History

This is a new kind of ski tale for me. It doesn't involve some high altitude locale. No fancy gear or magnificent vistas. I sent 2010 out on the slopes, kicking it retro-stylie. So get ready for a blast from my past.

On a recent visit to Rochester, NY to see family, we were invited to Bristol. Mountainhttp://www.bristolmountain.com . I spent a lot of ski team time there as a teen. Before I had capacity to ski the big mountains. At the time, I preferred Swain, though. http://www.swain.com. I had a theme - do not follow the Herd. The Herd went to Bristol, but I never understood why. Swain was in the Southern Tier, which had a bad rap. The income bracket was lower, the roads less traveled and the lift attendants didn't look like they came out of a GAP ad. But the snow was as good as it gets in that neck of the NY woods, the crowds, if any were small and that is where my school ski clubs and ski teams went. So that was where I spent most of my time.

Growing up in the snow belt of upstate or Western NY, you either loved the white stuff or hated it. As you know, I love it. There were tons of things to do outdoors in the winter. Otherwise, you spent potentially six months indoors. Sledding, ice skating, skiing. I love it all.

Despite the fact that I have skied since I was five years old, I have only owned 2 pairs of skis. The many years of ski club were spent renting. And my sister was kind enough to donate her minimally used skis to me when I wanted to join the ski team. So I used them for years, lovingly caring for them, sharpening and waxing them and treating them as precious cargo. Eventually I gave them back to her and got my own. Thanks, Sis! Circa 1992, if memory serves me correctly.

So, pre-road trip back home, I decided to pull out my old skis in an attempt to be frugal. This ski trip was anticipated to be more social than anything else. It would probably only last a few hours. Why not save the money and use the vintage straight Rossignols? Scott and I cannot recall the last time I had used them. Since 2000, we have always had to fly to ski, so it was cheaper and easier to rent great skis at local shops. I did take them to Utah for an amazing Christmas ski trip in 2002. But I cannot recall when I have used them since. Maybe I haven't. I thought I took them to Austria. That was in 2004. I upgraded to new boots then. Traded in the old rear entry Salomons. Anyway, it had been a long time.

So we get to Bristol and it is 50+ degrees! But there is snow. If you look at the photo on top, you can see the top of the mountain behind me. That's it. No more. I go to put on my skis and break one binding, then the other. Perhaps they were not fit to my new boots? Either way, they were finished. RIP Rossi's. You served me well. You took me all over the US and Canada for many years. You were great skis. It was a good run.

Off to the rental shop to get a pair for the evening. Luckily, it was only $12 because of the holiday. These Elans were the biggest,fattest parabolic curve I have ever seen. I was skeptical. But they worked well. Take a look at the chunk missing from the edge of one!


Expectations were exceeded. Fun was had. The snow was good. It was fun to catch up with family. And somehow, Bristol Mountain grew to twice its size since last I was there. It didn't get any higher, but there were a lot more runs to choose from. Hanging in the old neighborhood, pulling out the old skis, and skiing at night under the lights. All in all, it was a very good evening.

Just like in Switzerland, people were celebrating Winter, doing what they love in the snow. Even though I wasn't in the Alps, I was loving the one I was with. Snow is snow, wherever it falls.

And the Elans, despite their girth and melanomas, they were lightweight and responsive. Being at Bristol again brought back a few memories. And this trip, a ski appetizer, allowed me, on New Year's Eve, to look at last year, look at life in general and see from where I have come.

Parting

Our final ski trip while living in der Schweiz was to Flims-Laax Falera, in the Graubuenden region. That was March, this is October. Clearly you can see where I wish I was and what I wish I was doing as I sit here. I have done a lot of snow blogging. This one will be different. Just one story and just one photo for now. It is about The Longest Descent.

We ended our dwelling in Switzerland by spending a few days skiing, big surprise. One last hurrah before happily heading Back to Real Life. The snow had started to melt and the weather was warm. All very symbolic. We skied long and hard, wined, dined, walked, photographed and saunaed as much as we could before we had to give it all back, just as we had all season, at all the other places. Parting is such sweet sorrow.

On the last day, at lunch, I verbalized it. I had been thinking about it for a while, keeping it to myself. My poor husband was sick and tired and needed bedrest, but was putting up a good front and sticking it out in the snow for me, despite the fever. I knew he was nearing his end for the day. The thought of leaving, Leaving, was just too much for me to bear. So I verbalized it. I was going to ski one final run, which was The Longest Descent. I saw it on the map and it boasted a whopping 17 kilometers in length. And I would do it before I left, alone if need be, because I could.

It was getting late when I verbalized. We were on the gondola, one of several we needed to take to get from the far away Falera back to Flims where we were staying. He looked at me and shook his head in protest. We had already skied so much, it was getting late and dark, I was tired and shouldn't be skiing alone. What if I got lost? He didn't want to lose me, you know. What if I got hurt? It was too far to go to get to the top in time to get to the bottom in time. What if I didn't make it back in time to get the shuttle to the hotel? He would worry about me too much. The list of protests was long. But I could not be swayed. The prospect of skiing one run that was 17 kilometers was enough for me to make it one good last run.

