While there is still no basis for carefree off-piste powder skiing at higher altitudes, lower-lying ski resorts are usually too flat to blow the first sprays of the season from untouched slopes. Hanna Finkel took a small group and the thick poles to the Schilthorn to check out the freeride suitability of this small but beautiful ski resort.
After Mother Hulda finally shook out her pillows at the beginning of December and powdered our mountains with the long-awaited white splendor, a small group of skiers armed with freeride equipment decided to tackle the Bernese Oberland.
In the early hours of Saturday morning, it was not yet clear what to expect. All we knew was that the snow conditions above 1800m had to be perfect - but there was no base. So where to go without ruining our boards and still get the first powder? We decided on an inconspicuous ski area for freeriders called Mürren-Schilthorn. Surrounded by the breathtaking backdrop of the legendary Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau triumvirate.
An almost completely deserted parking lot, virtually no waiting times at the gondola and the anticipation of unknown terrain had our pulses racing right from the valley station in Stechelberg.
A short time later, each of us equipped with thick poles, we set off on our first turns of the season into unknown terrain. The best thing was that there was no freeride competition far and wide to cross our paths. We immediately set off in search of untracked deep snow slopes. Whereby "search" is a complete exaggeration at this point? You just have to open your eyes, not be distracted by the Eiger, Mönch and all their names, and look beyond the edge of the piste - then there it is, the white virgin splendor waiting to be described. And it seems as if we are the only ones interested in it.
I can't even imagine what will be possible here once a stable base reduces the risk of rock attacks. Just the sight of the variant from the Schilthorn through Sefinental to Gimmelwald makes every freerider's heart beat faster.
We'll be back for sure!
Conclusion:
Freeriders in particular who like it small and manageable, seasoned with a pinch of few people and refined with untracked and not too steep powder snow slopes until late in the afternoon, should pay a visit to the ski area on the Schilthorn as soon as possible! Mürren offers a small but fine freeride potential that is definitely worth checking out. Pssst, but don't tell anyone?
Text: Hanna Finkel
Photos: Patrick Fux | www.powdermania.com
You can find more information at: www.schilthorn.ch
