For my final ski day in Schwyz, I only had a few hours of turns left in my aching legs, so I decided to try the ski safari that connects Mythen with neighboring Hoch-Ybrig (pronounced HOKE EEH BRIG), which isn't on the regional Swiss Knife Valley ski ticket (unless you buy a season pass). The route claims to be nine miles in length but felt longer. The point of something like this isn't necessarily to ski challenging terrain or shralp powder, but to travel a healthy distance on skis and admire the beautiful scenery. You get one lift ride on certain lifts that enable you to complete the circuit in a little less than three hours, more if you stop for a meal.
Skies were bright blue until the early afternoon when clouds moved in, which would've made the safari a lot less interesting, so I'm glad that I got out early. Like the two previous days, I started at the Handgruobi t-bar 100 yards away from my hotel:
Beer tent at Grossenboden:
Continuing uphill:
Brünellistock and the first Ski Safari sign in orange.
A fork in the road:
I skied right by the safari sign that was partially buried and had to bootpack back uphill:
I followed a few other people who seemed to know where they were going:
Very idyllic:
You head downhill into the village of Oberiberg, which is at the bottom of the ski area Hoch-Ybrig:
And walk across a parking lot to one of the base lifts -- my first chairlift (high-speed too!) in four days. How's that for hardcore?
The "hometown" brand -- certainly the ski you see most frequently in these parts:
Quick stop at a mid-mountain restaurant:
With the summit at 1830m, Hoch-Ybrig is more or less at the same low altitude as Mythen; however, it's completely north-facing so the offpiste was in nice shape.
It has a healthy percentage of above-treeline/more challenging terrain along with high-speed chairs: thus, a more mainstream ski area than its old-school neighbor Mythen.
All of that ridgeline on the left is lift-served. Unfortunately, my ski-safari pass wasn't valid for the chairs serving that terrain.
Continuing to follow the Ski Safari signs:
Beginning the 3,100-vert downhill toward the village of Illgau:
"You're now leaving the tariff zone of Hoch-Ybrig ski area"
Literally, an "over the river and through the woods" affair:
The village of Illgau below:
A short uphill walk:
Into the village:
A gondola from 1955, but as the sign tells us: fully renovated in 1983!
For emergencies: a phone powered by a crank:
In the home stretch:
A fine day to hang laundry:
Finally, I exit the woods at the Handgruobi base area:
And glide into my hotel:
Another great Alps trip in the can. Couldn't have timed it any better.
Skies were bright blue until the early afternoon when clouds moved in, which would've made the safari a lot less interesting, so I'm glad that I got out early. Like the two previous days, I started at the Handgruobi t-bar 100 yards away from my hotel:
Beer tent at Grossenboden:
Continuing uphill:
Brünellistock and the first Ski Safari sign in orange.
A fork in the road:
I skied right by the safari sign that was partially buried and had to bootpack back uphill:
I followed a few other people who seemed to know where they were going:
Very idyllic:
You head downhill into the village of Oberiberg, which is at the bottom of the ski area Hoch-Ybrig:
And walk across a parking lot to one of the base lifts -- my first chairlift (high-speed too!) in four days. How's that for hardcore?
The "hometown" brand -- certainly the ski you see most frequently in these parts:
Quick stop at a mid-mountain restaurant:
With the summit at 1830m, Hoch-Ybrig is more or less at the same low altitude as Mythen; however, it's completely north-facing so the offpiste was in nice shape.
It has a healthy percentage of above-treeline/more challenging terrain along with high-speed chairs: thus, a more mainstream ski area than its old-school neighbor Mythen.
All of that ridgeline on the left is lift-served. Unfortunately, my ski-safari pass wasn't valid for the chairs serving that terrain.
Continuing to follow the Ski Safari signs:
Beginning the 3,100-vert downhill toward the village of Illgau:
"You're now leaving the tariff zone of Hoch-Ybrig ski area"
Literally, an "over the river and through the woods" affair:
The village of Illgau below:
A short uphill walk:
Into the village:
A gondola from 1955, but as the sign tells us: fully renovated in 1983!
For emergencies: a phone powered by a crank:
In the home stretch:
A fine day to hang laundry:
Finally, I exit the woods at the Handgruobi base area:
And glide into my hotel:
Another great Alps trip in the can. Couldn't have timed it any better.