03:44

Ruth Deutschmann

Benjamin Epp

St. Anton

2008-08-19

Nicole D´Incecco

Nicole D´Incecco

1937

Once we were very unlucky - I also wrote about that in the book. We were getting hay from Hansasefa's barn. That was one of the hardest jobs, the most difficult hay transport that there was. There was a Pole with us - he was there and actually saved our lives. - We packed it all and got it ready and then we had to - drive down on a large mountain ridge. There wasn't much snow on the ridge and at the bottom there was a very tight curve to the left, you ended up at the "Metzgerspleis", as we called it. And the Pole was the first - and then the Pole - the "Zug" wasn't right, that's the rope you put over your shoulders to slow down the sled or to pull it onwards. And it has to be just right. If it is too long then .. it is no use to you - and if it's too short you have to bend over. Then they - Albert, he's been dead a long time now ? showed the Pole how to tie the knot in the rope. After the fourth or fifth time they got the size right .. When he wanted to get going a large powder avalanche went off right in front of him. And if ? he hadn't taken so long all five of us would have been on our way down and would have been buried by the avalanche. So, we all would have been killed and none of us would be alive anymore today. When the powder snow had settled the others, who were further down getting hay, yodelled and shouted - that was the way we communicated. We yodelled back to tell them we were all still alive. Otherwise we would all have been killed. We got home very late with the hay and then we had to .. then we - Transporting the hay, you had to ? when it was possible we did it all of January and all of February, so - for about a month - we were busy doing that, we would bring hay home.