It was 7 degrees on the balcony at 8.15am and it certainly didn’t become any colder as the day progressed. It was not a good start to what promised to be a busy day. Not only is it New Year’s Eve, but a Saturday as well and I expected the mountain to be full to overflowing.
It wasn’t the case though. The cable car at 10.00am was quietish, as was Mannlichen, and the skiing stayed quiet all morning. Mind you, the cable car was shut for a technical problem for a while at least, so that helped I am sure. The gremlins were truly in the works today, with Lager closed as well until late morning.
The snow was very soft on Mannlichen and it was again with some relief that I reached Scheidegg. The sunny morning had turned gloomy and with most skiers wanting to reach home early to prepare for tonight’s bun fight, Scheidegg too was very quiet. Wixi, Bumps and the race course to Innerwengen were all studded with moguls. At Innerwengen, the large hills of snow which have covered the slalom course for the last few weeks have been bashed into something resembling a piste. The Lauberhorn weekend has now made it over the horizon and is bearing down on us quickly. Let’s hope the snow conditions allow it to happen.
A warm and quiet New Year’s Eve brought 7,663 vertical metres in 18 lift rides and 45 kilometres travelled.
Idle thoughts from a mountain 