Emmetten 2018

Gradually, Bettina, Henrik and Andreas have crept in to plan their vacations around orienteering events. After all, you can hardly get to know a landscape more intensively. This summer we made our first trip to Switzerland Emmetten on Lake Lucerne. In the short term, the "Swiss International Mountain Marathon", SIMM for short, has been relocated there. The impressive name was a foretaste of the equally impressive mountain scenery of the northern Uri Alps for us flatlanders.

The "Mountain Marathon" format, and so the SIMM, is a run for two-person teams over two days, with bivouacings at night. The bivouac equipment and food must be carried along. "Mountain Marathon"Events of the same concept are also organized by other organizers in other regions, including the British Isles, where the idea comes from, and now also in Iceland or Japan.

You can either complete a classic orienteering, a score or a kind of trail run at the SIMM. The orienteering was offered as "Strong" (45 km as the crow flies, 4400 elevation gain, 38 post) and "Light" variant (30.3 km, flimsy 2900 m, 29 P.). Henrik and I had opted for the "Light" variant ud Bettina for a helper. Thanks to our SIMM-experienced IHW department head, we had a reasonably portable bivouac set up. The map - an 1: 25.000 measuring table - we had picked up the day before, and so equipped the day after we arrived cheerfully to start at the Stockhütte.

After the signal to the mass start one received a note with coordinates and descriptions of the items, and so one could first measure and inscribe the post locations themselves. (A Geodreieck would have done good service.) Then it was, partly in a trot, on the often steep passages rather in a quick step on the train. The first few sentries were easy to find, although the steeply rising or falling grass coppers of finely honed grass were difficult to load. When wet, Dobb spikes would have been strongly advised, but we had friendly weather and only a few cloudy spots. After a steep climb to the Oberbauen north face, which connects the Oberbauenstock with the Schwalmis and was overcome, we were still in a good position. But then we stood flatlanders, who had seen real mountains for many years only on television, consternated before the only viable way to post behind the ridge, above the wall - turned out to be the exposed alpine route up the rock face with climbing passages. For chamois and a trained Swiss mountain runner probably no problem. But as not completely free of vertigo-free field, forest and meadow runners, who only a day before had sniffed again mountain air, the risk seemed too big to us. A circulation was not possible. What the heck, back, taken a few more achievable items, we could choose after a good six hours then at the bivouac place for a nice place.

The night was friendly and after the hunting start the next morning, the next day's track turned out to be less demanding in terms of climbing and also manageable with some difficulty for the runner, who only practiced in Brandenburg's final moraine. But the track was longer and some items were only searchable due to lack of fine-tuning options. In hot weather, the carried 4l water did not last long. A tremendous sore from the day before stuck in the thigh extensors and made every step in the sometimes very steep terrain to ordeal, and so the second day was ultimately more physically demanding than the first, was only possible walking speed. There have been 8 1 / 2 hours until we finally finish in Emmetten reached - which we were far from the last. In the "Strong" category, only two teams finally managed to complete the track completely, and many gave up in the "Light" version as well.

This was an orientation technically well feasible but for it, also loud organizer, this time physically so demanding run to the end that has made us, yes, a lot of fun and will remain in good memory. The organizer has promised to take it a little easier again next year. If you are smarter than us, put the run to the end of his stay in Switzerland and get used to exposed, delicate heights before, then the SIMM should be completely feasible even for simple Berliner-OLer. Who knows, maybe another time ...