Many years ago, so long in the past it seems before the dawn of time, the Idle Skiers spent a day on the slopes of Arrowhead, a small resort near Beaver Creek. Then, it was privately owned; not in the way that Vail and Beaver Creek were privately owned, but by the people who occupied the luxury homes dotted around the slopes. On weekdays, they sold a few tickets to the ordinary folk and so we skied one cold, sunny day with maybe six other people.
Now, I believe, Arrowhead is linked on the mountain to Beaver Creek and forms part of that enormous enterprise, Vail Resorts, which dominates North American skiing. I hadn’t thought about Arrowhead for a long time, but today’s empty slopes, quieter still than yesterday, brought it to mind. Wengen has been today another private resort, populated by a few people only.
It was snowing heavily when the Idle Skiers awoke and the snow continued for the rest of the morning. The weather cleared in the afternoon, save for some irritating and persistent hail on Honegg. Another winter’s day brought 8,588 vertical metres in 18 lift rides and 49 kilometres travelled.
Idle thoughts from a mountain 