For trail runners, this is a powder day.
If you are in the Alps, or are coming to the Alps for the Christmas holiday – there is both good news and bad news.
The bad news is that for most areas, unless you love man made snow, you are not going to be skiing. The team at WePowder is reporting that it’s highly unlikely that we’ll be seeing any snow for at least another week. It’s going to be a brown Christmas. So be it, because the good news is that you can get after it in the Alps running high trails, climb warm limestone, or hike around at a time when it is normally not possible. Sure we’d all prefer snow, but… we get what we get. Exploring high trails, high above the fog, under crystal clear, sunny blue skies, is not bad. Merry Christmas!
Yesterday, Janine and I went to the Gantrisch Alps, from the Gurnigel Pass south of Bern, to explore a loop and ridge run that had caught our eye on the map. In an area that we should be wearing avalanche beacons at this time of year, we ran mostly dry trails at 2000 meters. Perfect trails.
Tis the week before Christmas, and all through the Alps, not a snowflake is stirring…
So, if this was your forecast in summer, you’d be thrilled and heading for the hills. Sure it’s December, but you still can. See you out there.
If you’d like to see the route of this run, visit my Suunto Movescount page.
South facing hillsides up to 2000 meters are still mostly dry. Running along the south side of the Gantrisch Alps with distant views of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau.
With cold fog on one side and sun on the other, our ridge line split the two.
Ridges and trails – what we love.
Beginning the final descent, sadly, to the right on north facing trails back to the Gurnigel Pass
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