PartnerNews | Engelberg - Interview with Snowflake

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Once again, we report on millionaire of luck and altitude metres Henry, who is known in Engelberg as the legend Snowflake. When the conditions allow, you can find him in the snow. We wanted to find out a little more about him and his attitude to the mountain as well as his everyday life. He answers our questions with wit and a sense of humour. However, reaching him is not so easy. He avoids the advancement of technology and leads a quiet life without technical gadgets. For this reason, the interview questions were passed on to him in writing and we received the answers back transcribed.

PG: What makes you an altitude metre millionaire?

SNOWFLAKE: Oh, I can't really do much with the name. It's simply used because I'm on skis almost every day and am on the mountain in Engelberg over 150 days a season. I would rather call myself a lucky millionaire - because skiing really gives you a great feeling.

Do you ever wear a hat? And which sun cream do you recommend?

Actually never or from minus 10-15 degrees and in biting winds I put something on.

On the other hand, I wear sun cream consistently. I usually use the ones I find in the ski resort. You don't want to know how many tubes you can find when you're out and about so much.

What do you take with you for a day on the mountain? What should never be missing?

The cap is always in the bag, even if I don't usually have it on. But I want to be prepared for emergencies.

Otherwise, I usually have a few cassis pastilles. That also takes away my hunger. I always eat breakfast and on a skiing day I don't eat anything else until the evening.

In spring, I also take a pair of sunglasses with me (from around March).

Have you ever been in a dangerous situation on a mountain? How did you master it?

Once a cornice broke over me and buried me. It immediately becomes night and you no longer know which way is up or down. Fortunately, I was able to free myself with a stick and a lot of digging.

Another time, the snow cover in a colour with spring snow broke off metres high beneath me like slabs. There's simply nothing you can do at the moment it breaks off and I was pretty lucky not to be pulled along. My knees were shaking and I was literally unable to manoeuvre for the first few moments afterwards. Trying to ski down the slippery surface was not a good idea and almost impossible. I was hardly able to give an edge.

I have been in mortal danger 2-3 times - once in an aeroplane in massive turbulence and was literally pushed into the chair. By then I had already closed my mind. Experiences like that cause an emptiness in your head - your brain switches off and you're no longer sane.

Do you prefer to be alone or with friends on the mountain? Who is your favourite company?

Basically I like to ride alone, but with a nice company is also great. However, I prefer a maximum of 4 people, otherwise the group is too big for me. I often cycle with the same two or three people.

When I'm travelling alone, I appreciate being able to ride through. On the Titlis, for example, I can ride from the Titlis at 3000 metres to the village (1000). But riding the Steinberg, the Laub or the Galti in one go is also challenging and fascinating. You have to constantly adapt during a ride, because the conditions at 3000 metres are often different to those further down.

I simply do these challenges for myself and enjoy them. I often go ski touring alone in spring. If I go with someone I get on really well with, I definitely prefer to go together but otherwise I prefer to go alone. I like to discover the material and my surroundings for myself. This way I'm much more sensitive when I'm out and about.

You describe winter like chocolate that you eagerly wait for in summer. What do you do during this time of waiting?

I start swimming in the lake again in March - starting with small laps, even if the water is only 8 degrees. Then I love going into the mountains - to look for crystals, for example. In spring, when the snow melts, there are usually very few people in the mountains. And that's fantastic.  I start looking for morels in April - it strengthens my eyes and I also go mushrooming later, of course, and that goes on until September. In between, I start fishing in May. I can usually be found in the gorges and other inaccessible places - I scramble to the most deserted places. I also hike a lot in the mountains in summer, observing animals and studying the flora and fauna.

For me, there is no such thing as waiting - I enjoy the summer just as much as the winter, even though I ski on average every second day of the year.

So those were the insights into Snowflake's life. In the video “Engelberg Titlis: Höhenmeter Millionär” he also explains in more detail why he has spoken out against the use of safety equipment. We strongly recommend that all off-piste mountain enthusiasts carry standard safety equipment (avalanche transceiver, shovel and probe).