Days like these - or almost a week in the snow
Anja Nehrenheim
Days like these - or almost a week in the snow
When the Valais briefly becomes the Arctic Circle and the huskies sink
Force of nature, please not so wild
Living in the Alps means living with nature - or rather: fighting with it, shovelling, cursing and, in the end, being amazed. This Holy Week has given us everything: Rain warnings, XXL-sized snowfall, power cuts, internet collapse and tired muscles right down to the tips of our hair.
And right in the middle: Us. A house with huskies, goats, chickens, a Giltstein stove and the firm resolution: "We can do this."
The weather forecast: sounds harmless, gets wild
Wednesday & Thursday: 200-250 ml/m² of precipitation was forecast in 30 hours. After the events in June 2023 (debris flows, flooded roads, pure chaos) it was clear: be better prepared. So: food checked - enough for 3-4 days. Circling the garden - everything secured. Animals looked after - check. Nature? Still calm.
electricity is lost, the gas cooker has to help out for dinner and the generator for light
So much snow overnight, the spring snow is unfortunately wet and heavy
Thursday morning - snow instead of electricity
Thursday morning - snow instead of electricity
After a relaxed dinner and a film, it was off to bed. In the morning: wake up deluxe.
- Power off
- Phone gone
- Internet dead
- 90 cm of fresh snow and it continues to snow like in a Siberian action film
- Set up a generator for coffee, somehow you can't do without it
- Get the gas cooker out for dinner
Motivation? The animals. Because: husky kennels, chicken coop, goat run - everything sinks. Nova (our malionette) sinks herself. Me too, by the way.
Mission: Rescue an animal, conquer the snow
What followed was a marathon:
- Clear the chicken coop
- Dwarf sheep and goats reach
- Digging out huskies, unhinging doors, removing snow from roofs
My MS was not enthusiastic - balance with fresh snow over 90 cm? A real challenge.
In the evening: all done. Body? Completely finished. But: All animals safe, all bellies full. And that's what counts.
Sore muscles, coffee & chaos
Friday: More snow. More coffee. And the entrance to the road? Impossible to find. Every step is an adventure. The MS is kicking in, the body is screaming - but the will remains.
No phone, no internet - no information. Not because of TikTok (ok, maybe a little), but because you don't even know: How bad is it? When will help arrive? Is there even a helicopter flying in this weather? Animals are nervous because every few hours an avalanche goes down somewhere, a blast follows and the helicopters fly like crazy. Not to forget, to round everything off, we had an earthquake, otherwise it would be boring.
And hey - at least the huskies found it exciting, even though they were nervous. Snow up to their bellies = playground! Only I found it a bit... frostier.
After three years, the tipis have not withstood the wet snow
The tipis still in full splendour at a summer event
Easter Sunday - and everything is wet
It rains on Sunday. The snow melts. The road is still closed. The tipis? Collapsed. The chicken run? History. About 20 trees lying across.
Power and grid back on, roads remain closed, some ski resorts end the season early. Snow shovels are being supplied for the time being, the snow is melting, a faint hope that the storms are over for the time being.
Luckily: food there, generator running, all the animals are fine. But: a little more emergency planning wouldn't hurt.
Conclusion: Nature 1 - Technology 0, but we are still alive
This week has shown: Winter can come back in April like an uninvited guest. And the huskies? They're no super sledding heroes in a metre of fresh snow.
What we have learnt:
- Preparation is everything
- No net is more stressful than snow
- Huskies and humour save the mood
And next time? Maybe a satellite phone after all... or simply a supply of nerves.
Until then: coffee, shovel & snow love. ❄️☕🐾
Husky stories
Existing contributions
Anja Nehrenehim
Anja is the founder of Wild Swiss Adventure and lives with 16 huskies in Eisten in Valais.
