NoMansLand

"Go big or go home. No friends on powder days. No pain, no gain." Does it always have to be like this? Can't we just be happy with gentle slopes, cozy huts and relaxed day hikes without trying to push ourselves to the limit? Oh yes, we surely can. The winter of 2020/2021 had not only begun on a good note but also showed its very best side once again in mid-March: lots of fresh snow and a good base down to the valley. At short notice and due to the current weather forecast we decided to spend a weekend in Surselva. A relaxed weekend. These Covid times are already stressful enough. Easy ski touring, fantastic runs, but also good coffee, good food and good wine. The Surselva is a region in Graubünden.

Maybe you are more familiar with the nearby freeride destinations of Disentis or the Oberalp Pass. I've been there before, a few years ago, to go treasure hunting in the summer with one of Switzerland's two full-time "spotters" and my then eleven-year-old son. The area is known for the many rock crystals that have formed over thousands of years. Spotting – as rock crystal searching is called – has a long tradition here, and still, many treasures lie hidden under the glacial ice. This time it's March, not summer, and we have just arrived in Sedrun. For the fourth year in a row, our female group has met to go ski touring. Once everyone has arrived, the excitement and chatter starts: "Sooo good to be here!"

"I'm happy already" "Do the new goggles match my helmet?" Everything is actually as always: Bettina, the gynecologist, shares her best stories with us; Kathrin and Sirma, describes the madness of her demanding job plus homeschooling her three small children. We are not too serious about ourselves; there's a lot of laughing going on. It's always been like that on this annual trip of ours. Yet, one thing is very different: we all came here to relax. This year, after the depriving months of the first Covid winter, ambition is not a topic. So we agree to take the later train and chat and drink until well after midnight. Looking out of the window the following day, we immediately realize that everything is precisely how we imagined it.

Snow dust is glittering in the air, the world of the Surselva shines, even under the blanket of snow, and we are part of it. After breakfast – with the best mountain cheese we have ever tasted – we pack our backpacks. We will spend the night in the mountains at the Maighels hut. We take the train to the Oberalp Pass. We are not the only ones to get off: a larger snowshoe tour group is also getting ready. As if it weren't enough that I find snowshoeing a rather strange form of exercise: these poor people won't even ski but walk down the mountain! Just before reaching the hut, we change direction towards Piz Badus. The slopes are moderately steep; there are no tracks at all. It's cold, and the snow is still nice and soft. What more could you wish for?

Across the valley we see the group of snowshoers. They are trudging downhill from Piz Cavradi. Should we feel sorry for them? Who cares – as soon as we take our first turns, we are not thinking about anything else anymore. We only watch each other skiing and enjoy ourselves. Skiing is simply the best! Later on, we enjoy the afternoon and evening at the cozy hut. We are happy about our day skiing, the regained freedom, and not having or wanting to prove anything. There are no self-imposed challenges. Does that make us feel bored? Absolutely not. The following day starts with a snowstorm. Nevertheless, we have a reasonably motivated breakfast and eat the world's second-best mountain cheese. Today's objective: Piz Borel.

There is hardly a better kind of terrain for a group of ratcheting ladies. At first, the route follows the flat valley floor. Only at the very end of the tour does it get steeper, and our four parallel tracks eventually become one. In the meantime, the sun starts to peek out from between the clouds. It's awe-inspiring how the light can change the scenery! On the way down, Julie says she has never experienced such good conditions. Gain without any pain and, above all, with almost nobody else around. Skiing is simply one of the best activities in the world. Back in Sedrun, our lovely hosts have prepared a cheese fondue for us. Cheese is simply good in this part of the world, no matter its shape, soft or hard, hot or cold!

When asked about his definition of happiness, a well-known German actor once said, "Slightly drunk and no more appointments." How right he had been. That's exactly how we feel right now. And entirely without anyone of us having exhausted herself conditionally or technically. For the final day, we set our sights on Piz Maler. An ideal ski touring mountain: first, we gain altitude rather quickly, then we are rewarded by a beautiful 360-degree view along a ridge. We are glad we brought ski crampons because the ridge is partly icy and windblown. However, we are perfectly in the flow and enjoy every minute. But there is also some melancholy because our trip is already coming to an end. Three days are simply too short.

But we don't wallow in this feeling for long. Directly behind us, two ski touring groups led by local mountain guides fight their way up the mountain. And they're obviously in a hurry, even clearing out kick turn plateaus to make faster progress. We marvel at their style, their dogged faces. Do we sometimes look like that? Never mind. Today, it's entirely different. We even forgot the summit of Piz Maler because the weather is changing rapidly, and we don't want to poke around in the fog. We prefer to enjoy this last run with the remaining rays of sunshine!