The light was very poor again this morning. The skies were filled with cloud, it had been raining in the village and prospects for the day looked miserable. To top things off, the cable car was still closed.
I headed for the 9.16am train. It arrived as if escaped from a model railway, far too short for the platform and the number of people waiting. Inevitably, many of us were left behind, but with the assurance that the cable car would be open at 9.30am. The first car ran on the dot of the half hour, as promised.
At Mannlichen it was still grey and windy, but all the lifts were open. The weather looked set for the day, but suddenly the wind dropped away and the clouds began to clear.
Within an hour, the skies were a clear deep blue. The cable car had been full, but the pistes were very quiet, icy to start with, but softening in the sun to give great conditions. From somewhere way out in left field, we ended up with a fantastic skiing day.
An unexpectedly brilliant day brought 11,433 vertical metres in 23 lift rides and 61 kilometres travelled.
Idle thoughts from a mountain 