Swiss Choices

The choice today was: To hear the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra (who are here for a series of concerts) rehearse Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No 3 in Saas Fee Church for tonight’s concert (which we will miss because we will be eating!), or go on a 7hr high altitude walk to the most isolated and most difficult passes in the Saas valley.

Yesterday’s rehearsal. Wonderful acoustics in Saas Fee church

My wife chose the rehearsal and loved it. I chose the walk (no surprise there) but the clouds came down just as I reached the first of the two passes

Arrival at Pass No 1: Jazzi Pass (Passo di Cinguino). I minute later the clouds descended!

and stayed down well after I started my descent from Pass No 2 (The Antrona Pass).

Arrival at Pass No 2 (The Antrona Pass) – the cloud lifted slightly!

And to compound my day I managed to twist my ankle and tear the anterior filament of the ankle ligament when I had successfully negotiated all the difficult ground and was just walking down the four-wheel track on the final 2miles to the valley floor. Aaarrgghh! Expletive deleted! Nothing too serious – I’m still walking (had to, anyway, to get back down). Should have stayed down to hear the Rachmaninov – one of my favourite concertos!

So what of my day? Two beautiful valleys explored, a tricky ridge negotiated where the next way-mark was hard to spot in the claustrophobic whiteout. Cloud (fog would be a better term) is extraordinarily disorientating. I went for the views of the world beyond and saw none. So that walk goes back on the bucket list of things to do (assuming the Good Lord spares me long enough)!

Low down on the descent of Furggtal

What I did see is what you see here. High alpine meadows carpeted with Alpine Clover.

Alpine Clover on the ascent of Ofental

And a reasonably close encounter with a Chamois.

Chamois in Furrgtal

And a beautiful glacial valley complete with stream and strewn with boulders. Shame about the absence of the view beyond.