jamesdeluxe
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2020
My final ski day here in Schwyz so with only a few hours of turns left in my aching legs, I decided to try the ski safari that connects Mythen with Hoch-Ybrig (pronounced HOKE EEH BRIG): not quite over the next ridge, but almost. The circuit claims to be almost nine miles in length but felt longer. The point of something like this isn't to ski challenging terrain or shralp powder, but to travel a healthy distance on skis and admire the beautiful scenery.
Skies were bright blue until the early afternoon when clouds moved in and now it's completely gray out, which would've made the safari a lot less interesting, so I'm glad that I got out early. Sorry for including so many pix but it looks like an extra long off-season so I'll need something to keep my spirits up. Back to the Handgruobi t-bar for the ride up:
Beer tent at Grossenboden:
Continuing uphill:
Brünellistock and the first Ski Safari sign:
A fork in the road:
I had a hard copy of the map above in my pocket, but I skied right by the safari sign that was partially buried and had to hike back uphill:
A few other people skied by who seemed to know what they were doing:
You head downhill into the village of Oberiberg, which is at the bottom of the ski area Hoch-Ybrig:
And walk across a parking lot to one of the base lifts -- my first chair in four days.
The "hometown" brand -- certainly the ski you see most frequently here:
Mid-mountain restaurant:
While Mythen is predominantly south-facing, Hoch-Ybrig is completely north-facing so the offpiste was still in nice shape.
It's also at a higher elevation than Mythen and has a healthy percentage of above-treeline/more challenging terrain along with high-speed chairs: thus, a more mainstream ski area than proudly old-school Mythen.
The lift-served upper mountain along the ridgeline looks pretty nice:
With the Ski Safari ticket, you only get one ride on specific lifts, so I need to turn right:
And start the 3,100-vert downhill toward the village of Illgau:
"You're now leaving the Hoch-Ybrig ski area"
Literally, an "over the river and through the woods" affair:
Illgau in the distance:
A short uphill walk:
No high-speed lifts here -- rather, a gondola from 1955, but as the sign tells us: fully renovated in 1983!
For emergencies: a phone with a crank!
In the home stretch:
A fine day to hang laundry:
Finally, I exit the woods at the Handgruobi base area:
And glide into my hotel:
Skies were bright blue until the early afternoon when clouds moved in and now it's completely gray out, which would've made the safari a lot less interesting, so I'm glad that I got out early. Sorry for including so many pix but it looks like an extra long off-season so I'll need something to keep my spirits up. Back to the Handgruobi t-bar for the ride up:
Beer tent at Grossenboden:
Continuing uphill:
Brünellistock and the first Ski Safari sign:
A fork in the road:
I had a hard copy of the map above in my pocket, but I skied right by the safari sign that was partially buried and had to hike back uphill:
A few other people skied by who seemed to know what they were doing:
You head downhill into the village of Oberiberg, which is at the bottom of the ski area Hoch-Ybrig:
And walk across a parking lot to one of the base lifts -- my first chair in four days.
The "hometown" brand -- certainly the ski you see most frequently here:
Mid-mountain restaurant:
While Mythen is predominantly south-facing, Hoch-Ybrig is completely north-facing so the offpiste was still in nice shape.
It's also at a higher elevation than Mythen and has a healthy percentage of above-treeline/more challenging terrain along with high-speed chairs: thus, a more mainstream ski area than proudly old-school Mythen.
The lift-served upper mountain along the ridgeline looks pretty nice:
With the Ski Safari ticket, you only get one ride on specific lifts, so I need to turn right:
And start the 3,100-vert downhill toward the village of Illgau:
"You're now leaving the Hoch-Ybrig ski area"
Literally, an "over the river and through the woods" affair:
Illgau in the distance:
A short uphill walk:
No high-speed lifts here -- rather, a gondola from 1955, but as the sign tells us: fully renovated in 1983!
For emergencies: a phone with a crank!
In the home stretch:
A fine day to hang laundry:
Finally, I exit the woods at the Handgruobi base area:
And glide into my hotel:
Last edited:
