Today we are very happy to interview Patricia Neuhauser. Patricia, who lives with her husband Harald in the Bernese Oberland in Switzerland, loves snow above all else. Ski touring, ski mountaineering, steep walls and gullies, endlessly long ridge hikes and steep rocks inspire the sports scientist.
She inspires like-minded people with her lively blog, and as an author for the SAC online tour portal, she researches ski tours and alpine hikes in the Bernese and Valais Alps. As head of the trail-maniacs, a trail and skyrunning club, she also oversees the Swiss community of this up-and-coming sport.
Dear Patricia, thank you for taking the time for this conversation and telling our readers a little more about yourself and your love for the mountains. Have you always been a "mountain child" and when did you decide to make this passion your central life / job?
I was not born with a love for the mountains, as I come from a rather flat region in the southwest of Germany that can be described as hilly. But my time as a student in Innsbruck changed everything: within a very short time an intense love flared up and I was motivated to learn as much as possible about all types of mountain sports. At the same time, I went through a number of training courses, and my studies in sports science enabled me to work as a hiking guide, ski, snowboard and climbing instructor. For a long time I also flirted with mountain guide training. In order to be able to focus even more on the subject of mountains, we moved our place of residence from Tyrol to Switzerland 8 years ago; for one and a half years we have now been living in the Bernese Oberland with the Niesen Pyramid as a year-round mountain. 1700 meters in altitude can be easily pulverized away in the evening.
For years you have been a regular guest at the Locanda Mistral, and in spring we welcome you again ;-) Do you remember your first time in the Valle Maira? When was that and what do you remember most?
I was in the Valle Maira for the first time in 2016. I like the Italian Alps extremely well – they are so wild and original, less built-up. So when I was researching ski tours in Piedmont I came across an “insider tip” - that was the Valle Maira. We were not disappointed; on the contrary, we were met with untracked slopes with countless possibilities from flat to mega steep and wonderful larch forests that provide fun even in tense conditions. I didn't know that from Tyrol. Being able to carve out a new tour every day is something I will remember. But we were also lucky with the weather: sunshine during the day and every few days it snowed 10-20cm of the white gold at night, as ordered. Yes, I think what impressed me most at the time was that only a few tourists and locals from the Cuneo region came to this gem and yet it is such an extensive, diverse area with over 200 ski tours. Like another world.
Do you have a favourite tour in the Valle Maira? Which tour would you recommend to our readers?
I have numerous favourite tours. But one tour remains very vivid in my memory: the north Couloir des Oronaye. We were not sure whether the planned round tour with ascent via the south side and descent through the up-to-50-degree-steep gully would be possible. No tracks far and wide, we couldn't see the descent either. To our surprise there was a good 50cm of unbound powder snow waiting in the couloir, cut deep by rock walls. Simply unique. Such a line would be overrun in Tyrol or Chamonix.
If this is your first time in the Valle Maira, I would recommend the area around the Bric Boscasso. A classic ski touring mountain, not too high, with a pretty larch forest and mostly good snow, the extensive terrain of which enables a variety of round trips. In firn, the Auto Vallonasso Southeast Summit will soon be in good condition and inspires with a perfect descent, which if you hit it precisely, allows you to experience butter snow. The Cobre with its even north couloir, which is quite popular, is ideal for approaching the steeper slopes.
2020 was certainly an extraordinary year. What has changed for you and which changes have you found positive / would you like to continue?
As always, there are two sides to the coin, winners and losers. For me personally, 2020 has not brought about any major changes, I have never liked to travel far, the Alpine region is my territory. I have always loved to discover new things at our "doorstep". The line over there, the ridge over there, every mountain tour lets new goals and ideas blossom on the horizon. Of course, we also spent more holidays in Switzerland this year, even working from home in Zermatt for a month. In general, the home office has helped us to improve our quality of life as the annoying commute is no longer necessary, which frees us for even more mountain sports. All in all, this crisis brought many people together in my environment; we met fellow mountain enthusiasts on the ski mountaineering tours in spring and we built good friendships. Our trail running club is more popular than ever before. Sharing a passion and thus experiencing wonderful moments together, that's what counts and creates lasting stories.
Back to the Locanda Mistral: Sustainability plays a major role for us and the Valle Maira is also a destination that has been spared from mass tourism. How do you rate the general status quo in the Alpine region in terms of sustainability, over-tourism, etc.? Has anything changed here in the last few years?
That was a decisive criterion for me when we decided to visit you at the Locanda Mistral. Authenticity is the catchphrase for the Valle Maira. It makes my hair stand up when I think of all the productions in the Alpine region. All you need is bare nature, wild and natural, to take a mountain experience home with you. The status quo in the Alpine region in terms of sustainability is repeatedly threatened by projects such as ski area expansions and mergers, reservoirs for hydropower, wind turbines, etc. Money makes the world go round. There is no shrinking away from the fact that biodiversity suffers massively because natural space is irrevocably destroyed. I see the many counter-movements and projects to raise awareness in recent years as positive. Something's going on! It is good form to buy sustainably-produced outdoor products and to book accommodations that get their products from the region. Here in Switzerland, a lot of mountaineers and nature lovers travel by public transport, on nice weekends additional trains are used to manage the masses of recreational athletes. That's great! In other countries there is still a lot of catching up to do when it comes to mobility.
What are you personally looking forward to most when you think about your next stay at the Locanda Mistral?
I'm really looking forward to seeing your renovation, there is so much love and passion in your Locanda Mistral, which really impresses me. And of course the good food, sitting in the sun with a beer in the afternoon, looking back on a mega ski day ...
About Patricia Neuhauser:
Patricia Neuhauser, originally from Saarland, finally landed via Innsbruck in Switzerland in the Bernese Oberland (Aeschi b. Spiez). She and her husband Harald have been loving and living mountain sports in many ways for 18 years. In recent years, the focus has been on the discipline of skyrunning, where she set best times on some high mountains. Information on this on their homepage: patricia-neuhauser.ch
