(Lenk, Switzerland)

Every time I go skiing, the ultimate goal is the Traumpiste, or “Dream Run”.  Simply put, this is the type of run that you remember for years afterward, long after hundreds of others have been forgotten.  The criteria are somewhat flexible, but generally include untracked powder, scenic beauty, and a piste that seems to go on forever.

This year’s Traumpiste was unquestionably the Tschuggen piste, running almost the entire length of the Betelberg (Lenk) ski area.   On an ordinary day, it might not have warranted more than an acknowledgment of its decent length (roughly 900 vertical meters, or 3000 vertical feet) and its scenic path through the forest above Lenk.  But Wednesday, March 7 was not an ordinary day on the slopes.

The previous evening, the piste groomers on Betelberg must have gone to work early:  by the time we got to the top of the mountain on Wednesday, a luxurious dump of fresh, dry, powder had landed on the firm, groomed base.   And with overcast conditions to start the day, there was almost nobody on the mountain!  Things were looking good!

We were actually the very first ones to ski down the short piste from the top of Leiterli.  There was snow everywhere!  We couldn’t really see our skis through the powder as we made our way down, but revelled in the feeling of snow billowing every which way.

Although it is usually best to stay at high elevations on days like this, we noticed that the Tschuggen piste down to the bottom of the Betelberg area was much longer than the rest and was unlikely to see much traffic so early in the morning.  Might we also make first tracks on that long piste?  We had to go for it!

As it turned out, we weren’t quite the first ones to ski down Tschuggen.  But we were certainly among the first 10 people down…and we were not disappointed.  The piste was only rated intermediate but it was steep enough to pick up some speed:  there is nothing like the feeling of quick, short turns through deep snow to make you forget about everything else in the world.  The bullying Swiss Franc?  Completely irrelevant!

The terrain was not the dramatic exposed rock of the Dolomites, but rather a sinewy romp through the snow-laden pines, with impossibly quaint chalets peeking out here and there from under an almost unbearable amount of snow.  The overcast weather didn’t matter: there was enough visibility to make it feel like a winter wonderland rather than a dangerous whiteout.  And it didn’t seem to end!

Of course, it had to end eventually.  But the weather cleared from time to time and we had the even rarer experience of deep powder, on-piste skiing under brilliant sunshine!   While we weren’t able to make any more “first tracks”, we still found stashes of untracked snow on all of the pistes for the rest of the day.   I was so caught up in the skiing that I didn’t really take very many pictures either.

“Epic” is an overused word in the ski world.  But that really is the most concise way to describe March 7, 2018 at Betelberg.  Although generally considered more of a family-oriented ski area and less challenging than the pistes high above Adelboden, the unique circumstances of that day ensured that I will always look back fondly on it as an absolute skiing highlight.

(Lenk, Switzerland)

Monday, March 5 was a beautiful day on the Lenk-Adelboden slopes.  The sun was shining and the day should have been one long “Kodak Moment”.  Alas, since I inadvertently left my camera’s memory card in my laptop computer (which was back at the hotel), I was unable to capture any of it!

Still, this was another reminder that it is important to live in the moment.  I figured we would probably have other photo opportunities during our week in Lenk, so I just focused on enjoying the excellent ski conditions.  The photographs in today’s post are all from subsequent days.

After a couple of days of skiing in Lenk-Adelboden, I have grown fond of the almost non-existent lift-lines, the long and wide pistes, and the quintessential Alpine scenery.   For sheer Alpine drama, nothing can compare to the mountains around Wengen.  However, the pistes themselves at Lenk are certainly comparable.  And the snow conditions have been great, considering that we are now well into March.

Alas, no discussion of Swiss skiing can ignore the high costs.  Even in Lenk, the prices are still much higher than those in Italy…although I think they are slightly lower than in Wengen.   So, in an attempt to control my food budget, I continue to eat lots of mostly meat-free dishes such as rösti and spätzle.  Any main course featuring meat is often in excess of 30 Swiss Francs…or more than $40.00 (Canadian).

Despite high food costs, our accommodation costs in Lenk are relatively reasonable.   Wages are very high here, so the lack of 24-hour staffing at our hotel helps keep the costs in line.  In addition, the (included) breakfasts are still plentiful, so we don’t need to eat quite as much for lunch in expensive mountain restaurants.

It also costs a lot of money to get from the airport to the ski resort.  Overall, however, I think we’re close to achieving a nice balance of world-class skiing without world-class crowds.  The lift ticket prices are near Western Canada/U.S. levels but, with no lift-lines, we are getting far more skiing time than we would at similarly-priced resorts in North America.

My next post will be about an especially dreamy day at Betelberg, Lenk’s other ski area….where all of the high costs were quickly forgotten!