNESCO heritage site, "unfortunately" because it also brings consequences such as the deterioration of residents' lives during high season periods, crowding in areas of greatest interest with impacts on local fauna and flora, and many other problems. The goal is to offer activities away from the mass tourism circuits popularized by social media, to help rediscover the true meaning of walking in the mountains consciously. Where I live, in the Agordino area, we are lucky to be surrounded by places that are still unknown: I want to share their beauty by teaching how to respect nature and choosing the less-traveled path, in every sense. Making people aware also helps change the approach toward the mountain, protecting it.

How did the idea of creating experiences for women come about, and what dynamics form in these groups during outdoor outings?

The idea was born from my personal experience: as a girl I wanted to go trekking and spend nights in tents, but I couldn't find female friends with whom to share this passion. Today many women experience the same situation. This is why I created activities dedicated to them, a reality that grows more and more thanks to Donne di Montagna and Women In Nature. In these groups, a relaxed atmosphere of great rapport immediately forms, as if you've known each other forever. There are those seeking serenity, those looking for new friendships or a supportive environment in which to learn. The strong point is mutual support: the goal is not reaching the peak at all costs, but enjoying the journey, nature, and the present moment together.

Have you noticed differences in the motivations driving women to approach the mountains today? What do they mainly look for when they rely on you?

When women rely on me for a hike, they look for a relaxed atmosphere where performance isn't put first, but rather themselves. They look for support, new friendships, a group where they know they won't be left behind. They look for activities and experiences to dedicate time to themselves with the security of being part of something where there is mutual support, or where they can talk about this and that without feeling ashamed. Many women approach the mountains to disconnect from daily routine, to try something different, or simply because they have this passion and want to share it. Many want to dedicate more time to themselves, discover something new, and maybe just relax. What probably unites them is the desire to listen to themselves, being part of a group with similar motivations and values.

What is the most rewarding moment this job has given you? What are your upcoming projects?

The most rewarding moment is when I see people smiling who are experiencing something along with me: it might seem like an obvious or silly statement, but when people are with me and spontaneously smile at something I'm telling them, a shared idea, or simply the panorama before us, they make me smile too. Seeing people happy makes me happy. The best memory of every outing and ski run is when I realize people are grateful and happy with the experience.

As for future projects, I will think of new ideas, but I won't let authenticity and the desire to discover something new fall short: I would love to give residents here in the province of Belluno the chance to discover new things about our territory as well as on out-of-town trips. Who knows, maybe some extra hikes in the places that hold a place in my heart between Trentino-Alto Adige and Friuli Venezia Giulia.

Why WIN?

I chose WIN because, besides having a dynamic and professional team that helped me turn ideas into reality, I want to give women the chance to live unforgettable experiences without fear of falling behind or being alone. WIN offers what I couldn't find when I was younger—namely, a group to share hikes, activities, and much more with other women. WIN puts the person first, not performance—a value not to be underestimated.

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