Blue Skies and Slopes - Skiing in the Alps
Skiing in the Alps
In Europe, one defines a posh vacation as skiing in the Alps. Most people typically spend a long weekend or over a week at their favorite resort nestled either in France, Italy, Austria, or Switzerland. Skiing the Alps was one of our top priorities when we moved here so we just had to find a good weekend!
[divider class="" ]Planning:
As mentioned above, there are endless possibilities for a quick or long ski trip. We settled on Switzerland partially because we wanted to say we had been skiing in the Swiss Alps! From there, I knew Luton had two flights - one for Geneva and one for Zurich on Friday afternoons or early evenings, depending on your view! When we booked in early December, I snagged a winter deal from EasyJet to Zurich and were had the beginnings of a trip! It also helped Mary Frances forbade me for any flights earlier than 5pm…Choosing a ski resort or ski town close to big resort is extremely challenging. There are so many options! My first inclination was to go to Interlaken, where both Mary Frances and I had been back in 2014 and 2016. However, the train times were not that great on a Friday night (surprise) and we wanted to maximize our ski vacation! Thus, it led me to other good and close resorts to Zurich.I eventually settled with Flumserberg, located about an hour train ride from Zurich. It is massively popular as a day trip, but would be good for beginners as well! I researched on the tourism site and found they were offering a deal where we could buy two nights accommodation, breakfast, etc, and a two day ski pass! It appeared perfect!From my research and reaching out to Heiland Tourism, we settled for Walenstadt, a small village a 4 minute train ride away from Unterterzen, where the main lift is located.
[divider class="" ]How:
We flew on EasyJet from Luton direct to Zurich, departing around 5:30pm and arriving around 8:15pm. Since the Swiss are ever so efficient and great thinkers, the airport has a direct connection on the train line to Zurich city center. From there, one very expensive train ride later and one hour later, we were in Walenstadt!
In hindsight, I wish I purchased all train tickets before the trip. While the tickets weren’t that crazy, it was still a shock when online they were so much cheaper a month ago.
That being said, Zurich has to have one of the easiest ways to get from the Airport to the city center - many trains an hour as Zurich Airport is one of the stops on several lines. Plus, a roundtrip ticket is 13 francs!
Costs:
If this were not a birthday trip AND a major bucket list item, I would be concerned about these expenses!Flight: £632 night hotel + 2 day ski pass: £150Ski Rentals: £140Trains: £60Wipeouts: Depends who you’re asking about…
[divider class="" ]Lodging:
With the Heildland Tourism package, once I selected number of nights, I was redirected to a few hotels. Unfortunately, my dream of ski in/out hotels was short lived. As one can imagine in the rural Swiss countryside, there isn’t much activity at 10pm and I was not renting a car to travel to the top of the mountain.Thus, we were “stuck” in Walenstadt. We stayed in Hotel Churfirsten, which according to all reviews was right next to the train station. They could not be more right! It is located 10 steps away![gallery link="file" size="large" columns="2" ids="835,836"]We checked in and although I paid for a simple room, we somehow got upgraded to the family suite with a huge room, work room, and big bathroom.[gallery size="large" ids="817,815,844"]Since Walenstadt is not that large (surprise), Hotel Churfisten also serves as the village’s best pizzeria! Looks like we will have to verify this statement…
[divider class="" ]Activities:
Saturday (Flumserberg):
Getting to the Slopes:
Since we arrived at the hotel rather late, we missed the first train at 8:11am. Now to make the 9:11 train! I rushed downstairs to grab some breakfast and met the owner. It is such a quaint little hotel!Once we boarded the train, we knew we were heading in the right direction since the train was full of skiers and snowboarders. Once we arrived in the slightly bigger village of Unterterzen, we realized that we perhaps should have taken the 8:11am train. It was packed. There were lines stacked deep and we couldn’t even read the signs since everything was in German. Once we reached the front of the line, she handed me a slip of paper, pointed to the lift, and I thought we were on our way to the top!Jokes on us! We were directed to another line… Once we reached the front of this line, she said in very broken English/German, something about paper and send paper to the link on the piece of paper. We waited for the voucher to be printed and watched a few people pass us in line. Finally, the voucher was printed and we were on our way!
