To fire up the stoke for the first powder 🤤, I would like to share our first powder images: Since the end of the summer I have been constantly looking forward to the first webcam snow images and sometimes I look like an addict who craves his drug. Waiting, waiting…. until a real basis has been formed…. imbibe yourself.
But this year too, I couldn’t hold back anymore after seeing the webcam images in Diavolezza and Pontresina. The Bernina region was quickly covered with 70cm-1m50 above 2600m and on the lower slopes the first layer of 30-50cm.🤤
Even asking around to see who would be so excited and Bedde and Geert soon agreed to join me.
The plan was to take the first lift in Diavolezza on Saturday, November 4, but due to “too much fresh snow” and too little time for preparation + slope securing, the gondola remained closed to skiers. Puff, puff,… immediately our first ski tour to enjoy the first meters in the powder. However, off-piste the lower part looked more like a shark minefield. We quickly stopped our first meters in the off-piste after meeting the sharks and only descended on the unprepared slope.
Despite the first (limited) powder fun, my 2 friends gave me a failing grade for that first day. Thanks for that guys…
Fortunately, about 10-15cm of fresh snow fell during the night and open lifts provided more powder fun the next morning. The ending with a wonderful first track powder descent brought the first big smile and my score quickly to 8/10😁. With the descent from Val d’Arlas it would have been 10/10, but unfortunately there were too many clouds.
The same evening it was decided to move towards the “Ortler region”, while Diavolezza would remain closed for the consecutive days and Sulden am Ortler was actually opening.
Thanks to the 15-20cm of cold Sulden powder and some first tracks, our powder smiles kept getting bigger. 10/10 passed quickly. 🥳
It was also nice that we took 2 young Italian snowboarders with us during a 1200 meters vertical powder descent (via the unprepared valley descent). Together with these Italian powder friends we started our first modest aprèsski with some beers.🥳
On the last day we had the idea to descend the Schöntaufwand into the valley. A beautiful face of 1000m vertical, visible from the valley, with some passages in avalanche risk terrain.
We had explored the passage through the Rosim stream the day before, but after negative advice from a local mountain rescuer we decided that is was better to stay near the slopes. Don’t worry, because with the opening of the top lift we were presented with some extra powder terrain.
Back home with big powder smiles 😁 I have a strong feeling that Bedde and Geert will join again sometime. 😉