Hero of the Momatt Moguls

Or how I «saved» an attractive british soul

MomattI cannot stop to complain about the skiing area around the Klein Matterhorn, the part I do regard as of minor interest. However, there are three exceptions, all in all on the way back to town: Furgg-Furri, Momatt and Tiefbach 1. May be it is for that reason why I am usually very lonely on my way up to Schwarzsee around half past four in the afternoon, while on the other hand the lift is pretty busy carrying people downhill to Furi (or Furri as some say here).
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April 2004. About 16:15 army time. Momatt and Tiefbach are fortunately open and for the first time in seven years I am about to take the Tiefbach «adventure ride». Wife and children have finished skiing for today and I am on my own: «How could you miss the Tiefbach run?», I will ask myself later. The answer is: «To rescue a girl.» What else could it be?
Zermatt*
After missing the right path I find myself going down the Momatt way, to my opinion the second hardest run in the whole area. Parallel to the Tiefbach slope, as narrow and steep and the snow so deep. There is no easy way out. You have to glide down the moguls, turn very frequently and watch the frozen parts as well as stones not entirely covered by snow. There are rocks to both sides and some sharp turns long for attention. It is behind of one of these moguls where I suddenly realize that I am no longer alone. A girl (or should I say a woman) leans against a wall of ice and snow, looking at me like one would look at a Wolpertinger 2. I try to talk to her in german but she looks british and talks like that. Zermatt I put up a smalltalk to get her feet back on the ground. I watch her recover from obvious difficulties she had trying to get down that run not made for beginners: «I have lost my self conciousness. It is sooo late. This is not my run. I am not that good at skiing. I cannot say how I happened to get here.»
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I can't tell her either. There are several hundred sign-posts uphill that tell you in every common language not to go down here but for experienced skills. I don't tell her that: «Go ahead, I'll stay behind of you.» At that time I am prepared to spend the rest of the night with bringing her savely home. Bye, bye Tiefbach! However, for a long time she has been the first skier to welcome a snowboard behind her back and the first woman who obeys my orders: «Try to turn frequently, turn on top of the moguls!», I shout from behind. She does so and within a short time we get out of the Momatt mogul run. There is a probability beyond 5% that she took that slope deliberately.
Zermatt*
«When you take that run every evening from now on you will definitely improve your abilities!», I call to her as we touch the trail of Weiße Perle. I hurry to get down to Furi as it is not too late for the Furgg-Furri slope. At 16:55 army time I jump into one of the very last cabines. This time there is nobody but me on his way uphill. Looking at numerous people that descend with the Matterhorn Express, I wonder about a headline. I guess I shall mention this afternoon as part of the internet stories about Zermatt.
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The next day I happen to run into my british lady again: «My hero!», she yells, «my hero!», and this is where the headline came from.

1 Momatt and Tiefbach are no slopes but unattended mogul free rides. Both are rather paths through narrow creeks and because of uncertain snow conditions most often closed . Very difficult when frozen.
2 A Wolpertinger is a mountain being that has seldom been seen and never been photographed as far as it is known to me. The creature is for the Alps what the Yeti is for the Himalaya (or Nessie for Loch Ness, but more likely to be hunted down one day). However, I have the strongest believe that I saw one of them underneath of Rote Nase - on a day when I had left my camera behind.