“‘Man wird verrückt!’ exclaimed Stäubli, my dear little friend Stäub.
“Having unroped and relieved our ski both of crampons and sealskins, we once more glided softly over those lovely snow deserts which run along the border on Italian territory. A cry of ‘Youhéé’ fills the air. Stäubli was flying over an enchanting lake of ice, and though the snow was not of the best, we enjoyed our run to the full. Soon we were half-way across the Fellaria glacier, directing our steps towards the western side, where a new region was about to open before us; a black arête, however, hid the other side still from view. It was a solemn moment. We began to descend and fly over the ground, when, turning the cornice of rock, we suddenly stopped to gaze on the wonderful sight before us. The two Scerscen glaciers stood out bathed in light at the foot of the Gümels and Piz Roseg, the whole suffused with the soft mauve tints of the ebbing twilight.
“We soon reached the Upper Scerscen glacier, in the midst of a formidable amphitheatre of mountains. The king of them all, Piz Bernina, was at last revealed to us, towering above Piz Argient, Crast Agüzza, and Monte Rosso di Scerscen. The Italians showed their good taste in erecting the Rifugio Marinelli in this very Eden. We could stop at this little stone hut for the night. We preferred, however, continuing our run. From here to the Fuorcla Sella we roped, and made a large circuit to avoid the region of crevasses as much as possible. Soft clouds of snow were raised by the wind, and sparkled like diamonds in the sun.
UPPER SCERSCEN AND ROSEG GLACIERS.
To face p. 253.
“By twilight we began ascending the last slopes to the Fuorcla Sella. We reached the col, and, leaving the sunny Italian slopes behind us, entered into the shadow of the Sella basin. It was 4.30 p.m.; we still had three-quarters of an hour of daylight left, which would exactly allow us to reach the flat of the Roseg glacier. We enjoyed a lovely run over the soft, powdery snow tinted with mauve, the reflection from the rocks of Piz Roseg all on fire in the setting sun. We knew our way here by heart, and skimmed over the snow without fear, ‘yodling’ frantically.
“By the last ray of the setting sun we left the Sella glacier, and passed on to the Roseg glacier. There were still a few traces left of our expedition three days before on our way to the Piz Glüschaint. Far in the distance we could see the lights of Pontresina brightly shining. We seemed quite near already. We stepped over the back of the glacier in long strides, and on nearing the Tschierva hut, where two friends were to meet us, we began to yodle. However, our calls remained unanswered, and no lights could we see. We were not astonished on learning later that those two distinguished mountaineers had been enjoying luxurious couches at Samaden all the time!
“One difficulty remained, in the shape of the Tschierva moraine. I asked Stäubli for some light. He tied an electric lamp on to his belt, leaving me in complete darkness!
“A little later we started on a splendid run, descending from the Tschierva hut, where we flew over the ground like phantoms. This run was cut short on arrival at the bridge of the Roseg Restaurant, where the road is completely spoiled with the deep ruts made by the sleighs. We took advantage of this stoppage to rest awhile and finish some cake left from our morning’s repast. After this, we passed through the beautiful Val Roseg, a lovely spot, but wearisome after a long night run.