On Mt.Titlis

Glacier Park

Snow Tubing on Ice

   







   In the glacier park we saw huge mounds of snow with deep slopes of undulating ice. Many people were gliding down the slopes seated on inflated rubber tubes to feel the thrill of skiing on the smooth ice and experiencing the sudden jerks as they moved up and down the ice mounds. As I glided down, the rapid downward movement with sudden twists and turns made me a little bit nervous and I tightened my grip due to the fear of being thrown out like a feather in the air from my gliding tube. Luckily I held on to my tube till it came to an abrupt stop. I had to climb up to the ground dragging the rubber tube behind me. This proved very difficult as the ice beneath my feet is very smooth and sagging.I lost my foothold and slipped many times.The assistant standing above saw my predicament. He held out his hand and pulled me up along with the rubber tube. Some others also faced this problem and got up at last with the help of others. This experience of snow-tubing taught me a lesson to understand the problems of mountaineering, and the hardships of treading on slippery ice. How much fortitude and grit are required for the heroic mountaineers who dared to climb the steep icy slopes in the most inclement weather exposing their lives to utmost perils ? Really they may be called true conquerors of Nature.

Suspension bridge over the glacier

  Later we tried to walk on the highest elevation suspension bridge in Europe on Titlis cliff. This bridge was opened in December, 2012 to commemorate the 100 th anniversary of the Engelberg Gershinalp Cable Way. This bridge is just one meter wide and one hundred meters long hanging over the ice-covered glacier at a height of 500 meters off the ground. The swinging movement of the bridge made our gait unsteady and so we had not gone up to the other end which leads you to the ice-chair lift station.

Glacier Cave

Glacier Cave 

    

      
  After collecting our photos we entered the 150 meter-long glacier cave which branches out in several directions and descends twenty meters below the surface of the glacier. The whole cave is brightly illuminated and is kept at freezing sub-zero temperature (-1.5 degrees centigrade). The cave looks hazy and bluish due to refraction of light on its icy walls. The walk through this cave is another thrilling experience. Of course, a spine-chilling one too, revealing the wonders of Nature's creative skills. 

Swiss Chocolate Shop

300 varieties of toffees

                               







            

Swiss Lion Watch Store

                   
                










 On the third floor of the mountain station, there is Chocolate Shop with nearly three hundred varieties of colorful chocolates heaped in trays or neatly  packed in boxes.  Our journey remains incomplete without tasting these delicious toffees made of pure Swiss cream and milk and blended with other tasty ingredients. If you wish to wear branded wrist watches, there is Swiss Lion Shop offering best quality watches which you can wear to show your sophisticated style. After buying some chocolate boxes, we went straight to the coffee shop to warm our frozen bodies. But our hearts remained warm with admiration of these pure and breath-taking views of this snowy mountain.

Mt. Titlis Map

View of Alpine glaciers from Stotzig  Egg

    

Biking Tourists

Skiing persons

 Our trip to Mount Titlis gave us a novel experience of entering a new world of ice where Nature looms large in pure white like a massive cloud in the sky with scattered patches of green grass and blue lakes below. We saw some people trekking up the hills and others riding on bikes with agile shouts and laughter. One has to hike from Titlis to Stotzig Egg to get a clear view of the surrounding glaciers. The spirit of freedom free from worldly worries and bustle is really felt in places like this. So even sages and saints prefer such peaceful spots to experience a sense of divinity and spiritual elevation. No wonder then if poets call Nature as holy as a temple or the outer garment of God. 

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8th December, 2015                                                         Somaseshu Gutala