They say there are some amazing views surrounding the Gemstock Mountain and the town of Andermatt. And for about 20 minutes of a six day trip there, I actually got to see some. The rest of the time was pounding snow and complete whiteout. With no tree skiing on Gemstock, our skiing was limited to the Sonnepiste side of the mountain and a couple of steep couloirs where there was at least a little visibilty. It was a tough early seaosn in Central Switzerland, so entering the chutes meant side-stepping down a rocky entrance for about 40 feet. Once in, though, conditions were blower, and Utah-style refills prevailed for the entire trip. As soon as it clears, conditions will be the best they have been all year. Check out www.meteoschweiz.ch for weather, and to see some amazing skis local powder whores are skiing on, go to www.birdos.com. The tight crew here swore me to secrecy, so I'm off to Chamonix before anyone sees this. --Derek Taylor