STARLIGHT


A SILKEN SKY

La Palma is the first Starlight world’s reserve and was, as well, recognised as Touristic Destination of the same foundation in 2012. This year marks thirteen years since that declaration, that was passed in the Conferencia Internacional en Defensa de la Calidad del Cielo Nocturno y el Derecho a Observar las Estrellas (International Conference in Defence of the Night Sky Quality and the Right to Observe the Stars) in 2007. The island is, without any doubt, a paradise for those who love to observe the night sky, and a vital scientific, cultural, environmental and touristic resource.

In 2017’s edition, Reventón El Paso started the development of their strategic positioning as Carrera de las Estrellas (Stars Race). The 2018’s edition was the birth of Subida a las Estrellas (Climb to the Stars), a night discipline that has been developed respecting the Ley del Cielo (Sky’s Law) and included in the family of Reventón Trail disciplines.

What is the starlight seal?

On March 26th, 2019, Reventón Trail Fred. Olsen Express became the first sports event in obtaining the Starlight Foundation certification. Antonia M. Varela Pérez, head of this institution created by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (Canary Islands
Astrophysics Institute), handed to Sergio Rodríguez, El Paso’s mayor, and to Omar Hernández, Reventón Trail El Paso director, the seal that certifies La Palma’s mountain race its commitment with the protection of the starry sky, the astronomy outreach and the promotion of the Starlight movement.

This granting, the first in the world and created expressly for Reventón Trail El Paso, was the culmination of a 2-year-period that the race organisers and El Paso City Council spent working on it. A path that made the creation of La Subida a las Estrellas (Climb to the Stars) possible, uphill discipline that will be three-years old in 2021. Among its main features, we find that: it excels for taking place at night, it rejects artificial light during its course and it dimes luminaires in the start and finish areas.

The Starlight Foundation is an entity with its own legal personality- created by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (Canary Islands Astrophysics Institute), whose main objective is to outreach astronomy and promote, coordinate and manage the Starlight movement.

It is a non-profit entity that encompasses, coordinates and manages the compilation of ideas, projects, people, thoughts and activities that, under the name Starlight, offers the society a different way of valuing the starry sky. Likewise, it fights to protect it and it is aware that, when doing it, it takes care of a scientific and cultural heritage that belongs to everybody, simultaneously preserving the habitat of a big number of species that need the night darkness for their survival.

For further information or to know more about the Starlight Foundation, click on the following link!

2017. The Stars
Race

In 2017, Reventón Trail adopts as positioning strategy the boost of El Paso’s sky, and for that matter, La Palma’s, sky virtues and cleanliness. All the promotion of the race spins towards the enhancement of complying with the Ley del Cielo (Sky’s Law), also from a sports event, in consonance with the strategy drawn years before by the Cabildo Insular de La Palma (La Palma Island Council) in the touristic scope.

2018. La Subida
a Las Estrellas

A year later, a second race becomes part of Reventón Trail, in this case, an against-time discipline, always celebrated under El Paso’s starry sky. A night race with the stars and the athletes’ head torches as its only lightning. We had the visit and advice of the Starlight Foundation in order to reduce the light impact during its celebration. We started our own race: becoming the first sport event in the world with the Starlight seal.

 

This discipline goes through an almost vertical stretch of around 2 kilometres, which hardnes gives name to the event. We are talking about the famous and feared climb of El Reventón, a completely upward course that starts in the surroundings of El Pino de la Virgen Chapel and ends in La Hilera forest track. The course, entirely linear, will be 2,800 metres long with an elevation gain of 570 metres and a maximun height of 1,420 metres, being its start poing located 850 metres high. Along this course, participants will only find reflective signs and they will be the ones lightning their steps by using head torches. Start and finish line luminaires will be dimmed, according to the Oficina Técnica de Protección del Cielo (Sky Protection Technical Office)- which depends of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (Canary Islands Astrophysics Institute)- recommendations.

2019. Starlight
Seal Granting

After a year studying how to minimise even more the light impact in the Subida a las Estrellas (Climb to the Stars) setting, and disseminating numerous experiences related to La Palma sky, the Starlight Foundation confirms the granting of this certificate to our event.