On the sledging run in yellow class.
EXPERIENCE – A winter day in Rosenlaui.
Haslital
«Far away from the vane frills of tedious shops, peace of mind lives here, fleeing the smoke of the city.» He was deeply impressed. Our Albrecht von Haller. From the Rosenlaui Valley of course. After his visit to Haslital, he composed his most famous poem. Die Alpen. In it, he mercilessly demonstrated the decadence of the day.
Let's leave the «tedious shops» in the village and fight our way «back to nature». Jean-Jacques Rousseau couldn't have said it better. Let's see – like Albrecht von Haller – whether we can find peace of mind. Our goal: the Grosse Scheidegg. Our weapons: a Postauto (postal (public) bus), a sledge – and of course our sanity. The sharpest of all weapons.
In Meiringen we use our first weapon. It's yellow and is classy.
With chains we're off through the village. Yes, exactly, you read correctly. With snow chains. Where is the snow please? The locals are crazy – or is that foresight? Never mind. OK, off we go. We're going back to nature. To find our inner peace again – if we have ever found it before. It can hide itself well.
Now it's getting tight. It's not only in the curves that every millimetre counts. Good, our yellow weapon is stronger than this white vehicle. It's scared and takes the passing point.
It's jolting loudly. But: the street is getting whiter. Dignified silence. Aha, now the chains definitely make sense. A big compliment to the bus chauffeur. Well thought through.
Ruedi Simmler,
Deputy head of PostAuto Switzerland for the Bern region
«The high plateau of Gschwandtenmad is the most beautiful place on the route to the Grosse Scheidegg. This is where the road leaves the woods and makes its way into the open. You just have to make a stop.»
«No thought, description or memory comes close to the beauty and magnitude of nature.»
Now we're done. The bus stop gets little attention in winter. The house is closed, too. Boards protect it from the snow loads. But after the curve it pops up again. The Hotel Rosenlaui. Honestly, hand on heart: we have to take a photo. It looks quite impressive from up here. It's just standing there, resting. The guardian of many stories and secrets.
Many a well-known guest has come and gone. A house which has earned a story of its own.
We also drive past it. It's closed in winter though. The Rosenlaui Gorge.
On the Schwarzwaldalp we receive our wooden weapon. No, not a trojan horse.
Hold on. Stop. From here on, only the Postauto can continue. Phew. We've got one. Sledging run and street melt into one. A smooth thing. Ha, the snow chains really make sense.
In the battle for our peace of mind, we pick up our next weapon at the Schwarzwaldalp at the hotel: the sledge.
What a view. Somehow we're in two places at the same time. A view of Grindelwald...
... and a view of Haslital...
...and, of course: we're living in a digital age. Going completely without isn't possible. The obligatory peak selfie.
FACTS AND FIGURES
5,5
kilometres is the length of the sledging run from the Grosse Scheidegg to the Schwarzwaldalp.
So, let the fun begin.
Someone's missing...
I'm tired. Lean me against the wall.
Rolf von Wyl,
chauffeur, on co-existence with the sledgers
«The ‹sledgers› are always in the know. As soon as the end of the bus, with warning lights is through, you have the green light. That works no problems.»
Room for everyone.
Beep beep... Postauto. We're solidly united and leave the dear chauffeur the right of way. He's got a little more horsepower under his a...
Even a lovely winter day like this has its end. The only thing left to say is: bye, Rosenlaui.
We're sitting in the warmth again. The bus takes up back to Meiringen. Behind us, hard work is going on. The piste has to be perfect tomorrow.
Additional information
Contact
Haslital Tourismus
Tourist Center Meiringen
Bahnhofplatz 12
CH-3860 Meiringen
Tel. +41 33 972 50 50
Fax +41 33 972 51 50
