They promised snow (again) overnight – and none appeared. My mind is however on places where there is most definitely snow. The Alps got off to a poor start this winter with very poor snow cover but as I write the snow has been falling and the conditions are looking very good.
Time spent riding uphill on a chairlift, exposed to the weather, is always an opportunity to take a good look around. Sitting on a bench, possibly accompanied by others, or best when alone, suspended in thin air with a bird’s eye view of the landscape, is a special experience. You see things very differently, and if you can get yourself organized (pocketing gloves, securing ski poles) and have the camera easily to hand, there are images to capture.
Some of the best are seen below one’s feet, and if the light is right and the shadows are cast, then the lift’s hardware becomes the picture. For another view – a selfie – click here.
We haven’t had much snow here but the ski resorts have snow making machines that run all night to cover the slopes since it is very cold here. Are such machines in use there?
All the Alpine resorts have invested heavily in snow-making machines. But when snow cover is poor, there is always something lacking when skiing a white piste with exposed rock and grass not far away. Thankfully it doesn’t often happen.
This makes for a very interesting photograph Andy! Never ridden a ski lift, always thought I’d like to..
They’re great fine to ride, Adrian, assuming you aren’t scared of heights. Thanks for the comment.
Very cool shot. Love the angles. Do you happen to have a photo of a field of flowers?
Many thanks for your visit and for your comment. Just had a quick look at your fascinating blog. I haven’t posted a field of flowers but there has been a post with a series of images of Alpine Flowers. If you’re interested then here is the address for it: https://lensscaper.wordpress.com/2012/07/20/a-trip-to-trift/
Not seeing a vacant comment box under that post so I’ll tell you the flowers are stunning. Will be sharing with my 7-yr-old. =) Thanks.
Diana
I turned the comments off for Posts older than a month to restrict Spam, sadly. Glad you liked that post, Diana, and thanks for the quick reply. My 7yr old loved Swiss flowers and Swiss mountains – he’s now 37, still climbs and skis, sometimes with me.
Precious!
I’ve never been on a chair lift, I can only imagine what it would be like to travel on one over snow. I think I would be very excited.
Thanks for your comment Leanne. It’s the best way to ride up the hill. Riding in a cable car (Gondola) is liking being squashed in a sardine can on a busy day!
That’s the most elegant selfie I’ve ever seen, on that other page.
Shadows on snow are so compelling. There has to be a simple explanation for one thing that I can’t quite figure out. Why are the shadows not solid? The white streaks across them appear to be snow. Is it that, where the snow is uneven, it reflects the light differently? I see that the shadows at the very top are solid, as I’d expect them to be. It’s almost as though the snow is reflecting back light the way waves on the water would. I’ve never noticed anything quite like this. It’s very interesting.
Elegant is a word not usually applied to me, so thank you! You are right in your supposition, The snow is ruckled and ridged and of course the light is very strong and so the light is reflected differently, and light is also being reflected and refracted off neighbouring ridges and undulations. I think it gives the shadow area additional interest, and to be honest I hadn’t noticed shadows like this until I started processing images like these ones.
*Organised* you were Andy !
One has the feeling you are actually moving through a snowstorm here looking at the ski lift shadow … but of course you were not …
Thanks Poppy. It takes a bit of practice to get organized and make sure nothing gets dropped. I’m now used to skiing with a Nikon slung round my neck with the chest strap of my slim profile rucsac holding it reasonably steady and not flapping around as I ski. Fingers crossed, I’ve never fallen with it exposed – just slowed the skiing speed down a bit..
That is a very cool shot Andy. Wonderfully seen and captured. We have had a weird winter here in New England. Very cold but very little snow so far. We are expecting some this weekend. Since I am headed to Florida next week, I won’t care how much it snows as long as I can get there.
Enjoy FLorida Len. I am heading for the Alps in a week or so. It’s snowing hard out there, making up for a rather poor start to the winter, and the conditions look to be very good – all that’s needed now is some sunshine.