Last week of the season

Finished the 23/24 season off in style with another trip to Saas-Fee. As usual, travel was dead easy - first flight out of Heathrow to Zurich, train/bus combination direct from the airport railway station. In resort at 13.04 and skiing around 40 minutes later. Upgraded from a single room to a double with balcony in the slopeside Bristol Hotel, which was a welcome bonus. The weather was a bit odd on day one with mild temperatures of the previous week continuing. This meant the lower slopes were a slush-fest - not poor man's powder but real knee-breaking stuff. Higher up it was rock hard - so much so that the main slope down from Morenia was closed on one day as there had been a 20-person collision/slide that required two helicopters and eight blood wagons to sort out. The pisteurs were having terrible trouble controlling the sledges such was the icy nature of the slope. But that all changed overnight with a north wind bringing snow down to resort level. Conditions were greatly improved and, despite some periods of poor visibility, there was up to 18 inches of powdery stuff on a very firm base - very flattering conditions. There was snow, off and on, until the lifts closed yesterday. Very pleased to report a new piste has been put in this season under the Morenia chairlift (it was skied to a virtual piste, previously, so it was an obvious move). And I'm told there has been good progress at restoring access to the runs from the tunnel which had been closed due to a mountain slide. Overall, the resort was as quiet as I've seen it at this time of the year - no lift queues, uncrowded runs, plenty of room in bars and restaurants. Journey home, via Geneva, was as painless as ever. Skis and boots put away for another season - roll on January!