Don't all the big open above-treeline areas freak you out? I thought you didn't deal well with those.
No, that was only Big Burn at Snowmass, which is a
trail. Don’t know if it would still have the same effect. White outs are a different story, but nothing you can do.
Other than that it’s ridge traverses with plunges on one or both sides. The West Ridge at Taos was the first- you start questioning the ability to do a wedge turn. Eventually I got ok with it, sort of.
I’ll tell you what’s freaky, is non level steps going down from a tram at the top of a mountain. It looks like you’re going to plunge to your death, and the stairs don’t help.
Actually, the top of Lone Peak atIg Sky is awful and it’s without steps. Just non level, small, feels like you’ll get blown off. You need to get beyond that buried fence to feel normal, and ironically it’s steepish over there.
There's likely worse, but the worst steps I’ve been on was the top of the Grands Montets in Cham. Unlevel, rusty and sketchy steps with a shakey, questionable hand rail. The fire and reconstruction in the last five years will have eliminated them next season.
I was up there one time. I had booked an instructor at the store I rented the skis for 1pm. It was mainly to go off piste. So it’s really foggy, and he cancels when I meet him at the tram station mid mountain. It’s too foggy. I decide it wiuldn’t be the best experience if I talk him into it. I skied a few runs from there down and up the shorter lifts, then eventually decide wth, I’ll go up and ski the piste down from the top.
I’ve posted at length about this, but this was the run I learned what the word “falaise” means in French- cliff.
The sketchy stairs. How bad could they be??- bad. Visibilty went in and out, mostly out. It could be nearly clear for a few minutes.
A brief clearing and a look down into a chute.
This is what you would see if you could. After this when I had skis on, a guy went under the rope and off. He held the rope and asked if I was coming. I mean it was tempting, and for all I know that was a top skier, but really a bad idea. If you get separated, you’re completely screwed. I stuck to the piste.
On the piste looking back up in a moment of partial clarity. That group would soon get ahead of me on the piste. Further down, when visibility was much less than one pole, 10m, I would be faced with a left/right and no time to decide before the group was gone. I follow the group, which turns out to be a guided English group from Jagged Globe. I am now apparently well off piste, but the guide let me join up. Very nice.
Whole lotta cheesin goin on
You want the croute.
Swiss mountain food is heavy on cheese. I’m ok not having raclette or fondue more than once a year.
What’s really good is the Vacherin Mont d’Or cheese, a soft, gooey, cheese which is exceptionally smelly. The French version is unpasteurized.I am told that one wants a vin jaune wine with that, but as that’s expensive, a white wine from the Jura region.
