WELCOME HOME - Ski touring a few steps away from home
I don't have a very special feeling of home and not just one place where I feel at home, I can actually feel at home in many places. For me it is more about the environment that surrounds me. So when I am somewhere with friends that is where I feel at home. I am not so much fixated on one place. So it's hard to define.
I am really on the road a lot and I think sleep more in my bus than in my bed at home. But my bus is simply my home. When I think a bit about home, then it is always a bit difficult for me, because I am from Allgäu, but I left relatively early and then I went to Arlberg as a ski guide. I spent the summer on the mountain as a shepherd, and now I live in Garmisch with my girlfriend. Well, for me personally this... coming home again or being at home somewhere is very important, because I mean, I love to go on an expedition.
I am usually away for about three months somewhere in the world and then every time I come back to the canton of Uri, although it is not huge there, although there are no steep walls there, which draw upwards. That's where I'm at home and I personally couldn't live anywhere else. Especially Arlberg is particularly home to me. I simply have my roots there, my mountain history and ski history, that I record. And that's simply where I grew up. And that's where I'm at home.
I always wanted to do something on the Arlberg, because you also hear that it is mega great and somehow it never happened and I've driven over the pass mega-often. When passing through. But I did not stop and it's megacool to see this now and to see the whole area. We just don't have such good timing. There is extremely little snow. It hasn't snowed for a long time. For firn skiing it will probably be quite nice.
But the best conditions, as I would like to show Caro, we will not have them now. But now we'll make the best of it. The nice thing about skiing at Arlberg is, that everything is so connected. You have so many possibilities compressed in one location.
And that's the cool thing about the Arlberg. As you have seen on our recent trip to Pakistan, it can also be quite difficult. Here you get to places quickly. You achieve a lot with little effort.
Cool ski tours or cool descents. And just when you ski down from the summit there, over the Spullersee and then ski down into the valley, you arrive at my house. That's cool. But at the moment there is not enough snow.
Today we go back to Zug after the summit. Two summit cross! I'm going to test the snow a bit. Have you seen my almost crash? Did you jump over that rock? Luckily I had enough speed to clear the gap. I find it mega-genial to be out with someone, who knows her place completely, knows all the little spots and can show me everything and then can still say at every panorama, there is still this line, there's still that line.
I find it very inspiring and sometimes I think to myself that would be cool if I had a place that I knew so well, because I know many places relatively well, but I don't have that one place where I say I know everything, everything. Thanks for joining me! The bus! We missed the bus. Off-season. The whole season. One hour wait. Yes What a bummer, we want to get on the skis again.
Tight time magement! And this is a cool thing, since I have never been out with Tobi I am extremely glad, to show him my region a bit. Nice to be part of it and also nice to be somewhere else. I love it here and of course it's a different view compared to home, where we are mostly surrounded by limestone. Here we have very striking granite towers.
Nice to be there, yes. That's good. The snow is half good, I would say. I think that it will certainly be good further up. If we are lucky, maybe the hollows get filled a bit. I think that can be quite fine for skiing. Yes definitely.
I don't know, of course, that would also be a possibility, if we go over there. Up this couloir! You mean from the summit over the two peaks on the right... Yes, exactly. To the highest point you can see. It looks great, doesn't it? - So, as far as I am concerned... - Shall we try it? -Yes -Great Yeah, I'm not sure if I'm going to ski down there. Tobi. You know I'm not that super skier, but maybe you can show me some stuff.
A snowplough turn. A snowplough turn in this great terrain? I think, I'm pretty sure that no one has ever skied down there. Motivated to go to the top as well. Because up at the end of the couloir it is still technical. -I think so. -Absolutely sure, yes. It was even longer than I thought.
-It took quite a while -Yes sir! -But really good for bootpacking -Yes Yes, personally I am more at home in technical terrain. Ice climbing, mixed climbing and then of course fast mountaineering. That' s my thing. And the skiing down, all the freeriding and stuff. That's not something at all that I'm good at. I find it fascinating when someone is good at it.
Especially when I am out with Tobi... We stand at the top together and Tobi just rides down and I slide down there like a beginner. I mean, you can just see the level difference. If you see someone, how that works how he does it, then each one can take a small step further. And that sort of fascinates me.
Thinking outside the box, and see, what others are doing? How does that actually work? I find that quite exciting. Oh, this one looks solid. It is important in the mountains, that you... have the right food at hand. -Tobi! - Straight from the Altdorfer Kebab Hüsli Enjoy! Cold pizza is the best! Let`s see! I would never have dared to set a turn there! This is today.
