It seemed so simple when we came up with the idea, arrive at the Christlum ski area as it opened, skin up to the top, ski back down and get back to work in time for the afternoon, however it was only when I looked at how long the route took Adam and me a few weeks ago, that I realised this may have been a tad ambitious.
I was keen to get out with Becky, as last weekend she had bought ski touring skis and we didn’t have a chance to use them, and this weekend the weather looks fairly snowy. So we came up with the above plan, which turned out to be a bit overambitious for a first ski tour, as there was no time at the top to chill out and eat some food before getting back down!
The skin up the Rodelbahn was a great way to warm up and for Becky to get into the rhythm of ski touring, so we gently snaked our way up through the forrest, eventually appearing at the mid mountain and emerging from the forrest. Here we briefly skinned up the edge of the piste before heading out above the top of the resort and making our way up the ridge to the summit.
The ridge was really beautiful, with great views and easy conditions underfoot. A bit more snow would have been nice, but you can’t have it all! While the views as we ascended the ridge were great, it was such a shame looking at the snowless mountains in mid February!
One last hill took us up to the top of the resort and the ski depot before we made the short walk to the summit, Becky’s first ski touring peak! Unfortunately there was no chill time, as we only had 30 mins to get back to the car, so that I could be back in my home office in time for a meeting! Thankfully it was just a quick ski down the piste to get back to the car, which was surprisingly slushy given it was only 11am, hopefully it will cool down soon!
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