2022 - 2023 Far West Skier's Guide - 79

go down the north side along the Arete des
Ombreintses, and we began with one of them.
The snow was relatively stable, but halfway
down, the weather took a turn for the worse.
The clouds closed back in, the light got flat,
and it was time to drop into the trees. We
found some lovely tree skiing off the Rotzé and
the Tsape lifts and played in the forest for the
rest of the day. That kept us below the clouds.
The following day was our final one in
Valais. The snow had continued to fall during
the night, and some of the steep alternatives
we had hoped for would be too avalanche
dangerous. It didn't matter much. There was
plenty of untouched snow within spitting distance
of the trails. We didn't need any secret
back valleys or steep chutes to make first
tracks. This was skiing as it had been intended
by God or Mother Nature - the way it had
been before man intervened by building ski
lifts helter-skelter all over the Alps, bringing
droves of people to clutter the slopes.
I had only spent five days in Valais, but I
had reached a true understanding of the retroconservative
Swiss mentality.
Inflexible? Stand up for what you
believe in.
Dogmatic? If the system works, don't
change it.
Old-fashioned? That makes them
quaint, right?
Backwards? Backwards doesn't
necessarily mean bad.
Antiquated? Why build new lifts if the
old ones still function adequately?
Anachronistic? Yes, sir. Me too!
If I could, I would happily hop in my time
machine and set the date for 1935. I would
land in some idyllic mountain village untouched
by the modern-day ski industry.
I
would stroll through the narrow alleyways of
a cozy village amidst old wooden houses with
stone roofs until I found a local farmer to
guide me. We would skin up the nearby peaks
and glide back down through pristine virgin
fields of snow. There would be nobody else in
the vicinity except us.
I don't have a time machine, but it doesn't
really matter much. I can travel, instead, to Valais,
find Beat and have him lead me through
his own private world of the Lötschental or I
can wander through the old cobblestone
streets of Saint-Luc, ride up their ancient
Pomas and ski in solitude through virgin
meadows of white on either side of the piste.
That part is easy. I still may have to seek an
audience with the Pope, however, to insure a
continuation of white winters. ss
ABOVE: Tatu Lehmuskallio
finds a nice line in the trees.
in the Saint-Luc area.
LEFT: The scenery in
and around Saint-Luc
is beautiful exemplified
by the rolling terrain
and interesting rocky
abutments. Don't forget
to bring your camera!
Jimmy Petterson's career as a ski journalist began back in 1985, and he shows no
signs of slowing down. In 2005, he published Skiing Around the World: Volume I, an
anthology of his travels, which included chapters about 47 countries in which he had
skied. He recently completed Skiing Around the World: Volume II. He has visited, skied
in, and written about, more than 500 ski resorts in over 75 countries. Whether you are
interested to read about the world's most famous resorts like Kitzbuhel, Ischgl, Zermatt,
Banff, Aspen, or Sun Valley, or you prefer to learn about hidden ski gems around the
world, you will find a treasure trove of information in his Two Volume Set. Go to
www.skiingaroundtheworld.com for more information. Also refer to page 2.
Far West Skier's Guide 2O22 - 2O23
79
http://www.skiingaroundtheworld.com
2022 - 2023 Far West Skier's Guide

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