Threesome

My perfect threesome? That's simple - the Eiger, Jungfrau and Moench. Three glorious mountains in the Jungfrau region of Switzerland. Another weekend was spent last February skiing and enjoying all the Swiss Alps have to offer.

Grindelwald-Wengen, how do I love thee? With much passion and lust. I miss you. Your skiing is amazing. Your deep valley, dear Lauterbruennen, is beautiful beyond any others I have known. With so many choices, I felt as though I covered the globe on skis, toboggan or zipline when I was with you. You are so good at keeping things fresh and interesting. I love the tiny villages to ski through, the livestock and your architecture. Your people are warm and welcoming. Your lodging is top notch. And you really have perfected the trains. Never before have I had to cross railroad tracks to get to where I was headed to ski, on my skis. You have so much to offer, but selfishly, I wish I didn't have to share you with anyone else. So here are some, not all, of your secrets.

Scott hanging with the locals

May I live here?

This time, we stayed at the luxurious Sunstar Hotel in Wengen (http://www.sunstar.ch). We parked our car and took the train up to Wengen. At the stop, we were graciously fetched by the staff in a fun little electric cart, gear and all, and whisked away to the hotel. At check in, we were offered warm mulled wine which was a pleasant start to a fabulous stay, even though it was still before noon (scandalous!). Sunstar stays cost a bit more, but are worth it. The service and personal attention is incredible. I felt a little like a rock star. Each property is owned by a family, most of which live on site. They treat you as though you are their personal guests. No detail is overlooked.

the view from our room at the Sunstar

Soon we learned that the hotel ski room has heated boot racks, which pretty much guaranteed toasty dry boots in the morning. I LOVE this feature. We spent our early evenings at the pool or sauna or wandering around town. Dinner and breakfast at the hotel were not to be missed. Especially dessert buffet night. Do it, go nuts and don't feel guilty. You can ski it off the next day.

Getting to the slopes was cake. Just walk across the street and there you are at the gondola. Spend your day exploring the area. The conditions are fantastic and varied. And the place is so vast, that you feel like you are the only one there.

the train runs right through the slopes

gratuitous ski porn

followed by more gratuitous ski porn

truly a ski-in village

Paradise

You are going to think I am a little crazy, and perhaps even more crazy for what I am about to tell you. Know that I have no regrets. It is my favorite mode of transport, and perfect for the landscape architect. It is green and mean. The views are great and the 'road' is ever-changing. No static scenery to get bored with here. My favorite method of transportation: Tobogganing.


Yes, I have talked about and shown you tobogganing before. But I finally made it to the mother of all toboggan runs. THE LONGEST TOBOGGAN RUN IN THE WORLD. Yup, I did it and I loved it and I will go back and do it again. I now have tobogganing cred. I can run with the big dogs. February was a great month.

We took a trip to my beloved Jungfrau Region to do the Faulhorn-Bussalp Grindelwad toboggan run. Not for the wimpy, as it has a pretty good hike to get to the top. You start by taking the various gondolas and chairlifts up to the top. Then you proceed to hike with your sled up another 3 hours or so. This hike takes you through quiet, pristine snowy wonderland, with the exception of the few others doing exactly what you are. The groups tend to be pretty fun, stopping for sausage cookouts and drinks along the way. The hike is strenuous, as it is mostly uphill at a high altitude. But it is so worth it when you make it to the start of the toboggan run. You are about to embark on 15 km of pure, unadulterated snowy tobogganing bliss.


I felt a little like a kid in a candy store. At the top we were so hot and tired from hiking, despite the fact that my handy zipper thermometer said it was 10 degrees Fahrenheit. It was pretty windy and you don't want to stay at the top long. The only thing marking the trail was a simple fence and the knowledge of the others who had done this before. The boys were quickly off, at warp speed.


I tend to really appreciate working limbs and an uncracked head, as well as the views that surround me. So I go a little slower, savoring each view and noticing lots along the way. I periodically jump off and take photos, only to be distracted by even more stuff to photograph. The weather was great that day, so lots of photographs were taken. Eventually, I catch up with the boys and we keep moving.


I was so tempted to take some video along the way. But I wimped out a bit and decided against it. There are no guardrails and lots of curves mean lots of chances to run a muck in the snowbanks. Something that doesn't do good things for electronics.


One curve was particularly interesting. I found the guys waiting for me, expecting me to crash. It was a particularly long steep section with a big curve and a fairly friendly run-away lane. And I did just that. I am always happy to amuse. Then I had to climb back up and you can see in this photo how deep I sunk in the snow, right to my knees.


At one point, around a big curve, we came across an alpenhut, seemingly unavailable to anyone but tobogganers. I suppose it is open for hikers in summer, too, but no skiers were making it here. Many were enjoying sausages and cold beer or warm Gluewein. There was even a DJ. But we weren't there for DJ's, we were on the LONGEST TOBOGGAN RUN IN EUROPE! So on we pressed.


I was overtaken by the urge to take photos again and stopped for a bit to do so. Guess it was longer than expected. I continued down and realized that the trail split. Still didn't see the guys. Hmmm. I asked a fellow tobogganer who also was looking for her mates whether the trails ended up in the same spot. Negative. Hmmm. She politely suggested to just call them to find out which way they went. Have I mentioned that I was the only person in Switzerland without a cell phone? Hmmm. So I decided to think like a guy and see which way I would go if I was them. This worked and I found them. The funny part was that they had been waiting a while and the person I spoke to came by and told them I went the other way and would meet them in town. Apparently my husband didn't think that was so funny and relegated me to the front, so as not to lose me again. But that didn't last too long and I was happily snapping photos in the back again.


Some parts of the trail follow the road, so you must share the road with buses. Yikes. But I quickly learned that toboggans go faster on these roads than buses. And I am sure it is entertaining for the driver, following a good distance behind you, to watch you crash and burn on the icy curves of the road.


The trail ended by passing through a few villages. Unfortunately for us, the lower snow had nearly melted, so we had to walk a little at the end. But I got to see some adorable alpine architecture along the way. All in all, it took about an hour to toboggan 15 km. Not bad. Well worth the semi-painful hike up. I would do it all again tomorrow if I could. And if I could get a job where I could toboggan to work daily, I would do it in a heartbeat.


Oh, I failed to mention what we did before this toboggan trip. After arriving in Grindelwald, we looked up the First Flieger or First Flyer. First is the name of a town. The Flieger is a seated zip line type of contraption. It is 45 m up in the air, parallel to a gondola. The run is about 800 m long and goes a max speed of 84 km/52 mph! It was really cloudy when we did it, so you couldn't see too much except the gondola and an occasional tree top below. It lasts about 45 seconds. I believe that the First Flieger is the only of its kind in Europe to date. And it was created by some crazy Americans. Awesome.


I am so going to miss all the snowy fun that Switzerland has to offer.