Winter Window Alvier
Winter Window Alvier

Winter Window Alvier

Winter Window Alvier

#plusphotoextract by +Jarek Klimek
#naturemonday by +Rolf Hicker

Last weekend I had the surprising chance to enjoy a wonderful backcountry ski tour in the mountains of St. Gallen with +Daniel Arndt and my girlfriend Nadine. Surprising ’cause I had booked a flight already, but I had to cancel it last minute, which gave me this wonderful opportunity.

The mountains of St. Gallen are not that high, not that alpine. But at the heart of winter, they can appear almost like some of the highest summits. Luckily, we did not start too early, so we had some wonderful evening light on our way back down. After the first summit of Mt. Chapf, we decided on the fly to go to another one, Mt. Isisizer Rosswies. From there, you can look directly through a triangle-shaped saddle and see these very frosty, icy peaks of Alvier and Chli Alvier. We had a quite harsh wind on the summit and some estimated -15°C / 5°F.

I brought back so many photos that are worth to be posted, so I will post 5 images this week, one by one. Check back tomorrow, if you like!

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This Post Has 23 Comments

  1. Javier Esvall

    13 Feb 2012

    Wonderful scenery, a penalty not being there.

  2. Francis Gagnon

    13 Feb 2012

    What an impressive view ! Really like it, Wilfried !

  3. Wilfried Haferland

    13 Feb 2012

    Dear Christina Valentine, thank you very much. Sometimes you have to make a rough cut, and I do not want to keep my (anyway long writing) even longer. But let me explain more in detail:

    – These mountains we see (Gaertlichopf, Gaertliegg, Chrummenstein, Chli Alvier, Alvier) are located in the canton St. Gallen, near St. Galler Rheintal. I do not know of any special name of this mountain range.
    – These mountains are located east to the Churfirsten, they do not belong to them. The seven Churfirsten are Selun, Fruemsel, Brisi, Zuestoll, Schibenstoll, Hinterrugg und Chaeserrugg.

    I hope this takes the geo-information to a correct level.

  4. Sumit Sen

    13 Feb 2012

    This is stunning! Great work my friend. I will check back every day ! 🙂

  5. Ada M

    13 Feb 2012

    superb photo, as always! looking forward for the rest of them! Have a great week!

  6. Mykal Hall

    13 Feb 2012

    Lucky you cancelled your flight. This is good my friend. How do you keep your camera from freezing up in those extreme temperatures? And what about the fogging of the lenses? Wilfried Haferland

  7. Natsuyo A

    14 Feb 2012

    Cooooooooool!!!!!!
    I&39;m really looking forward to seeing your 5 series. I will also check back tomorrow!
    Thanks!!

  10. Jean-Michel Taconné

    14 Feb 2012

    The canton of St Gallen owns magnificent sceneries ! Your shot really is a masterpiece of beauty ! Congratulations

  11. Bill Wood

    14 Feb 2012

    I thank you for taking me to many wonderful places that I probably will never visit. I looked it up and see that Mt. Chapf is 2043m How in the world does one have time in one day to scale such a peak (highest point in Ohio where I live Campbell Hill 472m) descend and then climb another?? And take exceptional images! Good on you!. Thanks for sharing.

  12. Wilfried Haferland

    14 Feb 2012

    Yonnel Pèrez Palma – You are soo kind, Yonnel! I try to give my best, and I try to keep up quality. In fact, there are so many great mountain photographers sharing here on G with so many great photos. Every one has a different style, and this is what makes it that interesting. Thank you!
    Javier Esvall – Thank you very much, Javier! You see so many nice places I never visited!
    Francis Gagnon – This means a lot to me. Thank you, Francis!
    Sumit Sen – I&39;m always happy you take your time… Thank you my friend!
    Ada M – Thank you, Ada! Much appreciated!
    Christina Valentine – I&39;ve done a little more research: To reach a level of ultimate correctness, these mountains belong to the "Alviergruppe" (group of Alvier).
    Mykal Hall – Mykal, my friend, thanks for taking your time! You are right, low temperatures affect the camera – but mainly the (magnesium) body. I definitely froze my nosetip on the body 3 times, this hurts! But my D700 works perfectly, even it&39;s battery. The focus selection marks in the viewfinder react a little slowish, but that&39;s it. No fogging of lenses outside, you just don&39;t have to breathe to heavy ;-). All made with my 105mm f/2.8. Thank you mate!
    Natsuyo A – Thank you very much, Natsuyo! Glad you like it!
    Rolf Hicker – Thank you Rolf for taking your time! I&39;m very happy about that! Thanks!
    Deborah Vos – Debbie, thank you very much! You are always very welcome!
    Jean-Michel Taconné – Merci beaucoup, Jean-Michel! You are too kind! I think this small group of mountains is really a pearl in winter.
    Bill Wood – Wow, you checked that? Thanks for your time, Bill! But the way up is not too hard. Usually, as a trained mountaineer you can gain 400-800 meters of altitude per hour, depending heavily on the terrain. With ski, you are a little slower up. Starting at the village Grabs (we started at 650m actually), the alt difference is roughly 1400m. From Mt. Chapf to Isisizer Rosswies you have to ski down 180m to 1863m first and ascend again to 2334m. That is another 471m up. Retour, you have to ascend the 180m again. So we end up with approx. 2000m. Thank you, Bill!

  14. Daniel Arndt

    14 Feb 2012

    A very nice shot — I&39;m glad we took our time to catch the evening light on the way down! However, Mr Wilfried Haferland please take more care in naming your mountain ranges in the future!

  16. Charles Lupica

    14 Feb 2012

    Wilfried Haferland Wilfried, this group of pictures is outstanding. It really makes me feel like I should get out there somewhere instead of hibernating here in Neuchatel. Even going out to the Jura would be better than hanging out in town.

  18. Wilfried Haferland

    15 Feb 2012

    Charles Lupica – Thanks a thousand times, my friend! You are right. Nobody has always perfect days, so sometimes going out and catching some sun means that you feel way better! Especially in winter-times, with that high fog blanket covering Zurich, it is absolutely necessary to catch some sun. Trips like this make me feel good for the whole next week. Take every opportunity to go out, Charles! Thank you!

  19. Pranab Banerjee

    15 Feb 2012

    What a fantastic shot you have here! Hope the skiing was good too. Sometimes it is good to have your flights canceled 🙂

  21. Jim Davis

    15 Feb 2012

    Nice! Ah yes, mountain high, I crave the mountains!

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