Eurospin 2022

[Buster Highmen]

While I wade through the post Euro return blear, I'll spew out a few bone moes about the recently completed ramp through Yurp ending with EuroBBI2022.
Props to http://www,mtnlodge_sedrun.com, wp_bw_hedonism and the fistfull of maggots writhing around the Andermatt-Disentis SkiArena.

Flight from Seattle to Zurich was great except for the 8 hour layover at Paris CDG. Not doing that again. I did the usual 40L carryon with skiboots and 1 checked skibag with the canonical 200 cm DPS Lotus 120s from 2007. Fat old skis for a fat old man.

On landing ZRH, I couldn't get my phone to connect, so getting on line to get a ticket to Wengen was a challenge. Eventually, I got on and managed to score the ticket involving high speed rail to Interlaken, switching to a non Eurail valid narrow gauge to Lauterbrunnen and finally the cog rail from Lauterbrunnen up to Wengen. Unfortunatley it was at night.

The first 5 nights I roosted at the Regina Hotel, about 300 meters up a little hill from the Wengen train station. The Regina is an old world hotel, likely built in the 19th century with a variety of upgrades, but still owned by the original family with that patina of grace and funk unique to established Euro hotels. The staff was awesome, the owner acting as maitre d' in the bistro. They have the best rated restaurant, Chez Meyers. A single was 160chf/night, more than I usually spend, but I didn't know the area and was up for a little bougy comfort.

Skied Murren (Schilthorn) first. I was impressed with the offpiste area, some super sketchy entrances and obscured exits. Being solo, I stayed on the more conservative options with traverses and bootpacks. I'd love to go back with pal to sample the more exposed stuff. Some big lines with 3000+ vertical feet of 30 degree pitches.
Top of Schilthorn and following pitch to the west which goes out of sight through cliffbands:




Next day, did Grindlewald/Wengen, using the Mannilichenbahn, a massive 2000+ vertical foot tram from Wengen up to the ridge dividing Wengen from Grindlewald. The skiing there was mostly piste with a few pockets of E/NE facing pow that required a 5 minute bootpack and traverse above the Laeger chair.



I did have a weird experience on the Grindlewald Mannilichen gondola when, in a full gondola with closed windows in the sun, I pointed to the window and got nods from several riders to open it. On exiting the gondola and walking a distance away, I heard loud Teutonic gargling behind me, so I stopped and turned around. An older man and woman came up to be in heated output to which I responded "Ich nicht sprech Deutch". The man broke into mangled English "you no ask window open..." with the woman fiercely supporting. Why they never objected in the 10 minute ride in the gondy was proof that passive aggressive Karens are not limited to North America. The disease spreads.

Then back to Murren for 2 days, exploring the Schilthorn and skiing corn over on the more southerly exposed Gimmelwald zone in the afternoon. The best espresso there at the Suppenalp hutte.

On the 28th it was Grindlewald/Wengen on the Honegg lift where I found the bootpack up above the Honegg lift that exposed a massive and wonderful cirque of powder and big exposure. After 3 laps there I poked around on the Lauberhorn downhill and was blown away by the insanity of that classic. Incredible 90 degree turns right under the Jungfrau.


On that note, the views from Lauterbrunnen in the valley is like Yosemite with the blue ice of Mt Rainier crowning the massive walls, waterfalls and icefalls. Stunning in any context.

More later

Moved to Murren Alpenblick hotel, skied Schilthorn 2 days. March 3, 4

Train from Murren to Klosters. March 5

[Buster Highmen]

I am indeterminate independent of time.
Where was I?
Where am I?
Where will I be?

Oh yeah, I was still in Wengen at the Regina, meeting lots of interesting people at the 4:30 tea. Some French folks who spoke less English than I spoke French, so we fumbled our way through a thoroughly interesting conversation about cultures and skiing. Then I met a British gentleman and his family who were a complete gas, Zappa fiend and bon vivant. I shared dinner with them. On another night I did a dinner at Chez Meyers which was completely off the charts fantastic, super elegant service, excellent wine pairings, sent me teetering off into the night.

Going from Wengen to Murren was such a gas and such a contrast against the whining can't do itisms of American ski transport.

Walk 300 meters to the cog train, ride it down to Lauterbrunnen.
Cross the street underground, up a few stairs or escalator and into a 100 person, 700+ vertical meter tram.
Out of the tram and into another little cog railway for a few minutes to the Murren base of Winteregg.
Ride a chair up into the main ski area, a short run, another chair, another short run and onto the first leg of the Schilthorn tram. Another section of the tram gets you up to Piz Gloria and 007 land.

Amazing skiing and lovely espresso here:

[::: :::]

so cool, buster
thanks for posting

[Buster Highmen]

Schilthorn pow

[Buster Highmen]

Moar Schilthorn pow, from the PIz Gloria summit:

[cloud cult]

this tr is world class

[Buster Highmen]

There's a monument to Sir Arnold Lunn, the father of modern ski racing, near the train station in Murren.

#skihistory, #respect

[Buster Highmen]

After 5 nights at the Regina Wengen, it was time to leave that patina of classic Swiss hotels so I moved across the Lauterbrunnen valley to the Alpenblick in Murren.



The Alpenblick was a contrast to the Regina, relatively new and small, but hosted by a bubbly Swiss couple who were incredibly friendly and made room for me in their over reserved restaurant for excellent food. They are located just a few minutes walk down a gentle road from the main Murren train station.

The Schilthorn is world class offpiste skiing, I was really impressed and wanted to try some of the routes that I couldn't see clearly, but went through some cliffbands and ended far downvalley near convoluted streambeds.



