Today I met up with a skier from Montana for a ski/splitboard tour near Engelberg. I had scoped some north facing lines during Sunday’s hike up the Surenen valley, and I thought they would offer the best potential for any remaining powder after nearly three weeks of blue skies since the last storm.
Skier: Sam Cox.
We skinned up the valley and of course we chose to go for the highest couloir there! The snow was promising on the way up, but as we got higher into the couloir it turned to hard icy snow. After pounding steps into the slope for a few hundred feet, without crampons or ice axes, we decided that it just wasn’t happening! A crusty descent took us back down out of the couloir, and then we scored some nice turns down the open slope of smooth old wind-rippled powder.
Looking back up at our carves down the nice section. We had come out of the couloir at top right. All in all it was about an 1800′ descent, with probably the best (or should I say “most decent”) snow left around here.
Hello! I liked your photos in Engelberg! What photocamera you used there ?
Thanks Vladimir! All my skiing/snowboarding shots, like these, are taken with a Panasonic GF1 + 20mm lens. Otherwise, most of my landscape photos are with the Canon 5DII.
3 weeks with no snow? Aaahhhh! Not good, but looks like you’re making the most of it. What did your friend think of the scenery?
Yeah we’ve been cursed with relentless high pressure lately. Luckily it stayed cold for the two weeks or so after the last big dump, and the powder stayed well preserved.
I actually just met Sam yesterday! He was in Chamonix before Engelberg, so Engelberg probably seemed a bit mundane… hahah.. I don’t know…
Jack, I’ve been away from your site for awhile, psyched to see you’ve been spending the season in the alps! I’ve spent a few months in Andermatt over 2 winters in the past, so if you have any questions for that area, let me know. You should try to go to Disentis and do a descent of the north face of the Oberalpstock (if there is enough snow). Otherwise, the Engelberg area looks to be keeping you pretty well occupied!
Hi Nick! Yeah I was thinking about spending the season in Andermatt, but ended up in Engelberg instead. It’s closer to my g/f and I found a nice pad here (no such luck in Andermatt). I hope to get over there at some point again… it’s on my ski pass anyways.
We’re not having the best winter over here so far, but just being able to explore the Alps has made it great. These mountains are awesome.
Jack