jyw5 wrote: ↑Wed Jan 18, 2023 12:19 am
great posts!
Woods, I first saw your photos nearly 4 yrs ago and was inspired to go skiing in Switzerland.
We finally booked a trip to Switzerland for end of march for 2 wks. I managed to talk my wife into going to Zurich and St. Moritz. I had to promise her a deluxe experience otherwise she wouldn't go for it considering she isn't that excited about travelling around the world just to see snowy mountains.
I ski quite a bit in Switzerland, it's not far from here. St. Moritz is nice skiing and fairly sunny for the northern Alps but the town is rather sickening- last time I was there it was largely Russian oligarchs and their entourages of blingy women and security goons. We skied it when we were staying in Livigno on the Italian side- you reach St Moritz by a one-way 3.5 km tunnel, they let cars go one way for a couple of hours and then the other way for a few. Livigno used to have a big telemark fest I think it is dead now, nice mountain though, huge lift system.
Did you mean Zurich or Zermatt? Zurich is for banking, Zermatt is for skiing. Engelberg is fairly close to Zurich and real nice skiing and not well known internationally, but corwded. Zermatt is Zermatt, nothing to say, great skiing, great town, great mountain (duh), worth the high price.
Our favorite area used to be Andermatt, but not long ago an Egyptian billionaire from Sharm al Seikh convinced the town council to redevelop it into a luxury resort to compete in the already well-covered sector of: St Moritz, Gstaad, Zermatt, Grindelwald, and Davos/Klosters. Shame, it was a simple Swiss village, with a Swiss army base (think sleds and assault rifles), and mostly families skiing there (a must to avoid on Italian school holidays!!). It also had a cult like off-piste fraternity. It has an amazing toboggan run. We don't go anymore, they wrecked it and I don't think it will succeed in that crowded sector. BTW the Swiss Army really does have Swiss Army Knives, as my Swiss friend sadly informed me- "But they don't have cork-screws"
Davos/Klosters: The latter is fantastic! Davos is kind of urban. There are great groomed x-country trails all through the valleys
Adelboden- maybe our current favorite ski mountain in Suisse. Great mountain and lift system. Nice village too. It is lift linked to Link.
Grindelwald- we like to ski at neighboring Wengen or just drive further to Adelboden. The Eiger is a really ugly mountain.
Gstaad - Nice skiing and to avoid at Christmas when Madonna and that lot are in town. Not for early season as the snow is in later.
Verbier- awesome skiing, getting real crowded these days.
All in all for lift-serviced skiing we would rather ski in France, Austria, or here in the Dolomites. France has the best European Nordic backcountry skiing south of Scandanavia (not lift serviced)- the Jura, Auvergne (when the snow is there), Queryas, Vercors, etc. Austria, Switzerland, Italy are more up and down touring for heavier telemark or AT gear.
Below the Swiss toilet in the apartment we used to rent in Andermatt