Hayley has arrived, after a 24 hour will she / won’t she debate whether she should travel out to Wengen. Anyhow, she arrived this afternoon and here we are in the Braunbaer bar with Ozzy and Tanja.
Colin is playing in the background of the picture, and we all had an enjoyable night. It’s nice to have a guest in Chalet Iltis.
Beves and Ibe played their first gig of the season at the Braunbaer last night. We had a very jolly sing-song.
This morning we were up very early as we wanted to make the trip to Grindelwald’s ski area. It’s called First (pronounced Fee-erst). To get there we take the cable car up to Männlichen, then ski across the plateau to the gondola which takes us down to Grindelwald Terminal. From there a bus takes us to the valley station of the First gondola, which then takes 25 minutes to get us to the top. It’s quite a trip, and before we entertain any thoughts of skiing we stop for coffee and cake. First is a compact and attractive little ski area.
We had a ski around, and soon it was time to head back towards Wengen. We paused at Kleine Scheidegg for hot dogs. It’s warm enough to eat outside.
A nice day out.
The weather forecast wasn’t good for today, but we decided to go up the hill anyway hoping that the weathermen had got it wrong. We were in luck. It wasn’t exactly wall to wall sunshine, but it was bright enough. For the first time this season we skied all the way down to Brandegg, where we enjoyed a nice coffee break. More skiing at Scheidegg later on. Here comes Val.
Also for the first time this season, Uptown Lights are playing at the Braunbaer this evening, so we’re looking forward to some good music.
The final race of the weekend is the slalom. It takes place on a short, very steep slope just above the village. The Scandinavian countries have a fantastic track record in slalom, and sure enough the Norwegian team took all 3 podium places this afternoon.
As soon as the last racer crosses the finishing line, work begins to dismantle the World Cup village on the tennis courts.
In a few days time all traces of the race weekend will have been removed, and everyone’s looking forward to a couple of quiet weeks in the village before the February holidays begin.
The big day has arrived. 40,000 people will descend on Wengen for the Lauberhorn downhill race. To put this event into context, it’s the Swiss equivalent of the English FA Cup final, or the American Superbowl. It’s the biggest sporting event of the year. The flying display team are back again, Val got a nice video of them as they passed our house.
Tickets for the race have long since sold out, but many people watch on the big screens in the World Cup village that has been built on the tennis courts.
We decided to go to the Crystal bar. It’s warm, and there’s beer and food. We got a great view.
For the last 2 years the race has been won by a Swiss guy called Marco Odermatt. He’s been in good form again this season, and hopes are high for a third victory. Here’s the end of his run, and the reaction from the locals in the bar.
Odermatt has done it again. Yesterday’s winner Franjo von Allmen was second, so we had a Swiss 1-2. There’ll be a huge party in the village to celebrate.
It’s the first of three days of racing here in Wengen. Everything is in place, the village is crawling with TV crews, athletes, coaches, merchandise vendors and of course thousands of fans. We’d like to watch the race in a cosy bar away from all the crowds. We can get the cable car up to Männlichen and ski our way over to Eigergletscher, avoiding all the spectators who will go up the hill by train.
At Männlichen there are more of those ice sculptures that we saw in Grindelwald the other day.
There’s a nice bar at Eigergletscher called ‘The Wall’. It’s situated beneath the Eiger north wall.
Great views from here over to the Lauberhorn where the race is taking place.
A hush descends over the bar as the race begins. It is unthinkable that a non-Swiss racer might win.
Happily, a Swiss racer called Franjo von Allmen was triumphant, so everyone was happy. To get home we need to take the Eiger Express gondola down to the valley. Dramatic views of the north face of the Eiger.
When we eventually got back to Wengen the spectators were beginning to return from the grandstand at the end of the racecourse. The village was really busy. Naturally the bars and restaurants do their best to cash in on this influx of people. The Silberhorn had live music so we popped in for a drink. All the bars will be completely packed this weekend, but fortunately regular customers get wristbands that ensure that we can get in.
It’s the last day before the race weekend begins, so we’ve been getting through as many chores as we can before the fun starts. Our morning was interrupted by the Patrouille Swiss display team, who seem to think that flying past our house in formation is a good idea. Turn up the volume and press play.
Tonight we’re off to the Caprice for dinner, and later on Colin will be playing at the Victoria Lauberhorn.
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