Skiing the Shilthorn

Why not both?......



......At the same time?.....




....Go on. Be a devil! ;-)

A devil me ….. I think your mixing me up with someone who gives a ….. -)

Thanks guys, very useful. This is a trip planned for the future (funds permitting!). This will be my homage to the great George Lazenby - a truly underated Bond and of course one of the best Bond baddy hideouts- Piz Gloria. If you haven't seen the film, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, give it a go, its one of the best! You also might be interested in this film I found on you tube the other day
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgj_uW1fH3k The longest downhill race - if you have 20 minutes its well worth it

Gaz, will be interested in your experiences - let us know how you get on

Cheers

Just watched the film (The Inferno, not OHMSS. :lol: ) Could have done with some soundtrack music. -) :lol: That looks great fun and has really whetted my appetite. I reckon the run appeared more difficult than it actually was because the guy was racing and obviously 'pushing it a bit' to make up time. I think I have read somewhere that the full run down into Lauterbrunnen can only be completed in good snow conditions ( here's hoping) and that the section right at the bottom is a little tedious anyway. I'll have to do it at least once though if the conditions allow. Nothing at all wrong with the top section though. Fantastic views of the Eiger, the Monch and the Jungfrau. Looks like the area might give my beloved Dolomites a run for their money in the scenery department. Can't wait, now. I'll keep you posted. :)

Thanks Gaz, have a good one

The term 'intermediate' covers a huge group of once-a-year (twice if we're lucky), UK skiers but the fact that you are considering having a crack at the Schilthorn suggests to me that you are in the higher or strong intermediate group and have skied black runs in other resorts, with varying degrees of style and accomplishment -). If this is the case I would say, 'Go and take a look at it.'

I had two away-days in Murren last week and skied the Schilthorn three times while I was there. Visibility was good on both days and the piste was in nice condition with very few scraped or windblown, icy patches and no moguls. I don't know if the Schilthorn's reputation scares people away but there was only light traffic on it each time.You could say I caught it in a benign mood.

LOTA's assessment was pretty much spot-on. Right at the very top it is steep, but with very few bodies around there was always plenty of room to get the turns in. I would advise against doing it on a 'poor vis' day as after the second, (not as) steep pitch there is a long, flat section that connects to the final, easier pitch down to Birg. It pays to let the skis run and get into a tuck as soon as you are confident on this second pitch; otherwise you will be poling or skating on the flat section. From Birg you have the option of blue or black (black was closed last week :( ) as you continue down, before picking up red 15 or black 15b which lead to the 'notorious' Kanonenrohr.

Personally, I couldn't see what the fuss was all about with this section. It does get a little narrow in parts but isn't all that steep. On my first run I skied into thick cloud on there and found myself in almost zero visibility. The hardest thing was sighting the piste markers. I survived -) and on subsequent runs it was a pussy cat. Here, I think, lies the flaw in what is otherwise a great little area. This black piste connects the Schilthorn/Birg sector, which has some nice red and blue runs, with the rest of the Murren and Winteregg area. The alternative is to down-load in Murren taking the Schilthornbahn cable-car.

It isn't possible to ski the entire 'Inferno' course (even if a couple of steep uphill sections float your boat) as the slopes above parts of it are prone to avalanche. I assume that these slopes are blasted prior to the race and then the area is closed off afterwards. I took the train back from Winteregg, after playing around in the trees there for a while, as the red piste 3 was signposted as closed even though there was no shortage of snow in relatively low-lying Lauterbrunnen. On the train back to Wengen I spoke to quite a few people who had chosen to ignore the signs and ski all the way back to Lauterbrunnen.

In a nutshell, I would say that if you feel you are in the higher half of the intermediate group then it's worth taking a look over the edge. The 'walk of shame' back to the cable-car is a very short one -) and, as Murren isn't a 'full on' sort of place there won't be hordes of jeering, Red Bull and adrenaline-fuelled 'yoofs' to face if you do decide that discretion is the better part of valour. Choose your day, speak to your rep or locals the day before you intend to go about the weather forecast and if all's well, go for it. Don't be put off by the sheer numbers making the trip up; most of them are there to take photographs or for the 'James Bond Experience' It's worth the six-minute ride for the stupendous views from the top (on a clear day) and a coffee at the Piz Gloria. Hope this helps and that you enjoy the area as much as I did. 8)

I will be skiing and painting the Schilthorn quite soon.....

Gosh, that'll need quite a few litres of Dulux Dave .... :)