We are right on the border. Weather divide, eh? I mean, it's totally difficult to say. I think from the schedule, that we are leaving around 6 to 7 o`clock, right? or would that be too late? I think tomorrow when it starts to be daylight I would take a look out and see if it's open or not. This is the best weather report.
The easiest one. We have quite a few different possibilities for tomorrow. It is always good to have many variations, but it doesn't make it much easier. Especially all our variations go north.
Ok, let`s do it! Absolutely Cheers! I am super happy Caro is here with me again! We have had simply untypically warm conditions in February. And it was rather average pretty much in the whole Alps. I am mega happy about the latest snowfall in Spring! So we do another cool action again today. It doesn't get any better than this. Megalight sunrise and playing around in the snow. Cool! We now ski down the Valluga north face, trying to be careful.
The whole season it was closed and then we enter the east couloir. The snow should be great there. Sunrise light, morning light train. We got up early. I think that's good, isn't it?
Let`s go one person at a time. OK. Keep it safe and follow my track. -Awesome -Cool There is also some steep stuff on the Arlberg.
And first lines most of all! Yes, we climb down there now and ski down an extension of the Valluga north face till the Erlachalpe. -Adventure, adventure, hey? -Awesome That was a bit gruesome there. -It took me a while -No worries! I didn`t want to fall down because of all the loose rocks. You had to use quite a weird climbing technique.
It is still so early in the day! Nobody there yet and such a great snow. I like it anyway when you have such really different slopes, don't you? Upwards, with a bit of touring. A bit of downhill, awesome climb again, down again. I think this is mega cool.
That's the cool thing about the Arlberg. You're pretty far out pretty fast, so pretty much out there and you have the silence. Just like at the Schafberg there it is also so quiet. -That's also totally cool. -Yes, totally I find it mega! I think it's mega, when you're just so alone in the winter wonderland. Winter wonderland.
Two little dwarfs in Winter Wonderland. It's totally closed in today. Visibility maybe a hundred metres. Maybe we take a nice little hike somewhere together It looks like the better weather is is coming from the south. But the cloud cover is relatively low.
So you just have to let yourself be surprised. Walk a few metres, just do something. And then you can decide whether it is worth it or not.
Yes, it always depends. So what I imagine in the morning, what I really want to achieve today. And I think we just had a really cool day yesterday, which for me is actually, after the little snow of the last weeks, already simply a plus. And if it then simply doesn't work out anymore, then yesterday's value is so great, that today doesn't matter so much.
So I think you can define the worth quite nicely. In the end there has to be fun. And whether the fun comes from the descent the ascent or just playing around, it comes down to having a good time. Yes, we are now here on the lower Bielenlücke.
Very exactly between the Kleines and the Großes Kamel. And the landscape is so cool. Of course it would be cool if we could climb up the Kleines Kamel. It looks cool there. I see a bit of clouds right now but very cool mood.
We have light ice axes with us, so we will get up there somehow. I think the only problem we might have is that the rope is too short. But luckily we have a free soloist wih us. Let`s go! Looks good! Now it's going to get spectacular.
Nice! Good job! I will continue right away. That went well. There are many people who think that real adventure only happens somewhere on the eight-thousanders. I totally disagree with that, if you open your eyes a little bit, have a bit of ideas, then somehow, everybody still finds their personal challenges and limits. I have never heard anyone who has become bored in our mountains.
And if, you would be just unimaginative and will also not find adventure abroad. I am sure of that Now we pack up, and when we go around the Kamel to the right down the couloir and then towards Realp and then, finito. Cool. Thank you! That was fun! So cool, still kind of foggy, but still open. Only nice weather is boring too, isn't it? It's a nice mood. Yes, today is just the perfect day, I mean everything fits together, totally cool.
Getting up at night and then being up in the first sunlight that's already madness. I like to get up early to see the sunrise. Being outside before sunrise and often still until sunset that is just madness. Then skiing cool couloirs, first lines and then a bit of scrambling. That was a bit of loose rock, but I get my kicks, when it's full of variety.
We now ski down the couloir of the Fanggekarspitze. This is the so-called Dolomite Couloir of Arlberg. What a slope, eh? Looks great! That is epic! -I have never ever had such good snow conditions, ever! -I believe you. I would have almost gone down the whole run. -I´m so happy that I could show you my home. -Yes, I also think that was mega.
-After the last time because this is... -This is Arlberg That`s why I call this my home!
2024-03-02 16:03