The fact was, I had skied most of the sections that make up The Longest Descent over the course of the past few days, just not all at once. I needed to be able to say I did it. So at the top of the last gondola, I said I was going and would see him back at the hotel, probably in the sauna. But that wasn't good enough. He put up a fight. In the end, it was The Longest Descent in return for me handing over my camera. My precious camera? Nein!!!! It went with me everywhere in the mountains. It was always ready in my coat pocket. I was always stopping or wandering here and there to take photos, sometimes trailing behind. That was like taking away one glove or a ski boot. I would be incomplete without it. And how could I document The Longest Descent then?

But I did it. I gave it up, kissed him goodbye and was off. Basically, I had to make like a bunny clear across the area to get to the top to go back down. It involved going up a lift, then skiing down a portion to another lift that would cross, then repeating this process about 3 times in order to traverse to where I needed to be. I skied hard and fast and skated through the flat spots. I got to the point where I was alone, the only one around. It was so quiet and beautiful. Wish I had my camera.

Finally, I got off the last lift and skated as fast as I could to the final portion. I needed to take the J-bar to the very top of the 17 kilometers, then start The Longest Descent. I crested a small hill, saw the base of the J-bar in the near distance. It was downhill from there. I got into a tuck and cruised over. About 200 feet away, the J-bar stopped moving. Then up went a sign, that I barely even noticed in my rush to get there.

Geschlossen was what the sign read. The little bit of German that I had learned helped me to realize that the J-bar had just closed. What do you mean, Mr. Swiss Lift Man, Geschlossen? How can that be? It was 3:30. Most of the higher up lifts, gondolas and J-bars close at 3:30. NEIN!!!!!!!! My watch said 3:29. But there is no arguing with the Swiss about time or watches. Both of which they seem to have perfected. I was done.

I pouted, huffed, puffed and realized that I missed skiing, in its entirety, The Longest Descent by a matter of minutes. So I just did what I could and skied the rest. I guess I skied 16.5 kilometers all at once. I did it, I had already skied all day, and 2 days before that, and at least every weekend since New Year's. I had logged more ski days this season than I had any other before. I loved it. I was lucky. I had thigh burn, but it was worth it. After all, it was my last ski day in der Schweiz. It was all worth it. I sighed, breathed in the fresh air, unbuckled my helmet and got on the bus to go home, both literally and figuratively.

I look forward to next season, skiing, my friend.....

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

Heidiland and the Moon

Walensee, or Walen Lake in Heidiland

Long weekends are meant for skiing. If I had my way, any old day would be spent skiing. But work impedes on that and sometimes, we need to do other things. So this was a pretty good weekend spent. We headed to Heidiland. I was able to find a good deal on www.mySwitzerland.com. It included 2 days of skiing and 2 nights lodging at Flumserberg. It was the culinary package, so they threw in some amazing dinners as well. And we threw in an extra day of skiing on Friday at Pizol. I want to go back.

The town of Flums overlooks Walensee in eastern Switzerland, also known by tourists as Heidiland. Our hotel, Hotel Schiffahrt, was situated across the street from the lake, so the views were delicious. The package included dinner at the hotel one night and dinner at Sagibeiz in Mols the next. I think the name translates roughly to 'tightrope walker.' It was a funky, rustic old boathouse with fancy wine bar. The food was served on these sculptural, long skinny plates. Quite the presentation and very tasty to boot.

the moon, aka Pizol, aka unbelieveable

The first day at Pizol was like skiing on a snowy moon. There are no trees, but the weather and the hills created crazy shadows on the snow. It was deserted. Nothing like having an entire snowy moon to ourselves. The trails are 'loosly' marked at best, so we skied where we pleased and spent the entire, yes I mean the entire day, in powder. Priceless!

note the marshmellowy peaks in the distance, from Pizol

To get to Flumserberg, all we had to do was drive about 2 minutes down the lake from the hotel, park for free and board a gondala. Piece of cake. The gondola ride provided amazing views of the lake and valley and enough time to get sufficiently bundled up for skiing. Again, for 2 more days, we were blessed with blue skies and great powder. The crowds had grown as it was the weekend, but it was totally manageable. We only went indoors to use the facilities. We took breaks and lunch slopeside, choosing nice snowy perches in the sun to rest and rejuvenate, as needed.

powder, powder powder

The topography at Flumserberg is odd, but good. Just when you think you see a pattern, it changes. You really can ski in just about every direction, up down and across these mountains. If you feel like chasing the sun, you can, but you don't need to to get in great, long runs.

There are two things that struck me about Flums. First, the landscape is full of trees, rock and valleys - never a bad view. Some of the stretches 'in between' can be tough on a boarder. Scott borrowed my poles to get along in many instances. Second, this place is family friendly. There was every age of child here, not necessarily skiing, but hanging out, having fun. They have these cute little goggle-like shades for the babies. Adorable. No one is getting left inside at daycare here.

Scott actually got stuck in the flat, deep snow!

yup, we came from way, way up there...

http://www.flumserberg.ch
http://www.pizol.com/