Not a big ski resort without a ski-Safari – a foreign concept to Africa for a Tour in the freezing cold in the snow and ice. Well. It is like a Safari at dawn, stalking but not on the hunt for wild animals through the jungle and the steppes, but to Lift pits Lift, hunting, and hanging down, conquered the peaks stamp. And at the end, not infrequently, literally at the end of The card is full, the last gondola but away from the valleys-maze back to the starting point.

In the case of the ski Safari in the Schwyzer Voralpen, the clocks tick differently. Safari is Swahili for a simple journey from here to there, sometimes faster, sometimes slower – and so returning in the 800-souls village of Illgau, first in the Sigrist house. The village is whether the Muotatal, on a sun terrace, and is the starting point and the end point of the Tour. In between a couple of lifts, a couple of pickling Mountain, and a good dozen kilometers of ski slopes scattered on the ski resorts of myths of region and High-Ybrig. No Stress. It is enough to start later in the morning.

Here, the later world champion Franz Heinzer learned to ski: The slopes under the brünneli floor.

the Sigrist house in 1774, was Built and served it. the family of the Sigrists, received as a reward for his Church services to the residential and business law The stately dining room of the Sigrists was known. The last served until 1954, then the host followed the inside and the owners who no longer worked for the Church. However, like many other Village pubs, this one went almost. The municipality, which took over the house in the course of the years, could no longer pay for the renovations. The Illgauer 2014 decided to pickling in an AG convert. Today, the Sigrist house belongs to many villagers, homesick-Illgauern, holiday guests. Hostess Trudi Rickenbacher would have some stories to tell. Another time. The mountain is calling.

A Seiler with silent mountain charm

At the valley station of the cable car are only a few. Heiri Ulrich ropes, means: welcomes its passengers with a quiet mountain charm, placed it in the tiny gondola, secure Ski and Luggage in Bets10 the two open-air cabinets may all just arrive well above. And the Post goes up to St. Charles at 1152 meters above sea level.

48 people per hour can carry the cable car, because “räbble”, says Ernst Betschart, head of the Raiffeisen branch office in the village and also the small tourism office. The crowd is too big, moves in addition to a Bus. “You must not scare the guests. Everyone wants to air it in a reasonable period of time from the fog out and the head to the sun.”

Also for Sledgers and snow-Shoe runner’s Paradise: The area at the mountain station of St. Charles, the starting point for the ski Safari. Image: Ernst Betschart

The ski Safari has saved the mountain railway. “Just to be alone with Winter Hiking and toboggan riders it would have been difficult,” says Betschart, a former ski racer and co-founder of the Safari. No easy task: the land owner had to be convinced that a reasonable Skibillett created and the mountain Railways High-Ybrig for the plan of the routes outside of the piste network is obtained. After the Route had undergone several corrections and also nature Conservation groups were satisfied, could be opened in the Safari 2009.

In St. Charles hunchback Betschart the Ski and runs through the snowy forest. After a good ten minutes, he leaves the group, the belt on the Ski – but more than a leisurely high-heeled journey is not to get on the well-waxed boards. Happiness of the moment: The Ski pass as a gentle mountain slopes, barns and mountain huts, while the eyes remain safely on the opposite Blüemberg, a popular, 2363-Meter-high ski mountain.

Missed nut summit from childhood days

Betschart leads to Handgruobi-Lift. And lo and behold: Behind the little-known name of the good old ski resort Ibergeregg, where whole generations from the Swiss Mittelland Ski learned to ride. The day is Sunny, but icy cold. The nostalgic memories brought a hot Drink velvet nut summit in the Bergbeiz the valley station – a luxury, to was of the in the children years can only dream of.

Two beautiful slow bracket lifts lead up to 1593 metres of altitude up to the brünneli floor. To the left of the slope, the parental home of Franz Heinzer appears, a handsome farmhouse dark wood. The older generation should remember: Heinzer. in 1991, after the crisis, richer season downhill champion in Saalbach Nowhere on the ski Safari is the grosser Mythen (1898 m) is closer to the brünneli floor. The striking, so close to colossal-looking rock pyramid is the landmark of Schwyz.

Then the group rushes five kilometers down in the direction of Oberiberg. Not a few want the same thing. The varied Schwyzer voralpen landscape is simply beautiful. The small pause, Wait until the track is free again, fit the rhythm of the day. A chair lift leads up to the laucher stöckli, the Ski to glide down to the Fuederegg. A, an alternation of mountain and valley, you lose the smoothness of the orientation. However, on the interpretation signs at the runway edge count.

enlarge map

Hanging on the Bottom of the Fuederegg-should have incurred thousands of apartments for the Olympic winter games in 1976. But Innsbruck made the race. Nevertheless, approximately 40 boxes were implemented-shaped apartments in the Olympic style. You can imagine what a huge change would have to learn the otherwise hardly scarred area.

lift is A last chair ride leads to the highest point of the Tour, on the 1771-Meter-high Spirstock. In the mountain restaurant with generous space, there’s a fine soup, before the Queen stage starts: the six kilometers back to Illgau. Away from the hustle and bustle and very little traffic, the route passes through mountain forests, gently sloping Alps, by steep Couloirs, and snow-bridges of the mountain streams that glisten in the sun.

The balance sheet: 14 kilometers downhill, almost 1500 meters of altitude, three pickling stops, and maximum recovery.

The trip was supported by the myths of region tourism. (Sunday newspaper)

Created: 17.11.2018, 17:46 PM