Skiing in Switzerland - Europe


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(Views from our hotel in Interlaken!)
As winter sets in, there's one thing that excites me as much as my Baking, and that is the prospect of going Skiing! I'm not an expert skiier, nor pursue it with great dedication; BUT, I LOVE skiing, and make it a point to indulge in this fabulous sport at least once or twice a year. So, this post is for all of you who share the love of skiing. As we are planning our next Ski Holidays trip, I thought sharing this writeup would be an interesting weekend read if you love winter sports, especially Skiing! Its a weekend post, and I'm entitled to write something other than a recipe on a Saturday, right?:) Plus, many of you asked me to post about my trip, so here's to all those requests!

Living in Northern California, we have several Ski destinations close-by accessible by car. Tahoe and Dodge Ridge remain our favorites, as they are both close by and we can plan a weekend ski trip. But I'd love to go to Colorado sometime! However, after our recent trip to Switzerland, one look at the magnificent Swiss Alps and both me and my husband have become huge fans! It is indeed the best place to vacation, if you like nature and peace! The only place, perhaps, where you can enjoy green fields, waterfalls, sunny lakes and snow-capped mountains, all in the same vacation!

There are several great Ski resorts in Europe to choose from - Austria, Switzerland, Italy and of course, I'd love to ski France too! But for this post, I'll simply share our experience in Swiss and the surrounding countryside. We had the pleasure of visiting Mount Matterhorn, which is famous as the "most photographed mountain in the Alps"; The view of its triangular peak is already breathtaking from the valley village of Zermatt, where we stayed. It is a quaint town to enjoy the country-side, and the best part is, it is Care-free Town! So you either walk, ride a horse-carriage, or use the electric tram within the village!

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(can you spot the Skiiers?!)

To enjoy skiing, you'd have to head to Klein Matterhorn, Europe's highest cable station at 12,530 feet. From there, you can ski north to Zermatt (which is the easiest one!), south to Cervinia (in Italy), or just stay at the top of the peak and enjoy some spectacular peaks in the Alps, including the mighty Matterhorn. The best part, this is one place which offers Skiing all year round, so you can make the most of your skiing holidays any time you visit! There are several hotels and ski resorts to choose from, and I'm sure any online travel adviser will be able to help you find what suits your need.

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( Happy Vacationers & the JungFrau Express - Me, Bhavin, my brother Arpit & his wife Preeti)

Next we headed to Jungfrau, the top-most peak of Europe, accessible by train or cable car. Interlaken, Lauterbrunnen, Wengen, Grindelwald and Mürren are some of the best ski and travel destinations in the world. We stayed in Interlaken, which is aptly known as the "Gateway to JungFrau" With majestic views of the surrounding countryside, glaciers and the renowned Alpine range, its like a dream-come-true for the high-adrenaline adventure sports! BUT, let me remind you that is is NOT for the faint-hearted. Skiing in the Alps is tough, and should not be attempted unless you are an Expert! For those like us who want to have the fun but are scared of the ski slopes, you can always find activities like Snowboarding, Sledging, or the more relaxed Train Ride to JungFrau, which is both, picturesque and safe! Believe me, even if you do nothing, at least take this Train - its about $150 per person, but its totally worth it!

If Skiing is not your forte, don't worry, there's loads of things to do in Switzerland, and you'll not be disappointed. But if you do get a chance, try doing some snow-activity in the Alps - there is no other experience like it!

But hey, now we are back in US, and we'll have to settle for Skiing in Tahoe, so no more lingering on the Alps!! But in a way, I'm happy I got to see those majestic views, and now we can actually enjoy some mediocre skiing in those first and second-level slopes, without breaking a bone or two! All budding Skiiers out there, be good, and be safe! Hope you enjoyed my weekend rant, and I'll be back with a recipe on Monday, I promise!:)


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9 comments :

Sangeeth said...

hey mansi....thanks for sharing yaar...lovely pics and I luv skiing too.....its FUN!good to know that you had a great time there...

anudivya said...

Lovely pics Mansi, looks like fun time...

Nazarina A said...

Hi Mansi,
Beautiful pictures!!! You are one lucky duck! I have a cousin living in Switzerland and has invited us to go skiing! I shall have to save for that trip!
Do I love to ski!!! I moved to Colorado just for the skiing and I already have my season's pass! There are 2 ski resorts open already but I always wait for Breck to open. My husband loves to snowboard and is one of those mogul maniacs. Last season I have just begun to do "blacks"

Unknown said...

Great pics!

Anonymous said...

Mansi... beautiful pictures and I can imagine what a wonderful time u must have had.

travelling is our passion and hope to make it to switzerland some day.

Manggy said...

Can you believe I actually made it to Switzerland but I wasn't able to ski?! Not that it would have helped-- it would have been my first time anyway :) It was nice just appreciating the sites, though. Looks like you guys had a smashing time, thanks for sharing!

Finla said...

Beautiful pictures, looks like you all had a wonderful time.

Deepthi Shankar said...

wow .. those are some lovely pics .. we did go to jungfaru a couple of months ago, but winter sports werent open then .. N i dont even know how to ski .. looks like u guys had a lot of fun ..

Mansi said...

Thank you people! yes, it was indeed one of our best vacations! can't wait to go there again!:) and I'm actually glad to see there are some skiiers around here too!:)