Discovery of a New Area: Klewenalp

The start of the planning was very easy: open Google Earth, centre on the ecologically devastated bit of West Europe we are unfortunate to live in, and look for the closest mountains over 2000m. We homed-in on the area south of the Vierwaldstaettersee, across from Luzern. Just under 800km away, they are a feasible destination for an extended weekend.
After many hours of perusing over maps and internet searches, we had a plan. The opportunity came last weekend: we could depart on Thursday early afternoon, intending to return Monday late. That gives us four days on the mountains for 20h return journey including breaks. Not a bad ratio.
And so it came that on Thursday evening we found ourselves in the soulless bar of the Ibis hotel of Kriens, an industrial suburb of Luzern, nursing a beer before sleeping.

Day 1, Friday the 20th of February: Attempt on Arvigrat (2002m) from the W.
In the morning we opened the curtains to be dazzled by the spectacle of Mount Pilatus in full sunshine.

The spectacular view from the hotel room: Pilatus in bright sunshine.

Over breakfast we decided to go for the easiest of the option of tours for the day: Arvigrat from the West (ZS-/S3). The other option, Widderfeld had an uncertain access and a section 40 degrees steep though forest. Little did we know what Arvigrat had in store for us...
We had thought we could start the tour right from the town of Kerns, but there was much less snow than we expected, so we tried to drive further up and found an ideal spot to start the tour: the little church at Halten (Swiss coordinates 665.048 - 194.446, 706m).

The Halten church where our tour started.

There are a few parking spaces near the church, signs indicating the start of the path, and even a clean, public toilet.

All this and free parking, all you need at the start of a tour.

There was another couple starting at the same time, but they seemed so well prepared and going at such a pace that soon they were out of sight. Are we that unfit or we just like to take it easy?

Another view towards Pilatus.

As we had seen from the valley, there were many bare patches and for a short section just below Chlingen we even had to carry the skis up a very muddy path.

First-Mate carrying the skis up a muddy path...

...and the Skipper negotiating a difficult bit. Saarnersee in the background.

At Ruedlen (1269m) we had a break in the sunshine before tackling the crux of the route: the steep ascent up a forest clearing towards Eggi. After a hard struggle we declared defeat, looked for a safe spot to remove the skins, and skied back down. Funnily enough, what was a struggle to climb was a breeze to ski down. We definitely have been practicing skiing to much and climbing on skis not enough...

View to the North. Here we are at the end of the Alps. No other high mountains until Norway

The rest of the descent was a game of avoiding bare patches and looking for snow to ski as far down as possible.

Close to the end of the descent.

Trying to find snow to ski as far down as possible.

The dat finished at the Ochsen Hotel and Restaurant, in Wolfenschiessen, Engelberg valley, our base for the next three days.

Day 2, Saturday the 21st of February: A Round Tour to the Brisenhaus.

Unfortunately the weather turned for the worse. In the grey morning we drove the short distance to the cable car that took us past steep terrain up to Niederrickenbach. This is a small village and a convent. The only ways to get here are a narrow, steep, winding path or a cable car. We had initially planned to take the chair lift to Haldigrat and ski down an old ski run that is now free-ride terrain. However, the poor visibility put us off and instead we headed for Brisenhaus, along mostly easy and well marked trails.

Approaching Brisenhaus. Left the cliffs of Schinberg, and Brisen to the right in the distance.

After a break at the Brisenhaus, we started to climb towards Glatte Grat. Soon thick clouds started to rise from the valley and we decided to give up and ski down, cutting across under the cliffs of the Schinberg, towards the Klewenalp ski pistes. Unfortunately the cloud caught-up with us and by the time we reached the saddle point (Saetteli) the visibility was down to about two meters. In front of us we had very steep terrain that we could not see. What to do? Plunge into the unknown or return the way we came? At this moment a local appeared and generously guided up along a traverse that took us right to the ski pistes. Even along the pistes the descent was difficult enough, and then we had to take a steep, marked ski itinerary. At the steepest mogul field, just as I planted the pole for a jump-turn my skis slid sideways, hit the vigorously planted pole and sent me head first down the slope. It took two, more-or-less controlled tumbles, before I could get my skis downhill from myself to stop the fall. First-Mate was scared frozen, seeing me tumbling down the steep slope.

But all ended well, with a fun descent than finished on thin, mushy snow all the way down to the village of Beckenried by the lake.

The marked ski itinerary took us all the way down to the lake.

From there it was a bus and train journey back to the base of the cable car where we had left the car.

Day 3, Sunday the 22nd of February: Glatte Grat in the Fog.

Overnight there were about 15cm of fresh snow, but it was still overcast. We decided to try the Glatte Grat again, this time from Klewenalp. After shovelling snow from the car we drove to Beckenried and took the cable car to Klewenalp. From there we followed first a flat walking route and then climbed along a ski run to below the saddle where we had been lost in fog the day before. The short climb up was not easy, as the new snow kept sliding over the old, hard snow. It was two steps up - one step down. Once we reached the saddle, the traverse towards Brisenhaus was easy, especially since there were already fresh traces of snowshoes.

Just before Brisenhaus.

After a break we started the climb towards Glatte Grat for the second time. It was already traced and it was easy going, but as the day before cloud started rising from the valley. We do not agree on who decided to press on, but press on we did, and soon we were again in a whiteout.

By following ski traces we did eventually reach the Grat, despite protests from First-Mate.

On Glatte Grat, getting ready to descend.

For the descent the snow was a dream: some 15cm of fresh powder on a hard base. Unfortunately the visibility was so poor we could not enjoy any decent powder turns.

The descent.

First-Mate took the lead and managed to find the Brisenhaus, even if we could only see it when we were 10m from it.

Another short break and back to Klewenalp. At the saddle the visibility was again very poor, but this time we had the confidence to take the steep descent, knowing what was below. In the meanwhile the ski lifts had closed, probably because of the fog, so it looked like a ghost ski resort. As we descended towards Beckenried, the visibility improved a bit and we could enjoy skiing the varied terrain on fresh snow.

Visibility getting better as we descend towards the lake.

This is as far as we could ski: 100m from the car.

Had it been sunny it would have been a perfect ski tour.

Day 4, Monday, 23rd of February: Klewenalp Using the Lifts.

Last day. We shouldn't leave too late and the weatherman says it will start raining in the afternoon. So we drove to Beckenried, bought half-day ski-passes, and spent the morning exploring this ski-area. Soon we had done all the groomed slopes and started exploring the variants. There are some really nice ones. The half-day finished with the by-now familiar descent from Klewenalp to Beckenried.

Klewenalp to Beckenried... Take 3.

As we were packing to start the drive home the pouring rain started.