'When the mountain calls'
Isabel Blatter takes us to new heights: as an avid skier and mountain touring enthusiast, she knows what you need in your backpack. Isabel tells us how she developed her passions, what motivates her and what teamwork and nussgipfel (hazelnut croissants) have to do with it.
“I'm always excited to try out new ways of doing things.”
Isabel, how did you end up doing mountain and skiing tours?
When I think about it, I’ve always been fascinated by the mountain world. As a child and teenager, for example, I took part in climbing courses and I ‘had’ to go hiking a lot with my parents (didn’t we all?). This evolved into an interest in mountain and skiing tours, thanks to my own enthusiasm for the mountains and of those around me: many of my friends and acquaintances share my love of scaling heights. I get excited by finding new paths to a peak or through a snowy valley. I let myself be guided by my strong sense of curiosity. Both types of activities – whether exploring mountains by ski or on foot – require a great deal of dedication: you’ve got to stick at it.
Speaking of which, what do you really need to know about mountain and ski touring? You said stick at it – what do you mean?
Every tour needs a bit of preparation. I can’t say out of the blue, ‘I’m going to head up a mountain now!’ Well, of course I can, but it takes experience, physical and mental fitness, and a certain amount of routine. For example, every season I take part in avalanche preparation and recreate emergency situations with my touring companions.
I would never go on a tour alone. From a safety perspective, I find that irresponsible. For me, touring is also the epitome of teamwork. If an emergency occurs – for instance, if I’m on a skiing tour with friends and an avalanche is triggered – all tour parties have to act quickly and accurately. You need to know all the moves, and know your counterpart, so you don’t lose valuable time. On average, there’s enough oxygen under the snow to last 15 minutes. As a team, we run through this emergency routine time and time again, so that the adequate response is ingrained in our memory – we know exactly what to do.
Julier Pass ski tour, Canton Grisons, Switzerland (top)
Engelhörner, Canton of Bern, Switzerland (right)
I’d like to explore this more closely: what challenges do you face?
In addition to the alertness that you need to take with you on every tour – no matter how experienced you are – sometimes the dynamics in a tour group can be really challenging. One tour that had a major impact on me in this regard took place at Tödi in 2023. It was a multi-day high-altitude tour; the foehn (warm wind) wind was blowing, and conditions got increasingly difficult. The other group parties were more experienced than I was. The weather was very volatile, so we had to stop and reassess the situation repeatedly. I started feeling uneasy, and it didn’t help that other group members looked at the situation differently than I did. While I wanted to turn around, the group was in favour of moving on. This made me feel stressed and I began to wonder why on earth I was doing this to myself. But this quiet confrontation with my uncertainty and my doubts finally led me back to a place of trust – both in myself and in the group. On this tour, with its different challenges, I was able to learn a lot about myself and my hobby!
That sounds truly thrilling! What do you take away from your high-altitude trips?
You mean besides the thrill? In fact, these tours give me a great sense of inner peace and satisfaction. I immerse myself in another world, far from the hustle and bustle, to-do lists and other thoughts. I love the scenery, the majesty of the mountains and their pristine, wild character. I’m in the moment, in the great outdoors with friends – friends with whom I can tackle a tour and achieve something. It’s an inspiring feeling that I can take with me into my day-to-day life. I’m not even particularly focused on the summit: it’s more the shared experience and the impressions of the tour from start to finish that leave me feeling so fulfilled.
“You've got to have a nutty croissant in the morning!”
Do you have a favourite moment you want to share?
I had a wonderful experience on a high-altitude trip to the Lagginhorn, a 4,000-metre-high peak in the Valais, in the summer. The first part of the ascent takes place before sunrise: in the dark, you climb a ridge at 3,500 m above sea level, using a torch to guide yourself along a snow-covered flank. And then, when you’re almost frozen solid, you reach the ridge and look at the Italian side of the Alps, towards the rising sun. All the peaks that surround you begin to glow red. It’s simply magical to climb this exposed ridge in the fiery sunrise over the next 12 hours. This is just one of many touching moments that I have experienced on my tours to date.
That sounds impressive! One last question: do you have any rituals to help you prepare for a tour like this?
Well, I always start the day with a nussgipfel (hazelnut croissant)! Other than that, it’s important to me that I pack the evening before. In the morning, you often have to leave the house early and if you only start packing and thinking about everything then, something can easily be forgotten. You never really start a tour after sleeping in. In addition to waking up early, I always carry my emergency bivouac bag – an insulating sleeping bag that keeps you warm if the worst-case scenario occurs. In short, a lack of sleep and some emergency warmth are very reliable companions!
Engelhörner, Canton of Bern, Switzerland
