After reading Lar's comments about 80cms in Eberg early last week, Gregor and I blazed a road trip to Engelberg. It had been snowing quite a lot locally, but after some web research it seemed that Engelberg would be...pardon the cliche'...EPIC!!!
We arrived late Thursday night to clouds and snow. And it continues to remain that way for at least the next 36 hours. We lost count since Subtle's 80cm number, but I reckon it snowed 20cm daily for the next two days after that. So I'm calling it 120cms.
Mad props to Lars and Greg for the guiding and hospitality! Really two of the nicest guys and stoked skiers I've ever met. We're looking forward to the video. :fm:
THE VIDEO IS HERE: http://www.plaguefilms.com/ebdiaries.mp4 Right click/Save As please
Views best with VLC Player. Quicktime also works.
Snowing in town
Hotel Bellevue - the cheapest and bestest option
DAY ONE
First lift friday morning. Pea soup conditions so we go up Brunni to warm up our legs and kill time for Lars and Greg to arrive.
Big pow! Geo's stoked!
We do some laps on Brunni, deep pow but a little heavy. So we bail and head over to the main station. We get a call in the Rotair that Lars and Greg are only a tram or two behind us. They show up at the top in 5 minutes and we're off into the clouds for a run down the Galtiberg. Almost zero visibility, we put our faith in Greg for a guide down one of the most amazing descents I've ever been on. So much pow it was SICK!!! 2000M+ of vertical, nice sustained steep pitch (30? 35 on the rollovers?), ginormous powder field at the top that runs down into a gulley and couliors down to the village. Amazing.
Ripz pow
Greg charging the couloir
Lars right behind him
Catch our breath
Geo slashing toward bottom
Geo again
Waiting for a taxi - stoked beyond belief!!!
Do it again? HELL YEAH!!! WHY NOT TWO MORE TIMES!!!
Galtiberg from above
Ripz high speed spray
Ripz going down into the cloud zone
Geo making good use of those Thugs
Lars needs a snorkle
Ripz needs a snorkle
Geo again - keeping everyone in sight
9 Franc pitchers at the Yucatan - best deal in Switzerland!
SATURDAY DAY TWO
It snowed all night and was still snowing just as hard in the morning. Up early on on Saturday morning, on lift before 9am. Lucky timing, Lars and Greg get out of the second gondola behind us at Trubsee. As we leave Stand on the Rotair, we get our first glimpses of the Steinberg. Shrouded in clouds but with fair visibility, we decide on a Steinberg run. Not so many track yet thanks to the bad visibility, we alternate from high speed schrapling to slow(er) speed cruising in waist deep fluff.
The Steinberg
Greg
Geo
The Steinberg shrouded in clouds
After the Steinberg we cruised over to the Jochpass and the Jochstock. This area is just as SICK as the others! I think we were in the deepest pow of the trip in the Jochstock.
Jochstock
First up - Greg
Next up - Lars
The Grand Finale - Geo gets a little forward into a faceplant
The rest of the Jockstock
We see the clouds are breaking over the Steinberg, so time to move on.
Back on the Steinberg - in bluebird!
Greg takes a two stage drop. He's imploding in the bombhole below.
Lars goes for a drop-in
Back up the Rotair
GALTISBERG IN BLUEBIRD!!!
Greg
Geo blazes by
Greg
Geo
Lars
Unknown dude #1
Unknown dude #2
Greg in the coulior
SUNDAY
No new snow overnight for the first time in days. We all hook up fairly early at the main lift and head up to find total bluebird conditions. Quite a lot is schralped but there is still plenty of fresh to be found. Since the Galtisberg had been cloudy the previous days in the mid sections, that had kept a lot of people out. So now it was time to scralp what was left. Little did we know what drama was about to ensure.
We have a ripping good time on the top, blasting down to just before the "safe" route we had taken each day before. Greg and Lars wanted to do a "high traverse" route in search of more fresh, but the traverse looked sketchy for me and my swallowtail board, so I opted out. So Geo and I split from Subtle and Greg to finish off the run.
The point - probably saying something like "Don't go under this!"