Being solo and not knowing the area, I stayed nearer the pistes and more obvious routes off the steep North face of the Schilthorn. There was still good cold North facing pow weeks after the last storm.



I backed out of one line after getting on some hard alpine ice at 40+ degrees, but there were lots of other good soft options.

[Angle Parking]

Well done thx for the share

[Yonder_River]

Looks amazing! Gonna be in the Lauterbrunnen area in a few months with my kids but I think I'd prefer to experience it as you did.

[Buster Highmen]

Murren is very cool, no cars, a few golf cart like vehicles and lots of little warrens for wandering among the old chalets and barns.

After 7 days ratting around under the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau, it was time to roll East towards Klosters and Davos. Rather than doing my usual ski as late as I can and hop the train so as not to miss a ski day, I took the lazier route of leaving in the morning.
1 cog rail to the tram
1 tram down 700+ vertical meters to the narrow gauge rail in Lauterbrunnen.
Narrow gauge rail to Interlaken,
Hopped a high speed train to Landquart.
Got on another cog train to Klosters Platz, near the Gotschnabahn tram and walked to the Wynegg hotel, about 6 blocks and met a bunch of other maggot ski fiends.

[Buster Highmen]

Davos/Klosters is another of those massive Euro ski complexes with a rep for poofy piste purveys, sn00ty spas and general gilded graces like St. Moritz, the Jungfrau and Verbier. But beneath those superficialities there's a lot of great skiing that is fortunately overlooked by the patrons of ice axes, harnesses and big, big carabiners.

Davos/Klosters includes the Madrisa complex, the Klosters/Davos/Parsenn complex, the Jakobshorn, the Reinerhorn and Pischa, each not readily skiable from one to another, but with simple train connections included on pass options.

The maestro of madness there is bw_wp_headonism, who graciously showed the fistful of maggots present wads of stashes and obscured entrances to pow all across the complexes.

One line across a sun exposed traverse yielded an extensive SE running rounded ridge with cold pow on the East aspect and softening corn on the SE aspect, gradually steepening into brush and squat trees, draining back to a piste ending in a bus stop. Some of the maggotry I took out there extolled that run as saving their winter.

Another excursion to Pischa yielded some of the best pow on steep pitches of the trip. Again, kudos and thanks to bw_*

[schindlerpiste]

Nice man. ...Green with envy, and St. Paddy's Day garb. I would live in Mürren or Grindelwald, if Ms. Schindler would let me.
Sounds as if you had a great time, with exquisite food and drink while meeting cool people.

How did the Schweitzer like your outstanding hat? Any comments??

[Buster Highmen]

Nice man. ...Green with envy, and St. Paddy's Day garb. I would live in Mürren or Grindelwald, if Ms. Schindler would let me.
Sounds as if you had a great time, with exquisite food and drink while meeting cool people.

I didn't get down to Grindlewald proper, but it sure seems biggest of the three, Muerren, Wengen and Grindlewald.
I thought Muerren was realy cool, that would be my choice for town and skiing, the Schilthorn is the _dog_.

How did the Schweitzer like your outstanding hat? Any comments??

People out on the hill were generally pretty frosty, no comments.
I tried to hook up with someone to ski the more exposed stuff, but people were not open. I'll have to go back there with good partners.

[Buster Highmen]

Some of the sweet pow off the Weissfluhgipfel
zeedashboo and squirrel99 en route to our 2200+ vertical meter day down to Fideris requiring a bus and train back to Klosters

[Buke]

Buster, ce TR là, c'est très bien. Je suis jaloux.

Nice work! Lauterbrunnen valley has been on my dream list for a long time.

[Buster Highmen]

Buster, ce TR là, c'est très bien. Je suis jaloux.

Nice work! Lauterbrunnen valley has been on my dream list for a long time.

The best zones are the bootpack off the Honegg lift between the Mannilichen zone and the Kleine Scheidegg and everything off the Schilthorn. Go with someone you trust, the freeride community there isn't as friendly as La Grave.

Davos/Klosters is really, really great though.

[Self Jupiter]

bravo
thanks!

[MTT]

Nice you started right off in my favorite place on the planet

Thanks for the memories

[Buster Highmen]

On my 66th birthday, I got to tour with z-bo, his dad Ed and squirrel99 off the North side of the Weissfluhgipfel.
This is the view from the North looking back at Davos Parsenn after we skied it :


The Weissfluhgipfel tops out at 2844 m. Fideris is at 897 m. We skinning up about 700m, so that day we skied about 2700m

After 4 days in Klosters, it was on to Rueras and the mtnlodge_sedrun.

[406]

Looks amazing, thanks for posting.

[MyNameIsAugustWest]

So much win in this TR.

Damn, I miss living in Yurp

[Buster Highmen]

A few images purloined from sfb.

Walking up to the Gotschnabahn tram in Klosters in the morning:



Looking towards Arosa/Lenzerheide from the Weissfluhjoch, the Weissfluhgipfel on the right.



A little 1k meter pow and corn sidecountry lap down to the bus at Wolfgang from Parsenn, a season saving run.





The run from the Pischa tram was probably the best lap of the trip where we skied old pow on steep North facing slopes overlooking an enormous basin of tasty touring options. Here, we're about to roll over into the steep of about 800 m vertical.



North face of the Weissfluhgipfel :

[Buster Highmen]

On to Rueras and the brilliant hospitality of vendul & s @mtnlodge_sedrun

[zion zig zag]

I thought about going back every year, forever.....but it doesn't look like there is much to ski there