Thursday comes and is accompanied by a hurricane. We think of the most exposed lift that might be closed and smile: Having planned a ski tour anyway – fell under ski and walking up with pure fitness, ha, who needs lifts?!

For about half an hour, half of the ski region opens up. Other guests checking out manage their way down just in time and the same is true for their luggage. New guests with scheduled arrival miss their chance – we will have the chalet all for ourselves tonight, but before that, there are hills to run up and blizzards to face.

Meanwhile, the entire ski region is closed and we align with our host the best destination for our tour: Up on the alpine plateau, leaving the trees – slight tendencies to fall over – behind.

Strangest sensation of the day is a rainbow to our right. It remains there for hours, stable as a rock and entirely un-impressed by the squalls.

We make our way up and get a rough welcome by the hurricane’s strength when reaching the Längenfelder high plateau. From here, we could turn left and head for the Hochalm. Yet, encouraged by two other crazy guys, we decide to continue straight on to the top station of the chairlift.

The storm is loud and forceful up here. Every now and then, some of us give secret glances to the signposts along the way, ready to dodge flying obstacles. The last yards towards our target occur simultaneous to one of the storm’s peaks. With 3,000 m altitude more, it would be a copy of the Mount Everest’s base camp at average weather.

Next in our adventurous movie are fragments like: Hide in the few inches of lee behind a skilift’s mast. Strip off the fells, hold tight to every item and step on the skis, prevent them from being torn by powerful squalls. Seek stable stand on the skis and stop thinking of scenes with people being pushed by the wind over a mountain’s edge.

The rest of the day contains sunny minutes on a bench, relaxed homecoming to our chalet, delicacies and wine. And updated plans for our future: Candidate A claims to be out of Himalaya or South Pole field trips. Candidate B promises to look for more comfortable ski tours. However, both are happy and satisfied with another great outdoor day during our wonderful holiday week.