During the descent in the "safe" route, Geo and I get dusted by a small avalanche that released far above us, to looker's left. We didn't know at the time, but a woman skier was swept off by that avalanche from the high traverse. Moments later, another avy rips up looker's right from us and give us a dusting. We boogie outta there as quickly as possible, and as I roll over a large bump, I see a glove lying there. I had no idea at the time but it was the glove of the avy victim. For some reason, I took the trouble to carve next to it and scooped it up. About a minute later, as we were skating through sketch as fast as possible, another avy rips way high up. Geo is like "GO! GO! GO!" and I'm right with him. We did some squirrely moves through the runout at the end and popped out of the forest and into the field. Hugs and high fives were going out, and Subtle and Greg come running up. More hugs and high fives. They had been watching us from below the whole time and seen us and the avys ripping down. I don't know who probably felt worse during that time - them or us.
Geo (shortly after these shots is when we get dusted by two avys and find a glove)
We walk over to the restaurant and have a few beers while waiting for the bus. More avys rip down and then a helicopter arrives. Then another one. We have no idea what is going on. On the way to the bus, I drop the glove at the door in case someone might find their missing glove. We leave for the mainstation and to do a lap or two on the Laub.
Geo does the point - probably saying something like "I pooped my pants right about there!"
Beer time, well earned and well deserved. Geo and Lars exchange war stories.
Avys continue to rip as the rescue helis buzz around
Little did we know but Angel Mountain claimed another angel
One last blast down the Laub
After the Laub, Greg happens by chance to get some information from someone on the helicopter activity. We find out about the missing woman skier, the area she was in, and then 2+2 clicked and I knew I had probably found her glove. It was about 3 hours later now, so I was feeling pretty bad that I hadn't known something sooner. But then again, considering where this skier was swept off, it wouldn't have mattered. We went to the police department and made a report, then retrieved the glove from the restaurant and took it to the SAR crew.
The glove
At the SAR - map of the avy and red dot where we found the glove
Sadly, too little, too late.
We learned the next day that the woman's body was found buried early Monday morning.
R.I.P.
So a very sad and tramatic note to such an epic trip.
We arrived late Thursday night to clouds and snow. And it continues to remain that way for at least the next 36 hours. We lost count since Subtle's 80cm number, but I reckon it snowed 20cm daily for the next two days after that. So I'm calling it 120cms.
Mad props to Lars and Greg for the guiding and hospitality! Really two of the nicest guys and stoked skiers I've ever met. We're looking forward to the video. :fm:
THE VIDEO IS HERE: http://www.plaguefilms.com/ebdiaries.mp4 Right click/Save As please
Views best with VLC Player. Quicktime also works.
Snowing in town
Hotel Bellevue - the cheapest and bestest option
DAY ONE
First lift friday morning. Pea soup conditions so we go up Brunni to warm up our legs and kill time for Lars and Greg to arrive.
Big pow! Geo's stoked!
We do some laps on Brunni, deep pow but a little heavy. So we bail and head over to the main station. We get a call in the Rotair that Lars and Greg are only a tram or two behind us. They show up at the top in 5 minutes and we're off into the clouds for a run down the Galtiberg. Almost zero visibility, we put our faith in Greg for a guide down one of the most amazing descents I've ever been on. So much pow it was SICK!!! 2000M+ of vertical, nice sustained steep pitch (30? 35 on the rollovers?), ginormous powder field at the top that runs down into a gulley and couliors down to the village. Amazing.
Ripz pow
Greg charging the couloir
Lars right behind him
Catch our breath
Geo slashing toward bottom
Geo again
Waiting for a taxi - stoked beyond belief!!!
Do it again? HELL YEAH!!! WHY NOT TWO MORE TIMES!!!
