Snowshoeing and Slow Photographing at 2’106 metres a.s.l., Furka, Swiss Alps. Photoessay. December 2018.
Short cut
Why not taking the short cut following the direct route vertically up along the slope line instead of the official and slightly dull Furka pass road? Me, the old outdoorer and highlander, fit and experienced in snowshoeing, I trust the carbon-steel 3D-curved traction rails of my TUBBS Flex ALP snowshoes (this was as a commercial! 😉 ), they dug like claws into the harsh snow – but despite their heel lift I found myself clambering up the ascent on all fours – sometimes at least. And my backpack was pulling me back down like a ton of sand.
F*ck, it’s more than steep, rather sheer, no – even vertical – overhanging maybe? What a nice short cut!
On the road again I have learned my lesson: From now on I would follow the official Furka pass road.
Splendid view
4 hours for a 2 hours walk?
Hiking from Realp to Tiefenbach (see the maps and the GPS tracks on swisstopo, Google Maps) usually takes two hours, maybe some minutes more – why did we need more than four and a half hours for this 6.25 km distance? Let me answer this with another question … Have you ever been walking with a photographer enjoying life and having fun with his family – my wife Arlette chased the light with her camera too and our two lovely daughters Cécile and Olivia were creatively playing full of beans with every snow flake … – and right beneath the Hotel Galenstock we had a long break enjoying the late afternoon sun; by the way, is there anything better than a cup of strong dark espresso coffee and a hot chocolate prepared on my camping gas stove – in the middle of a huge snow field? We had a lot of fun all the way. That’s life and I think it’s a good excuse for being late and slow.
Slow walking. Slow photography.
Before and after having our extended break there is plenty of time to make some of my beloved film stylish slow photographs.
Sunset at 16.21 p.m.
Surrounded by the famous Swiss alpine mountains the Furka pass road from Realp over the Furka pass down to Gletsch winds up from Realp starting at 1’540 m.a.s.l. to the top of the Furka pass at 2’429 m.a.s.l.. Our stage for today would end at the Hotel Tiefenbach at 2’106 m.a.s.l. The Furka pass road is closed for any kind of traffic during the winter months, but nevertheless perfectly passable for snowshoing and ski touring.
Have you ever crossed one of the famous Swiss pass roads in winter by snowshoes?
Blue dreams
At the end of the day the fading light whitewashed all the scenery in mystic blue. Blue dreams for the night?
Biting cold night life
Why not photographing the Furka pass at night? The weather forecast looked quite promising and the weather allowed us to make some long exposures. Boahh, what a biting cold!
Sunrise at 09.20 a.m.
Early morning light on the Furka pass. 09.20 a.m.. First sun and the famous alpenglow.
Some impressions. Well, all made in slow photography mode. These images took me hours … 😉
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Images: Ricoh GR II, GR Lens f=18.3 mm 1:2.8. .DNG RAW format. Edited in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom.
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That was really a beautiful and great trip! Do you remember the snow slide? It slipped in the evening. And do you remember our igloo with the zoo from snow in the morning?
Your photos are awesome again. I like the three bright and the big mountain at the beginning.
Great, if I had already had my lens adapter with me…
Thank you Muhli, yes I remember – we had a lot of fun all day long kidding around in the snow. And after all the descent into the valley by sledge. Thank you for your time reading my blog post and leaving a comment!
Thats a really nice blog! I like the pictures! They are so white… No, but i want to go again to the Furka pass!❤️
Thank you Cécile. Do you remember the igloo we built?