Floodlit Spectacular
Twice a week, the ski area Latemar in Obereggen is transformed into a paradise for nighttime skiers and tobogganists.
When Christoph Pichler climbs into his snowmobile every Tuesday and Friday in winter and starts up the motor at 5 pm on the dot, then the countdown begins for him to finish his work. “We don’t have much time,” he says, since just two hours later the Ochsenweide gondola starts transporting nighttime skiers and tobogganists. And by then, Christoph has to have prepared the slope, which runs from Epircher Laner Alm to the valley station in Obereggen, to perfection. In practised fashion he carries out his runs and – even when time is pressing – Christoph, who has worked for the ski resort in Obereggen for over 30 years, doesn’t lose his cool. Confidently and instinctively, he steers his 500 horsepower vehicle through the snow, levels the mounds that have developed over the course of the day and smooths the grooves in a slope that the skiers will rave about later on.
As Christoph prepares the slope, it feels a little bit like the calm before the storm. While the day’s skiing against the majestic backdrop of the Latemar has long since come to an end, Obereggen is already preparing itself for the next few lively hours. Twice a week, the floodlights bathe the resort in a truly special atmosphere that is very attractive to both locals and guests alike.
„Everything is perfectly lit up and prepared“
Alessandro, Aileen and Daniel, for example, regularly visit Obereggen from Merano for nighttime skiing, because they don’t need to take a day off to do it and the conditions in the resort are ideal. “Everything is perfectly lit up and prepared,” they say, before heading off onto the snow.
Kerstin and Dirk, on the other hand, who are regular visitors to the Eggental valley from the Dresden area, find that tobogganing offers a welcome change from skiing. “Sledding is so easy and is unbelievably good fun,” they enthuse. Time and again they travel to Obereggen in the evenings from Deutschnofen/Nova Ponente to enjoy a couple of leisurely hours under the floodlights. By now, things are extremely lively on the toboggan track, which runs through the woods next to the ski slope. Beaming faces and happy cries bear out what Kerstin and Dirk have to say – “Tobogganing is fantastic for just being a kid again!
And part of being a kid is a reward with a great big pizza too! In the Platzl at the bottom of the toboggan track and floodlit slope in Obereggen, the pizza makers have long since heated up their wood-fired oven. They are well aware of the fact that the treats they conjure up with pizza dough, tomatoes and mozzarella are far more than an insider’s tip. And the proof is clear for all to see – with happy people who have made the spot into a culinary meeting place for every ski-slope night reveller. These include not only Kerstin and Dirk, but also Johannes from Witten. “But you have to earn the pizza,” he says with a wink. He has already made three runs on the toboggan track and climbed the 280 metres back up to the top on foot each time. It comes as no surprise to hear that Johannes is a keen endurance athlete. Torturing himself a little bit is an everyday experience for him.
The hustle and bustle on the gondola to the Ochsenweide doesn’t really cramp the style of fitness freaks like Johannes. As a beginner, Mia from Vienna likes the perfect snow under the floodlights for improving on what she has learned in her skiing lessons. She probably doesn't have time to spare a glance at the freestylers showing off their acrobatic skills on the edge of the piste in the illuminated snow park. “But it’s a heck of a lot of fun,” she says, as she steps into her ski bindings and heads cautiously downhill.
Sonia and Alberto from Modena, who are in Obereggen on a skiing holiday with their children, Matteo and Chiara, enjoy the evening fun. The two toboggans that they have hired from Ski Siegfried at the valley station carry them down the mountain in twos – and then, since the thermometer is now showing lower than minus 10 degrees – they warm themselves up at Epircher Laner Alm. While outside by the fire near the bar, Merano natives Alessandro, Aileen and Daniel toast themselves to the sound of après-ski music, the family is treated to Schnitzel and Kaiserschmarrn by Walter, the landlord of the Epircher Laner Alm.
Christoph and his colleagues eat their evening meal there too. The slopes in the ski resort are all prepared. And now they are waiting for the lift to close so that they can get the nighttime slope ready for the following day’s skiing too. Just before midnight, the snowmobile drivers’ working day also comes to an end.
In contrast, in the Alpine Club Loox at the valley station it’s still a long way from closing time. On Fridays in particular, some people even stay there in their ski boots until late in the night to the sound of thumping bass. However, most customers at the Loox have long since put on their best clothes and are dancing the night away. Unlike Christoph a couple of hours previously, they can completely forget the time here. Just as it should be!
