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Posts Tagged ‘Rigi’

Panoramic View From Rigi

09 Feb
Panoramic View from Rigi

I haven’t posted much about photography lately. For the good part of the last month I haven’t really felt inspired. That tends to happen once in while. I go though creative spurts, and then periods where work, or travel, or something else just get in the way and I don’t feel like doing much with the camera.

If are a follower of the blog it is clear when I am not inspired. But you may have noticed that I am posting more lately. The return to Switzerland after the Christmas holiday and this years ski season have ignited a bit of a creative streak.

I have been experimenting a log with panoramic images lately. While we were at Rigi I managed to capture a really fantastic image of the view from Rigi. The photograph was made from 10 images stitched together to make a final panorama that shows about a 180 degree field of view. Imagine looking over your right shoulder, then turning your head to your left shoulder. That would represent a 180 field of view.

So enjoy the photograph of the view from Rigi and be sure to zoom in, explore, and find the skiers.

 
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Posted in Photography, Swiss Day Trips

 

Winter Sports: Skigibi

07 Feb
Example of a homemade Skigibi

On the most exciting aspects of moving to Switzerland for a kid that grew up in the flat lands of the midwestern United States is the prospect of winter sports. In the words of some British friends, ‘Proper’ skiing as compared to the stuff in Wisconsin and Michigan.

I am by no means very talented in winter sports. I have played a little hockey, and managed to learn to downhill ski. I have even taken up snowshoeing this season. And the sledding here is fantastic! One type of sledding I haven’t had a chance to try yet, and I’m not sure I want to is called Skigibi in Swiss German. It is pronounced something like ‘SHE-gi-be.’

The concept is to take a single ski, screw a seat to in and ride it down the mountain. Sounds crazy. Over the weekend when we were at Rigi I actually saw two people with Skigibis and I just had to take a picture.

A Swiss friend of mine told me that these things were likely invented in the Berner Oberland. She mentioned that she thought they might have even originated from Adelboden. Every year in Adelboden there is a annual skigibi race and it is puported that last year some guy hit 137 kph (85 mph) on his skigibi.

Would you be brave enought to try your luck? What winter sports are you planning to attempt for the first time?

 
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Posted in Swiss Day Trips

 

Snowshoeing at Rigi

06 Feb
View from Rigi Snowshoe trail

This morning we decided to get up and head to the mountains on the train for an afternoon of snowshoeing. The trip started well with a surprise. The train ride to the top was much less than expected because as of December 13th 2009 you can now use a GA for the Rigi Bahn.

Rigi is one of my favorite views in the summer but we had never been there for the winter season. I was not disappointed by the winter view. The snowshoe trails were marked but a lot of the portions of the trail looked like no one had trekked on them yet. In some places we were cutting the trails ourselves walk from marker pole to makerpole.

After a good 2 and a half hours of hiking we finally fished the number 3 loop and returned to the upper train station at Rigi Kulm. We visited the resturant for a nice big dish of Alpener Maccaroni one of my favorite winter time dishes. After that it was lights out. I feel totally drained this evening. But drained in a good way. I know I will sleep well tonight. For now, I am just fighting to stay up so I don’t go to bed to early.

 
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Posted in Swiss Day Trips