First morning thoughts

Ryokan. That’s Japanese for “A hotel with a direct connection to the inner heat of mother earth”. It´s like a Swedish mountain resort in the 70s. So un trendy, un hip and un anxious. But very quiet, dignified, polite and proud.

There is no crowd at the lift station. There is no quiet chitchat about which face to hit this powder morning. There are no suspicious looks over the shoulder, glancing at the other skiers in the cabin. Who are on their way to the exact same powder face, with the exact same clothes, the same ice axe, the same adrenaline junkies who need to have their morning fix of adventure to survive the day to the soothing after ski where everything will be reported and your position in the group strengthened or poked down a few notches.

Why? Because there is no lift station. This is all about earning your turns.