Is
there anything more beautiful, impressing and moving on a skiing day
than
running down a slope of fresh snow? The answer is: «No!».
But
you have to know how to do it, as deep snow might cover you till it
melts
in the early summertime. Be serious about avalanches and stick to the
marked
slopes. Sometimes you won't get any more snow than is
sufficient to cover the bumps. That is the moment when you are pretty
save
and the feeling is genuine. And this very page is
dedicated to a day like that.
*
Once in a while my wife has to worry about my state
of mind. Outside the wind howls, snow is falling like a white curtain
and
I get up at 7 o'clock in the morning, stating: «I'm not here for
fun but for skiing». However, I think that my wife knows that it
means
great fun to me when I'm the first to leave behind trails on untrodden
slopes. And those who want to ride through fresh snow have to leave
when
it snows. And sometimes you are rewarded by the fact that the cable car
connection is opened for the first time since two or three days - and
you
are in it.
*
And that's exactly what happens. On a day like that
(after days like that) I suddenly realize that the cable car to Stockhorn
is no longer closed. It is clearly visible from Rothorn. So I cross
over
to Gant/Hohtälli. It is the third cabin that leaves for Stockhorn
and we are three people except stuff. The visibility, however, is still
very poor. Uphill it is all right but further down there is one too
many
clouds hanging around. Nevertheless I jump out of the
cabin and into the deep white snow. The snowboard runs by itself. The
entry
to the slope is usually narrow and difficult to pass but I don't even
realize
it. There is not a single bump, nor
are
there hardly any trails. I lean
just a bit to the board's tail; just enough to get the nose out of the
snow. And like riding the waves I fly out of the snow, dive into the
white
foam again, get out, dive in - until I am pretty near to a heart
attack.
*
It is incredibly hard to ride without a stop for
a few hundred meters in altitude. All in all I make more than 1100m
down
to the lovely sited Grünsee restaurant. I don't see much
on
my way, but I feel that my skills are improving. I keep up straight and
try not to loose the balance. I fly by instruments. I do this all twice
before I give up, changing to less spectacular slopes.