Switzerland is renowned for it's chocolate, watches, pocket knives and the Matterhorn. Therefore, it seems only fitting that our first real ski adventure in Switzerland would be to Zermatt, the home of the Matterhorn. It had been decided that we would spend Christmas 2008 in Canada but then return in time to celebrate New Years in Zermatt with friends from England. Unfortunately, a clerical error meant that we didn't have a room for New Year's eve but instead got to stay a little longer for free.
So, early in the morning on January 1st, 2009, we battled our way south from Basel through a formidable new year's snow storm to arrive in Zermatt mid afternoon. Now, the good thing about snow storms when you're going skiing is that it usually means you're in for fantastic conditions!
Zermatt itself is a car free village meaning you park your vehicle in a neighbouring town and catch a train into the village itself. Each of the hotels offers a small electronic vehicle which will come and pick you up. These became known as the "silent killers" because you can't hear them coming and they seem to stop for nobody. We arrived in our hotel room to be welcomed by the most perfect view of the Matterhorn that I could have imagined. It became apparent almost immediately why this mountain has captured people's imagination for so long.
 |
This was the view from our hotel room when we first arrived. Couldn't have imagined a better start to 2009
|
 |
Taken while riding the ski out after a long day of skiing. Was just too good a shot to not stop and take
|
 |
| This photo was taken from one of the main runs looking down into the town of Zermatt. The only way into town is via a train that runs along the valley |
The skiing in Zermatt is world class. You can take a gondola to over 4000 metres which gives you access into Italy. In other words, you know where to go for lunch!
 |
Taken from the top of the highest gondola you're looking down towards Italy. We had a brilliant lunch sitting on the patio of the building you can see below
|
 |
| The view of the Matterhorn is not the most popular angle. If you ski straight forward from here you can ski a glacier almost all of the way down |
We spent the remaining 3 days exploring the entire ski resort. Given this was our first outing into the Swiss Alps, here are a few things that we learned. Apres ski is a culture and can start quite early in the afternoon. The social life in Zermatt is next to none in Switzerland. Dining on the mountains in Switzerland is no more expensive than dining anywhere in Switzerland. It is so nice to not feel ripped off because you're at a ski resort. Unlike in Canada, it is not uncommon to be able to eat your lunch outside on a patio year round in Switzerland. Always wear sunscreen! After skiing for a day without it I looked like the only person to have personally watched Switzerland's first atomic bomb blast with only the protection of my ski goggles. It was disgusting!
We returned to Zermatt in March 2009 with a few additional friends to show them the skiing gem that we had discovered. I'm happy to say that there will be many more expat skiing adventures to Zermatt in the future. We have a trekking trip scheduled to Zermatt in September 2011 so be sure to check back to read all about it.
No comments:
Post a Comment