Ski & Fondue: Swiss Style

I don't know which is better...eating REAL Swiss fondue or skiing the Swiss Alps? It seems like you can't have one without the other. Or at least you'd be silly to only try one but not the other. Each are out-of-this-world amazing and I count myself one lucky duck to have been able to experience both in Zermatt. 

As I mentioned in my last post, skiing the Swiss Alps during heavy snow and fog proved to be quite challenging. I'm not an avid skier by any stretch of the imagination, but I have skied the Austrian Alps and a handful of slopes around the USA. I'd say I'm right between beginner and intermediate. Beginnermediate, maybe? But the close to white-out conditions at the tippy top of the mountain sure almost made me wet my long johns. I might have said more than a few explicit words as I navigated down the slopes, barely being able to see 3 feet in front of me. When you're not sure where the trail begins and the mountain ends, it's kind of terrifying skiing down at a moderate speed. The good Lord must have known we were struggling on the slopes because there was a perfectly placed igloo bar right at the end of a trail that almost did us both in. We stopped in for a piping hot mug of glühwein and enjoyed relaxing inside the igloos before mustering up enough nerve to hit the trails again. Thankfully, throughout the day D and I both only fell a handful of times and managed to keep all bones and skis intact. 

The reward for our frightful (yet fun) ski adventure? CHEESE!! Gobs of hot, buttery cheese covering fresh brown bread and veggies. Thank the Lord for the Swiss and their affinity for melted Gruyére in cute ceramic pots. They know the way to this cheese lover's heart! Our fabulous hotel had a small restaurant just for its guests and they hosted a traditional fondue dinner for our 2nd night there. D and I LOVE the Melting Pot restaurant in the states, but I'm telling you, eating fondue while gazing at the Matterhorn as it's snowing outside just takes the fondue experience to a whole other level. Like who am I and how did I get here? PINCH ME WORTHY. Needless to say, we stuffed our faces like merry animals and retreated to the bar for a hot chocolate & Bailey's nightcap. Perfect ending to an adventurous day on the Swiss slopes. Also, you should know I bought myself a real Swiss fondue pot while in Zermatt. Cost me a pretty penny, but when in Switzerland, right? Fondue party at our house!

ZERMATT SKI INFO

We skied the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise, Gornergrat, & Riffelberg ski areas. Prices for lift tickets in these areas can be found here. List of local ski rental offices can be found here. If you are military and live near a base with an MWR or Outdoor Recreation organization, check with them to see if they offer ski rentals (cheapest option!). We rented skis/poles/helmets from Outdoor Rec on our installation and brought them with us. If you plan to drive to Zermatt, keep in mind the town of Zermatt is completely car-free. You can park your car at the Matterhorn Train Terminal in Täsch (14.50 CHF a day) and take the train shuttle into Zermatt for 8 CHF each way (approx. 12 minute ride).

Zermatt, Switzerland: The Town

Shut up, right? This place isn't real. Zermatt, Switzerland can't be this STUNNING. This MAGICAL. 

Oh, but it so is.

Every square inch of this beautiful ski-town tucked away into the commanding Swiss Alps is THAT ADORABLE. I'm ashamed it's taken me so long to blog about it! D and I took a trip to Zermatt last MLK Day weekend with the Frankfurt Ski Club and I still can't get over how amazing our time was there. It snowed buckets almost every day, making for some tough white-out ski conditions, but some seriously beautiful scenery away from the slopes. We stayed in the heart of Zermatt at the Plateau Rosa Hotel with uninhibited views of the Matterhorn. Well, alllmost uninhibited. The snow clouds hung low over the tip of the Matterhorn for 75% of our stay, but we still caught peeks of it here and there. That first photo was the view from our balcony. Surreal, right? Like a page out of a storybook, that view. 

During our 4-day winter holiday, we spent one full day skiing the Swiss Alps...right up there beside that grand 'ol Matterhorn...but I crapped-out half way through our 2nd full ski day. The snow was coming down hard and I could barely see two steps in front of myself, so I begged D to let me head back down the mountain for cocoa and some town-wandering. His legs were burning and patience wearing thin, so it didn't take too much convincing. He happily threw in his ski gloves for the day and joined me for some much needed post-ski relaxing. Don't get me wrong, though, skiing the Swiss Alps was unforgettable. I'd do it again in a heartbeat...and if you've never experienced it...GO! But when you've got a town as gorgeous as Zermatt waiting to be explored a mile below you, you've just got to come out of the clouds to take it all in. 

Stay tuned for scenes atop the Alps during our skiing adventures and our first bites of REAL Swiss fondue! 

Sigh. Can't we go back...like right now? I need more snow magic in my life.

Austrian Ski Weekend: The Final Frontier

Gear is out...ready to start our 2nd full day of skiing the Alps!

Since we had finally got our bearings after mistakenly skiing down one too many "red" runs the day before (Austrian ski maps are awfully hard to decipher), we took a different gondola up to the opposite side of the mountain to hit up some moderate "blue" runs. Lucky for us, these runs were almost deserted, making for some very leisurely skiing. Only downside was that this particular side of the mountain was mostly shaded all morning, resulting in two frozen people popsicles by the end of the run. 

I've never felt cold like that in my life.

I promise there's a person in under all that gear. You can see how shaded the run was really well in this photo.

I adore this photo. Colombia should recruit us for their ads. 

I mean, c'mon. We're catalog ready!

After a few good runs, it was time to thaw out and refuel. We stopped at a different mountain top lodge for lunch this day. I swear, that's one awesome thing about skiing in Austria...there were places to stop and eat at the end of practically every run! The food here happened to be pretty stellar too. This yummy treat is a Baguette Diabolo...the Austrian version of an arrabiata pizza. After we ate, it was back out for some last minute runs!

When our calves were shot and we could no longer take the frigid cold, we settled in with a steaming cup of Glühwein at our favorite mountain top bar. Couldn't think of a better way to end another epic day on the slopes.

As the sun set on our last day in beautiful Austria, we geared up for one last night of fun and games with the Siegi Tours staff! First up, Austria Ice Curling! Did I mention it was cold as balls that night? A cold, crippling -15°C (5°F for all us Americans). Glühwein was essential, and I wasn't complaining! Check out my game face!

Now, this kind of ice curling doesn't look exactly like the same kind of ice curling you've seen during the winter Olympics. There are no brushes, no fancy sliding shoes, and no polished curling stones. But, the basic premise of the game is still the same. You slide a curling pin down the curling alley and try to land on the most points possible. Instead of the point rings being visible under the ice, you score points by sliding the curling pin underneath a bar that has numbered metal flags hanging off of it. Whatever number the top of the curling pin hits, that's how many points you earned for that curl. You get three curls and then you combine the points earned from each curl for your total score. Whoever has the highest score, wins!

So yeah, my hubby tied for 1st in ice curling. Lord only knows how it happened, but D was sure happy it did! He even scored a trophy. 

And then he had himself a victory drink out of it. 

That's my boy!

I, on the other hand, rewarded myself with a warm cup of hot cocoa with a shot of Bailey's. Umm, drool. I will never look at hot chocolate the same. 

As sad as it was, our time in snowy Austria had to come to an end. I didn't want to leave and return to the gloomy, snowless hills of Germany, but seriously, life could be worse. We had a fabulous time and I'd recommend skiing the Alps...especially with Siegi Tours...to everyone. It was the experience of a lifetime! I absolutely cannot wait till next year!