Pool race

I knew three months ago that today would bring bad weather.  Why?  As today was the day of the Wengen pool race.  It is fair to say the event is dogged by snow and rain.

I am sure that all the organisers want is a sunny day so as to bring along a few spectators who might invest in a cold beer or two, but it seems to happen seldom.

To be fair, this photograph was taken just before the event kicked off and later on there were plenty more people there. Still, it is the twentieth anniversary of the race next year and maybe the weather gods will relent for once and provide a bit of sunshine.

The “race” is pretty obvious; the participants, on skis, snowboards or home made transport, try to reach the far end of the pool from a start at the top of the nursery slopes.  I have only seen a few runs over the years, but it is not that easy.

On the mountain, it was snowing and visibility was poor.  As the day went on, the snow became heavier and the skiers became fewer.  By late afternoon, the number of people around could be counted on the fingers of one hand. A winter’s day brought 10,476 vertical metres in 23 lift rides.