2022 - 2023 Far West Skier's Guide - 77
LEFT ABOVE: A day on the slopes in the
Lötschental will probably include a lunch
at one of the mountain huts.
RIGHT ABOVE: The Lauchneralp chairlift
shown here has recently been replaced by
a six-seat lift.
LEFT: Beat Dietrich and Jysky Lehto amble
through the hamlet of Ferden following an
off-piste descent that ends a few kilometers
down the valley from the lifts.
Swiss local who, swimming against the
stream, is interested in getting the word out.
That is Beat Dietrich. This is a true three-ring
circus of freeride terrain, and Beat is the ringmaster.
Fortunately, we had Beat at our disposal
for the next two days to show us around
his little paradise.
Beat is the head of the local ski school.
In addition, a few years ago, aware of the
plans to build a new lift that would open up
a plethora of off-piste options, he bought the
Lötschenpass Hütte (2690 m). This is a sturdy
building situated atop the pass of the same
name, about a 40-minute traverse, hike and ski
from the top station of the gondola. From the
hut, freeride routes descend in a variety of directions.
An
hour's hike with skins brings skiers
to the Gitzefurgge, from where they can ski to
Leukerbad to the southwest. Directly from the
pass, there is a very difficult route down to
Kandersteg to the north. And to the south, are
a whole slew of ridges, bowls, and valleys that
descend to Ferden, Kippel, Wiler, or back to
the middle station.
We could have benefitted from some
fresh snow and a full week of vacation to get
a real idea of what the Lötschental had to
offer. We had neither, and to seek an audience
with the Pope at this moment seemed rather
fruitless. We did, however, have Beat to guide
us, and in the Lötschental, that may well be
more valuable than either the Vatican or thehand
of God! The conditions were much too
dangerous for the run to Kandersteg, but some
corn snow was beginning to develop on the
south faces, and Beat led us first on a cornsnow
run back to the middle station, and later
on a lovely descent all the way down to Ferden.
Our
corn snow adventures were followed
by another headfirst dive into the local
cuisine, with a raclette lunch, a meal that originates
in Valais. Lo and behold, by the time we
had digested the cheese to the extent that we
were ready to reemerge from the hut, the
fickle March weather had answered my
prayers and snow was puking down. By the
time an hour had passed, the sun again lit up
the slopes to reveal a nice layer of boot-top
powder all around us.
To enjoy this little March surprise, we
didn't even need Beat's assistance. There was
fresh snow wherever we pointed our skis, and
we were almost alone on the slopes. I was beginning
to be smugly pleased about the Swiss
penchant for keeping a secret.
Far West Skier's Guide 2O22 - 2O23
77
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2022 - 2023 Far West Skier's Guide
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of 2022 - 2023 Far West Skier's Guide
Index
2022 - 2023 Far West Skier's Guide - Cover1
2022 - 2023 Far West Skier's Guide - Cover2
2022 - 2023 Far West Skier's Guide - 1
2022 - 2023 Far West Skier's Guide - 2
2022 - 2023 Far West Skier's Guide - 3
2022 - 2023 Far West Skier's Guide - Index
2022 - 2023 Far West Skier's Guide - 5
2022 - 2023 Far West Skier's Guide - 6
2022 - 2023 Far West Skier's Guide - 7
2022 - 2023 Far West Skier's Guide - 8
2022 - 2023 Far West Skier's Guide - 9
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2022 - 2023 Far West Skier's Guide - Cover3
2022 - 2023 Far West Skier's Guide - Cover4
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