Huge avalanche spares Titlis freeriders

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Huge dimensions shock Engelberg locals

The scoring edge is up to four meters high.

The scribed edge is up to four meters high.

Christian Berner

In Steinberg, where dozens if not hundreds of freeriders are out and about on good days, a huge avalanche broke loose. Fortunately at night, otherwise it could have ended in disaster. PG Conditions reporter Christian Berner describes his impressions.

The mountain is merciful

Two days earlier, the conditions in Steinberg are perfect. Finally this season! Fluffy powder, knee-deep, without stone contact all the way to Trübsee. The powder stress is correspondingly high. The terrain is teeming with freeriders satisfying their addiction to untracked snow. The mountain is merciful to them and to me - the avalanche happened during the night. Just one day earlier and there would have been a catastrophe. No probe would have been long enough, no airbag would have helped with these masses of snow.

Signs point to storm

On Thursday, the day before the avalanche, it rains up to over 2000 meters. A snowstorm is raging above that. The avalanche warning level is accordingly at 4, i.e. high. The operators of the Titlis lifts close the entire glacier area to snow sports on Thursday. Not everyone who is prevented from climbing the Rotair gondola by the staff can understand this decision. In future, they are more likely to accept the opinion of the professionals.

The number one topic in Engelberg

The giant avalanche is still the number one topic of conversation in Engelberg and on the Titlis at the weekend. Everyone who looks at the huge avalanche edge, the Steinberg cleared of snow, seems shocked. Where it usually looks so harmless, where every Steinberg conqueror has already skied down and had fun - this is where nature shows what it's made of.

Even the cable car drivers have never seen an avalanche on such a scale. They never expected it to be on such a scale. Only the piste and rescue manager remembers a similar event. It was ten years ago.

Many in the valley still have their wits about them

On Friday, the day after the avalanche, the warning level is still at 4. The glacier remains closed. For the rest of the area, the Titlis mountain railroads are appealing to freeriders' common sense on their Facebook account. Ask them to stay on the slopes for once. For many, a good powder ride is apparently worth less than their own lives. Even steep slopes are teeming with colored dots that conjure up their tracks in the snow. It looks good from a distance, damn good. With these images, it takes a huge effort to stay on the piste. I feel like a junkie on withdrawal. But somehow I manage it. Because I'm sure that the mountain won't always be as merciful as it was on Friday. And I want to leave my tracks in the snow for many years to come. Ride safe!