Saturday, 20^th November
    It's 9 a.m., snow is falling and the temperature varies around zero point as well as the last few days and ten members of SCL have meeting in front of Hoffmanovy boudy just now.

    Weather conditions are favourable on the whole (a wind, snow, freezing cold) and we have to cope with the first of several problems. How can we reach the taking off area with an electro-aggregate and all necessary equipment?

    We decide to devide up our group into two teams after a short discussion. The first team tries to negotiate a hill by Jeep and the second one hits a cableway. It doesn't take much time and the first team has to come back sadly. Fortunately the second one succeded and thanks to excellent relationships with the cableway staff we can go up with the equipment by the cableway.



    But what to do next? It's quite easy in summer! But now we have near one kilometer long way accross half a meter deep snow field ahead us. No snowmobile is available that's why we borrow a sledge (don't wish to see that sledge!) and we load the vast majority of our equipment on it. 'A dog sleigh' is conjured from a part of our group and the rest of us take clobber which the sledge can't hold. However the dog sleigh wails we succeded in comming to the taking off area finally. Hooray!!!

    Well, hooray!?!? The electro-aggregate doesn't want to work unfortunately. It finally cranks up after giving a good talking and we can begin our work. We make a road accessible and uncover the taking off area with a help of shovels. We'll have to move and screw seven and half square meters of four meters long planks, make a framework stronger and tack abutments. At first, it's easy all but our strength is waning step by step and what is more the deteriorating weather conditions don't help us at all.

    Heavy snow is falling, the wind grows stronger, the temperature is falling and we are running out of a rum. The situation ameliorates for a moment thanks to a soup, which we succeded in heating after one hour exerting on. In for a penny, in for a pound!

    We are pressed for time, for this reason we shorten the break to a minimum and change spones for drills, axes and the saw again. And the next measuring, cutting, screwing and cleaning the surface from snow. The snowfall doesn't stop at all and our work becomes more and more hard.

    It's shortly after 4 p.m., time to pack and tidy up as long as we can see. The darkness is falling. We find shelter for a majority of our equipment including the electro-aggregate and load the rest of it on the sledge again. We yoke the dog sleigh once again and hit the road to the cableway. The sledge is given back, we keep back some things in a fitting room and take away the rest in backpacks down the hill. After that we arrange tomorrow's meeting and eventually leave a car park for home - completely tired, rather freezing and pretty soaking.



    You can find more pictures and next current news on a home page of the club.