The Prattigau Valley

I woke up still feeling a bit grotty so decided not to go skiing, but the boys went up late in the morning to ski. Due to the warm winter that has been experienced in Europe this season there is next to no snow in the village, but surprisingly the snow on the top of the mountain is excellent and plentiful. Apparently ski resorts towards the other end of the Alps are really suffering with a lack of snow, which economically is a disaster for them. The boys enjoyed skiing and I enjoyed relaxing in the sunny apartment. However, I went up the mountain to meet them for a late lunch at a mountain restaurant at the gondola station up the mountain, where I enjoyed a bowl of soup, a local favourite called Gulaschsuppe.

This is the view from the restaurant at the top - you can see how the south facing side of the valley which is sunny has no snow, but where I am standing there is a fair bit of snow. I have added an extra of the scene further up this valley, and you can see the snow lying in the deep shady part of the valley.

This morning I went to the ski shop with the boys to rent skis - we have used the same shop for 11 years now, and today they had a new staff member who had the strangest accent - half Swiss, half Kiwi! He has spent the past four years in Christchurch NZ, and has picked up a strong Kiwi accent when he speaks English. For some unknown reason to us, there is a strong link between this village and New Zealand, and quite a few locals here originated from New Zealand.