The clouds sat heavily over the Lauterbrunnen valley this morning. Looking out at breakfast time there was little to see, save for the vaguest outline of the peaks above Grutschalp. The webcam at Mannlichen showed clear skies though, and there seemed some hope for the day.
However, by 9.15am the cloud had crept upwards and the whole mountain was lost in fog. There remained some prospect of good skiing; the sun burned through the clouds intermittently and it looked possible that at any moment it would turn into a glorious, sunny day.
It was not to be. The clouds persisted, becoming worse in the afternoon. It was easy to be lost on the mountain, so poor was the visibility, and more than once I wondered whether I was heading in the right direction. On the way home, it rained.
This evening, the cloud is still sat in the village. Meteo Swiss continues to promise better weather, colder with some sunshine, and we continue to hope.
A less than perfect ski day brought 5,115 vertical metres in 13 lift rides and 38 kilometres travelled.
Idle thoughts from a mountain 