The mountain that bears my name

«Hello, I would like to visit my estates». Who can say that, may be lucky.

I can not say I own a piece of land somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Despite this fact, I feel happy. Place yourself with pride in Switzerland to know a mountain as my (almost) property. He writes himself exactly like my family name Riner. The Rinerhorn. The cable car leads from Davos Glaris to the 2054 meter high summit. The Hoger is a bit off the highest town in Switzerland. Skiers find their luck in the snow on slopes that are never so jam-packed. Winter hikers looking for peace reward my name mountain with untouched nature. Sledders can feel the thrill on a 3.5-kilometers sledge.

 

Are namesake twins of the Rinerhorn receiving a free ride? 

 

What is my plan? Visit the mountain. Add a complimentary ticket at the ticket counter. And on the summit enjoy the view of the snowy Albula Alps. So I stand with my sister in front of the sales counter of the Rinerhorn gondola lift in Davos Glaris. Grab my purse and ponder my identity card. Put it in the turntable of the ticket counter. „Good morning, I have a question for you,“ I begin the conversation with the lady behind the ticket counter. „I want to know if I get a free ride up the mountain. After all, the mountain and I have the same name. „Of course, my demand seems a bit bold. One thing I dare say: I certainly remembered the lady for a few minutes this morning. Enriched her everyday sales. Usually, skiers or sledders are at the counter with their ski saddles and sledges and just want to buy a day pass. They do not discuss the price. Logical. They are not called like me.

 

«You are missing the horn in the name» 

Back to me and the lady at the counter. She looks at my identity card for a moment. I add, „as you can see, I am called like the mountain. The answer of Bähnli employees is not long in coming. Grinning with „No, nothing can be done. They are not called like the mountain. They lack the horn in their name. »   Well, I do not want to change my civil status immediately on „hell-come-out“. If I wanted to be called Riner Horn, I would have to make a liaison, relationship with a man called Horn before. Marry him and persuade him to accept my surname. By hearsay, I know someone who’s horn called. This man sang a song at a European song contest „Gildo loves you“.Despite this musical declaration of love I say behind the scenes: «Sorry, Gildo, let’s better stay friends.»

Conclusion: I paid the round trip back to the mountain. Somehow the mountain won my heart. The many gondola cabins carry the blame for the Rinerhorn, which are inscribed with my surnames.

 

 

 

That does not exist everywhere. Only world-class skiers like Christian Neureuther, Didier Cuche, Marcel Hirscher or Herrmann Maier know such a celebrity status. Because far away in Austria every winner of the Hahnenkamm receives a gondola cabin, labeled with his name. Be the winner of the Streiff in Super-G. The downhill or slalom. As a lover of the blue pistes, I don’t make a Stemmböglifahrt on the „Streiff“. It doesn’t matter if I can ski without talent. I say this only: „So cool, my dear skirabbits.“