Start the weekend like a star.

EXPERIENCE – Hasliberg puts everyone in the limelight.

Haslital

The kit is ready. We're going skiing. Yes, you've got it, it's dark already. But at Hasliberg this is no problem – up here, the world of snow sports is thrown into the limelight every Friday. We feel like stars. Who's still thinking of the week?

With a helmet, without, or with a bald head, we wait until the minute hand reaches the right position. Tick tock, tick tock. It won't take long now. The waiting has an end. The cable car brings us into the night.

Someone obviously didn't pay the bill. It's really dark here. We could have left the sunglasses at home. Never mind. Let's be honest, a helmet without glasses looks weird.

The sky is on fire! Will someone please call the fire brigade...

No, no. No fear. The sun's only saying goodbye in order to make room for the darkness. We want to go night skiing. We need the night, not the day for this. Otherwise it would «just» be skiing. So: bye, bye day.

Admittedly the sun makes a grand departure. Topping this is going to be difficult. Let's wait.

FACTS AND FIGURES

0

hours is the amount of sun on Hasliberg during night skiing. The round lady Luna can reveal herself all the more.

So that the piste doesn't look like this during night skiing...

...we've got quite strong, big lamps – also called floodlights. These things are also known to be useful whilst driving.

Snow is usually white. We can assume this to be true. That's why we say «snow-white» and not «snow-blue». But there are exceptions. Another common colour is yellow. A little tip: We don't eat yellow snow. Either way, the white of the snow in the floodlight creates a wonderful contrast to the darkness of the night.

On Hasliberg we go for our happy hour beer.

We just can't wait. Before supper we have a great skiing session.

Times are changing and we're changing within them.

Floodlights for night skiing didn't exist before. The first ski lift in Haslital couldn't «see» very well at night either. But it was always patient. It pulled the skiers up the mountain tirelessly. Today, we ride up with modern cable cars and down again on superbly prepared slopes. And all of that in the night. Thomas Edison had dreamt that his bulbs would be used for skiing as well.

The first ski lift in Haslital didn't have floodlights and ate straw.

Martin Strahm,
former snow sports teacher at Hasliberg

«What an offer. Unbelievable that we can have this much fun every Friday evening.»

We are greeted to the Mägisalp by a Schwyzerörgeli (Swiss organ) concert.

What more could we wish for? The welcome orchestra strikes up. We immediately feel like Swiss skiing stars.
Anything else would really not be fitting. In an ambience like this we follow the local tradition of course: a cheese fondue please. Ok, raclette is always welcome, too.

Obviously. Up here, there can only be meringues for dessert. This thing is huge. The meringue is supposed to have got its name from Meiringen. We like to believe that.

Three of us search for the bottom of the plate. Delicious. The giant dessert can be worked off during the descent.

At high altitude, it's important that the airways are kept clear. So: Snuufff.

FACTS AND FIGURES

4.5

kilometres is the distance of the floodlit route between Mägisalp and Reuti.

The gong rings for round two.

Beer-bellies in action, let's hit the slopes. They're open until 10 pm.

Hasliberg floodlights (almost) everything on Friday evening.

Someone has misunderstood something here. We're going night skiing, and he comes along with a snowboard. Just a joke. Everyone is a star – whatever boards they have on their feet. The only prerequisites are bindings. Sledge-lovers are out here unfortunately. Never mind. Don't panic. They can come on Wednesday evening.

Just follow the bright light. It's that simple.

Freeriding off-piste is an excellent challenge – completely without night-vision devices. You really have to ride with feeling. We won't leave the piste of course. We have no reason to. Everything superbly prepared and floodlit.

And then, there it is all of a sudden. Unexpectedly. The last ride.

The miserable minute hand did its rounds quickly. How impolite. The church tower bell chimes ten times. A fatal signal. It can only mean one thing: lights off. The darkness is coming. Let's go – into the bindings again and off to the last ride.

Before we say goodbye to Haslital, we'll visit the mouse trap. Er, not this one...

...and not the mouse trap in Kitzbühel either.

Voila. That's it. Directly next to Hotel Reuti. OK then: one beer please...

A «skitastic» start to the weekend

No, that's going too far. We'll stop that now. Stupid word play. Night has fallen and the new day is waiting patiently to begin – guaranteed with a lot of sunshine.