Catch of the Day - Piz Gloria, Jungfrau Region, SZ
August 3, 2004
Check out the Schilthorn Run to the left of the Piz Gloria summit building far above the Swiss town of Murren; be sure you've clicked on "view full size". Usually peppered with large moguls and occasionally subject to avalanche closures, it has got to be one of the more intimidating in-bounds/on-piste ski runs in the world. The annual Inferno Downhill Race starts here (elv 9,700') and runs 9 miles through unparalleled alpine scenery to the valley below.
http://community.webshots.com/photo/34064851/34064159beEObm
Wow jimk, that ski lift looks more like an elevator in #11!!
jimmy
OHOHOH I have seen that before and it took me a moment to remember. It was in the James Bond film "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" and that location served as SPECTRE's mountain top headquarters. If I remember right there was actually a special heli-pad built just for this location to bring in all the film equipment to shoot the scenes.
I have always wanted to ski above the clouds like that. The closest I came was at Whistler a couple of years ago but I didn't get the full effect with the sun on top and snow on the bottom. I could still some parts of the lower mountain and there were clouds overhead.
No matter how much you ski, there is always an experience your striving to have (or have again).
If you want to "ski above the clouds" - Big Mountain, MT, known for inversions. You'll load the lift in a dark blizzard, once on top = bright blue sunny sky and you look down on a sight right out of an airplane. As you ski down through the cloud layer, it becomed foggy, then darker, snow, back to sking through a bizzard to the bottom of the lift!!! P.S. - don't tell anyone about Big Mtn - it's undeveloped, uncrowded, and perfect. I call it the Montano/Canadio boarder...love Big Mtn., Montana - easy to get to too!!!!
Rich,
I've been to Big Mtn Montana. Like you said it's a neat place, much more of a skiers mountain (although they are building a lot of village homes and condos
) The only problem I had was that the cloud layer was typically from the top to about half-way down and many times quite thick!
(I had to follow to fog balls slowly out of the fog more than once!) I guess I just need to go back and try my luck again
-Warren-
