San Bernardino pass (and wind)

It has been a very, very long time since we last hiked on snowshoes. Finally the day has come! An easy, very straight forward thing, just to enjoy the day without too much sweat. San Bernardino is (to me) one of the loveliest places in the Alps, providing the most varied choice in any season and for any mountaineering skill. One of the most classic hikes on snowshoes goes up to the San Bernardino Pass. There is a number of routes to choose among, via Gareida or via Pian Lumbrif, but the easiest of things is going right up the paved road, which is entirely closed to vehicle traffic (in winter). We left our car at the parking area opposite to the Bellevue Hotel (it goes 5 CHF for the whole day parking, quite cheap if compared to other areas, Val Verzasca being an example). Glorious sunny day, some breeze. A short walk after the petrol station would lead to hit the snow where a camping site is, and to wear the snowshoes. Here snow was rather icy, but well viable. A first remarkable sight on the route is the scenic bridge over the Moesa river. As a matter of fact, you get to gain height very gently, eventually shortcutting some bends. Going ahead the wind strength started increasing; not too annoying, but we could see what was happening above, on the surrounding ridges and peaks, so the real excitment was still to come. The paved road was, after Ca de Mucia, at times buried under over a meter snow, and could be detected only thanks to the regular yellow-black poles placed aside. Step after step, under a now storming wind, we passed the prominent tunnel air-intake (1960m on the CNS) and reached La Smita where, substantially, the route gets absolutely flat. Here the raging wind, continuously slapping snow on our faces,  forced us to frequent stops, but we could start seeing, right ahead, the Hospiz, as a sort of mirage, actually. Good enough, we reached it and could shelter in the tiny wooden shack positioned aside the Hospiz. Indeed, having our meal outside would have proven, uh, quite difficult if not unpleasant. Well, the Moesola lake was invisible, covered in ice and snow, but the vision of Piz Uccello and Piz Cavriola is well worth getting up here. Scrambling down, with the wind now pushing us, was quite nice and we profited of the occasional shortcuts. The alternative routes were not clearly detectable, so we took no chances and got back to the parking quite rapidly. Wind apart, this hike is suitable for everyone, as it offers a most stunning, breath-taking array of views with minimal effort.