Ski Weekend 2023
Ski Weekend Lenzerheide 10. - 12.02.2023
The ski weekend began, how could it be otherwise, with the prospect of the best weather for the weekend. We were accommodated in idyllic Lenzerheide in the center of the village in a "vintage hotel" called KURHAUS. Vintage is the new term for unrenovated hotels with historical furniture. Thank heavens that wasn't the case for the mattresses. You were greeted at the reception with a friendly "Du", which gives someone like me in my 60s the feeling that you look younger than you thought on the one hand and on the other hand it seems a bit disrespectful towards the wisdom of old age.
The athletically ambitious participants like Severin and Peter were already on the slopes on Friday morning. Connoisseurs and less time-optimized participants used the day for the arrival and acclimatization in the local ski tourism, as well as to complete the equipment for the ski slope.
We spent the first evening in the hotel gastronomy with all kinds of drinks and a range of salads and pizzas with imaginative names such as "Gina Lollobrigida". We were all full and there was plenty to talk about.
The next morning we met in the cozy breakfast room in the order in which we arrived. The plan of the skiers was to follow the path of the sun, first the east side, from midday change to the west side. The non-skiers like Andrea with partner and Raphael chose the sled as an opportunity to experience the rush of speed. While Annik, Jonas and Kerstin explored Lenzerheide on foot and took the mountain railway to the summit to enjoy the wonderful view. Ina decided to go snowshoeing in the upper part of the valley.
The ski area is varied, with capacity bottlenecks when transporting up from the valley. Once at the top, it was also relaxed in the gastronomy. By chance we met Bertrand, Kathia, Severin, Peter and Stephane and his wife around noon. The group then changed sides of the valley as planned. I decided to test the slopes on the east side at my own pace, including the closed descent into the valley.
The evening program began with a visit to the cocktail bar opposite the hotel. The bartender mixed the drinks in a classic style. My drink tastes wonderful, but I had failed to defend myself against the many ice cubes that quickly remained in the glass after a courageous pull on the straw.
After a short stay we changed to the restaurant of the Hotel Lenzerhorn. The restaurant was well stocked, we had 2 tables in the back area. A group of old gentlemen from a student fraternity seemed to be meeting at the next table. The chairman gave a speech appealing to esprit de corps, praising the unity of the troops before, after drinking copious amounts of alcohol, he lost control of his body and threatened to fall off his chair. The others at the table generously overlooked the period of weakness. Surprisingly, the chairman recovered over the course of the evening.
Everything was quiet on our side, even at the women's table, apart from minor skirmishes between Peter and the waiter. The women's table broke up in the course of the evening and spread out in the round. We struggled with the abundant good cheese fondue. Despite the utmost willpower, we did not manage to empty the pots.
The last ones in the restaurant were Kerstin, Raphael and I, engrossed in philosophical conversations about interpersonal relationships.
Back at the hotel, the fat beats pounded out of the hotel club. A small queue had formed in front of the entrance. Kerstin and Raphael took the opportunity to get into the club through the entrance in the hotel. I was dead tired and felt the sore muscles from an intense day of skiing.
The next morning the usual chronological order of appearance. Our skiers wanted to be on the slopes in glorious sunshine until noon. I was undecided because it was a bit late for an early start on the slopes and the beautiful weather attracted many skiers to Lenzerheide, i.e. it was becoming increasingly crowded. So I drove past the plentiful arriving day guests back home.
Manfred Giltjes
