Well nearly so anyway.
I didn’t expect to be writing anything like that on the first Sunday of the half term holidays. Yesterday evening, new arrivals were everywhere. The ski hire shops were full and the check out queue at the Co-op stretched as far as the cabinet at the back of the shop containing the fisch sticks; all that was needed was a message outside advising those who entered to abandon hope. The bars were full of people watching the Six Nations rugby on television and everyone under fourteen seemed to be fuelled entirely on sugar.
So today I made an early dash for the cable car; it wasn’t busy first thing, but I expected the crowds to follow. They didn’t though. A few ski school classes snaked their way down the mountain, but otherwise all was peace and quiet. This photograph was taken just above Lager at about 10.30am:
Not a soul in sight. It was snowing, but I don’t think the weather put people off really. The light was okay, which is what normally quietens the day. Probably, after actually making it away on holiday, people needed to linger a little. You would think there might be a better system than forcing half of Europe on holiday at the same time; the stress is tangible.
I made my way down early (I write this on the train to Zurich airport) and as I did so the sun put in an appearance; the village was bucking up too.
A short but quiet day brought 6,963 vertical metres in 15 lift rides.
Idle thoughts from a mountain 