The alarm clock rings rudely, waking us from our half-sleep. The display shows five o'clock, but we can't ignore the annoying ringing - after all, our mission is deep snow skiing! That means getting up early and catching the first lift. And the journey is long again today: the destination is Valais.
Heavy snowfall around Zurich and later again on Lake Geneva prevented an early start. Nevertheless, the PowderGuide oracle contacts us by phone, we head for the same destination and the lift is not due to open until later due to avalanche blasting. We just don't make it to the 10 o'clock gondola, but see Mr. Powderoracle shooting down the photogenic lift line first (!) with loud cries of joy. Oh yes, this is certainly going to be a good day, even though almost all winter sports enthusiasts here in Valais are now out and about on fat freeride skis looking for untouched patches of powder.
Unfortunately, we only meet Mr. PowderAlert in the thick snow for an after-work beer. After all, we had a lot to do ourselves by then. The snow here is pleasantly deep. Face shots are taken with every harder turn, otherwise we fly down the slopes on our skis a little faster than the day before on the Arlberg. The snow has settled well here and despite the enormous amount of fresh snow of just over one meter, the avalanche situation in the sheltered basin seems to be relatively favourable. Marc "Hardouw" Hartinger, in his youthful recklessness, throws himself down a snapped tree trunk, Claus makes a few equally youthful turns in the rising sun and we are already standing in the parking lot with the other powder hunters, toasting the second successful day in a row over an after-work beer.
Day 3: Deep in the Valais and waiting for the sun
We drive deeper into the Valais, because Mr. Weather gave us the tip that it should probably open up quickly here on the main Alpine ridge and that we should still find enough snow thanks to a meter of fresh snow. Unfortunately, however, we have to blame our weather oracles at this point, as the sun only appeared towards the afternoon and by then we had almost frozen to death several times in the freezing temperatures.
However, this didn't dampen our spirits and we enjoyed the culinary delights on offer in Valais. Hot chocolate and lots of smelly cheese put a smile on our faces. In the cold outside, we treat ourselves to a few more relaxed first lines, because it's not really busy here today on a weekday just before Christmas. Powder stress is definitely a foreign concept here, and not just because hardly anyone in Valais speaks German or even English.