Galtiberg from above
Ripz high speed spray
Ripz going down into the cloud zone
Geo making good use of those Thugs
Lars needs a snorkle
Ripz needs a snorkle
Geo again - keeping everyone in sight
9 Franc pitchers at the Yucatan - best deal in Switzerland!
SATURDAY DAY TWO
It snowed all night and was still snowing just as hard in the morning. Up early on on Saturday morning, on lift before 9am. Lucky timing, Lars and Greg get out of the second gondola behind us at Trubsee. As we leave Stand on the Rotair, we get our first glimpses of the Steinberg. Shrouded in clouds but with fair visibility, we decide on a Steinberg run. Not so many track yet thanks to the bad visibility, we alternate from high speed schrapling to slow(er) speed cruising in waist deep fluff.
The Steinberg
Greg
Geo
The Steinberg shrouded in clouds
After the Steinberg we cruised over to the Jochpass and the Jochstock. This area is just as SICK as the others! I think we were in the deepest pow of the trip in the Jochstock.
Jochstock
First up - Greg
Next up - Lars
The Grand Finale - Geo gets a little forward into a faceplant
The rest of the Jockstock
We see the clouds are breaking over the Steinberg, so time to move on.
Back on the Steinberg - in bluebird!
Greg takes a two stage drop. He's imploding in the bombhole below.
Lars goes for a drop-in
Back up the Rotair
GALTISBERG IN BLUEBIRD!!!
Greg
Geo blazes by
Greg
Geo
Lars
Unknown dude #1
Unknown dude #2
Greg in the coulior
SUNDAY
No new snow overnight for the first time in days. We all hook up fairly early at the main lift and head up to find total bluebird conditions. Quite a lot is schralped but there is still plenty of fresh to be found. Since the Galtisberg had been cloudy the previous days in the mid sections, that had kept a lot of people out. So now it was time to scralp what was left. Little did we know what drama was about to ensure.
We have a ripping good time on the top, blasting down to just before the "safe" route we had taken each day before. Greg and Lars wanted to do a "high traverse" route in search of more fresh, but the traverse looked sketchy for me and my swallowtail board, so I opted out. So Geo and I split from Subtle and Greg to finish off the run.
The point - probably saying something like "Don't go under this!"
During the descent in the "safe" route, Geo and I get dusted by a small avalanche that released far above us, to looker's left. We didn't know at the time, but a woman skier was swept off by that avalanche from the high traverse. Moments later, another avy rips up looker's right from us and give us a dusting. We boogie outta there as quickly as possible, and as I roll over a large bump, I see a glove lying there. I had no idea at the time but it was the glove of the avy victim. For some reason, I took the trouble to carve next to it and scooped it up. About a minute later, as we were skating through sketch as fast as possible, another avy rips way high up. Geo is like "GO! GO! GO!" and I'm right with him. We did some squirrely moves through the runout at the end and popped out of the forest and into the field. Hugs and high fives were going out, and Subtle and Greg come running up. More hugs and high fives. They had been watching us from below the whole time and seen us and the avys ripping down. I don't know who probably felt worse during that time - them or us.
Geo (shortly after these shots is when we get dusted by two avys and find a glove)
We walk over to the restaurant and have a few beers while waiting for the bus. More avys rip down and then a helicopter arrives. Then another one. We have no idea what is going on. On the way to the bus, I drop the glove at the door in case someone might find their missing glove. We leave for the mainstation and to do a lap or two on the Laub.
Geo does the point - probably saying something like "I pooped my pants right about there!"
Beer time, well earned and well deserved. Geo and Lars exchange war stories.
Avys continue to rip as the rescue helis buzz around
Little did we know but Angel Mountain claimed another angel
One last blast down the Laub
After the Laub, Greg happens by chance to get some information from someone on the helicopter activity. We find out about the missing woman skier, the area she was in, and then 2+2 clicked and I knew I had probably found her glove. It was about 3 hours later now, so I was feeling pretty bad that I hadn't known something sooner. But then again, considering where this skier was swept off, it wouldn't have mattered. We went to the police department and made a report, then retrieved the glove from the restaurant and took it to the SAR crew.
The glove
At the SAR - map of the avy and red dot where we found the glove
Sadly, too little, too late.
We learned the next day that the woman's body was found buried early Monday morning.
R.I.P.
So a very sad and tramatic note to such an epic trip.
posted by RIPZALOT at 4:20 PM
