Wider horizons

It was cloudy and miserable when the Idler Skiers woke today. The avalanche risk was still high and in Wengen access to the mountain remained closed. 

Mrs. IS, sensing that another day’s inactivity would be too much idleness, packed me off with instructions to find what skiing might be available. For the first time since late in November, I ventured beyond the cable car or the railway to Scheidegg and headed down to Lauterbrunnen.

The skiing choice was the same as yesterday, the village lifts in Murren (now accessible via Grutschalp) or the gondola at Grund, via Zweilutschinen.  I chose the latter, partly to see the new railway line to the terminal at Grund. The journey was quick and impressive.  

A few round trips up to Holenstein and back meant I got to know the terminal well. I am still left with the feeling, though, that I should be catching a plane rather than a ski lift. 

There were a few skiers around, but not many. We seemed to have the best of the day. It didn’t rain much in the Grindelwald valley and it snowed for a while. The sun made a fleeting appearance.

Skiline attributes to the day 6,438 vertical metres in six lift rides and 21 kilometres travelled, but the system didn’t realise I had to leave the gondola at the mid-station.