Welcome to the Home of Legends

 

Legendary! They definitely are: the Lauberhorn and its slopes. And then, always in January, they unite to form the longest downhill run in the world. And to this one slalom, full of cliffs and transitions, everything is demanded from the skiers. The Lauberhorn races promise spectacle, great cinema and a ski festival of superlatives. A promise that they have reliably kept for almost a hundred years. At least almost reliably because sometimes, only rarely, a snow cloud (or was it a bug?) that has gone out of control interferes. But on the other hand, mostly unnoticed, the "Horerennen" are the birthplace of the legends of our time. You think that sounds a bit exaggerated? Great ski races okay, but birthplace of legends?

Yes, but hand on heart: what are you thinking about now? I mean right now, when I whisper the words "Lauberhorn" and "legend" to you? Is there darkness or does a thought spontaneously come to mind? A thought with the name Beat Feuz or Franz Klammer perhaps? Does your stomach tingle with memories of hair-raising diagonal jumps on the Hundschopf? Do you still shake your head in disbelief at the scene of Alexander Aamodt Kilde unpacking an anchoring swing in the Kernen-S at breakneck speed? Or are you even quietly despairing in the face of the weather antics known as Guggi-föhn, which is to be understood as a threat?

Voilà! And here we are in the middle of it all! We have arrived in the home of legends. Right here, on this page, in this blog, we will be taking you on a journey into the world of legends on the Lauberhorn. We? Oh yes, that's right. You should know that. We: Doris Büchel and Irene Graf. These are two women with a love of snow and ski racing, with a tenacious appetite and flair for storytelling. And legends, it is clear, are created from stories. They begin with stories about outstanding people, admirable achievements, and incredible events. They are stories of heroes and heroines. Not always only of the great celebrated ones, sometimes also about those who work quietly and in silence. Stories that touch our hearts and therefore want to be told over and over again. Sometimes they outgrow themselves with time and become bigger than they really are. But all legends have one thing in common: they always have truth at their core.

We'll get to the bottom of it. For you, we'll track down all the legendary events that surround the "Horerennen". We polish them to a high gloss, like the pewter jug that shines in competition with the winner. We almost certainly scratch the surface a little, here and there, and, in the best case, even discover the one snowflake upon which an entire race had to be moved to the next valley. We assume the treasure of legends which needs to be recovered is of invaluable wealth.

Doris Büchel will kick things off in the next blog. So be there when she unpacks her writing shovel. And this much can already be revealed today: She will be searching for clues at the legendary Hundschopf. Among other things, you'll find out where the term really comes from. What do you think? Dog's head or dog's hair?

Stay tuned!

 

Text: Irene Graf, writer, columnist, Adleboden