Grindelwald, Switzerland - 1/13/01

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Finding web access was easy. Making it work was another thing. It worked fine this afternoon, then I ran out of change second before I could hit the send key. Now I have a pocket full of quaters (actaully, 5 CHF for 15 minutes), but the darn thing keeps telling me "can't find page." Not tomention the keyboard is different: the z any key are transposed, and the shift key doesn't do what I expect. <BR> <BR>Anyway, after a trip rife with minor troubles (one flight canceleld, replacement flight delayed, almost lost passports and tickets when somebody accedentally elft something in the restroom in Zurich airport, evey plane we rode was filled to overflowing and 110 degrees inside, screaming baby letting loosse 120db criews every time I nodded off), we arrived at our hotel in grey, overcaast Grindelwald. <BR> <BR>First order of business was a nap. Second was to stroll around town trying to find a particular ski shop known to sell Stöckli skis. Took close to an hour to walk an up and down zig-zageddy path to Egger Ski Service. Walked in, there was two pair Stormrider IIs on the rack: one short, the other long. 198cm long, to be exact. Enquired about the fatter Asteroid model: no go. Aparently, they are near impossible to find, even in their country of manufacture. Already I had many email with a shop over the hill in Wengen and with Jon Martin's local shop: only 186 Asteroids available, even direct from the factory. They make everything by hand, and just aren't making the big sticks. Mayeb February, they say, if they feel like it. <BR> <BR>Anyway, Herr Peter Egger and lovely wife Vickie and the Birds in hand all convinced me that the Stormriders were indeed a fine ski and woud suit me very well. There was soem discussion of bindinsg: Herr Egger did not have my favorite brand (look), but convinced me that a swiss-made Alpine (rather that Alpine Touring) Fritschli would be a perfect choice for a Swiss ski. It seemed expensive, I said coyly. How about 10% off ackage price, saaid Herr Egger. Deal, said I. When all was said and done, brand new b ig phat honking boards with never before seen in the US of A super lite Swiss bindings were in my hands -- mounted within minutes before my eyes (they even drove me to the hotel and abck to get my boots, and home again when mounted), all for just under 1000CHF. I robbed the poor guy. Too bad. <BR> <BR>Anyway, on the what counts: the skiing. <BR> <BR>The weather just suckes. Cloudy, foggy, driyzzle in town adn part way up the mountain. Wet snow, for the most part. God help us if it freezes. They were supoposed to run a make-up downhill race today on the Lauberhorn course in Wengen: cancelled. Hopefully weather will clear tomorrow for the Real Lauberhornrennen. Jon is meeting us at 8:00 AM tomorrow to go over and watch. <BR> <BR>But all in all, still not a bad day of skiing. 12,000 ft of verticaal in four runs. Two runs clocked in at 3600 feet each. Looong runs, long lift riodes. The gondola from town to enar the top took a full 24 minutes, and the longest run down close to 50. Very cool. Very cool mountaisn and glaciers, from what little we could see of them. The new Stöcklis performed admirably. I was a happy camper. <BR> <BR>Tomorrow, who knows. Weather forecasting seems particularly primitive here: not once has a forecast come true, near as I can tell. <BR> <BR>Well, my time is up. Write more later. Having a wonderful tiem, the weather is not fine, wish you were here and all that.
 
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