As we needed gear, we headed for the shop and were fitted for boots and skis. At this point, my light breakfast, lack of good sleep, and dwindling patience were getting the best of me. I just wanted powder and the mountain! However, as I reviewed ski map, I could not find any bunny slopes except for several blues.
Shredding the Pow:
We stupidly went on the closest lift after putting on our skis. That was a sorry mistake as it was probably one of the more harder blues. As I went first down the steep slope, I wiped out. Hard. So hard that the ski instructor for the little kids had to help lift me back on my feet. And it was hilarious! Now my fear of embarrassing and hurtful falls is over! The rest of the short morning was spent looking like babies on the blues. We practiced and practiced and were making some progress before we took a well deserved break before lunch.[gallery size="full" columns="1" ids="819,821,820"]After lunch, we stuck to the same blue slopes. There were around three different blue slopes in our area and we managed to crush three of them. The weather was great and it was actually going to be sunny! I partially chose this destination because it is one of the most sunny areas in Switzerland. As the sun was setting behind the mountaintops, we were still skiing! We didn’t leave the slopes until closing. It was a great day! By the end, I was getting very good at the blue slopes.Leaving the slopes around 5, the train back to Walenstadt leaves on the :41 so we had some time to rest our wounds! We both were pretty sore and Mary Frances could feel the bruises rising on her knees. Once we made it to our hotel, sitting down felt great. Since the hotel also serves as the best pizzeria in the village, we did not have to go far for our dinner!
Sunday (Flumserberg):
Finding our Legs again:
We woke up feeling tired and sore which meant we had a great day yesterday! It just meant getting out of bed was a little rough! As one can imagine, we did not get up in time for the 8:11am train so we aimed for the 9:11am. We had slightly more time this morning.After getting to the lift at Unterterzen, I thanked God that we retrieved our ski pass yesterday. After thinking all morning that Sunday is going to be less crowded, we were very mistaken. The lines were at least twice as long! We were able to breeze past the lines and literally walk straight onto the lift. It really is the little things!I am very happy we were able to skip the lines. The slopes were fresh and there weren’t that many people. Today, I determined I would conquer the blue mountain - meaning I would do down the big blues. We started practicing and it was hard to get back into the groove. We both commented that we would tell our legs to move and they just wouldn’t. I think my first run was literally going straight down the mountain and hoping I would remember how to stop by the end of it!
Tearin' it up:
I decided to attempt the very steep blue slope by myself while Mary Frances was on a break. While the beginning 10 feet were great, I panicked and proceeded to majorly wipe out… There was one point where I was laying on stomach wondering how I’m going to get the skis back on! And wondering how I’m going to hold onto the mountain. After that, I somehow managed to calm down and realized I could do it. It also helped I managed remember how to ski! I also received motivation and inspiration from the five year old who was skiing like a pro.We continued to crush the blue slopes for the rest of the day. We both were getting better! Sadly, we realized the time had come to head off the mountain. In a final run, we didn’t fall and both of us sped down the mountain looking like a pair of expert Europeans!
Getting back to the Zurich airport was really easy. It was also really sad… We both did not want to leave but I suppose all good things must come to an end. Again, I do love German-influenced public transportation hubs. The train station were so clean and well organized. In the airport, it was even better. It felt like we were in a high priced mall. Fancy looking restaurants, clean walkways, and easy security just makes me happy!
[divider class="" ]Food:
For Friday night’s meal, we had the most expensive Burger King from the Zurich train station. Lesson learned - if the Luton lounge is too full, buy crappy UK airport food because the options are not that much better!On Saturday, we fared much better. Breakfast is included, but nothing to write about. However, for lunch, it was glorious! After shredding the mountain, we went to one of the few restaurants called Hotel Cresta. Since it was sunny, we decided to sit outside, bask in the sunshine, cool off, and people watch. To refuel for our afternoon on the slopes, I had Swiss macaroni and cheese while Mary Frances had grilled chicken and veggies. We add good German bier to toast to the Swiss Alps![gallery size="medium" columns="2" ids="824,826"]For dinner, as alluded to above, we had to test the best pizzeria in Walenstadt! We started with a lovely appetizer of caprese salad fit for a full main! It was delicious! Rather than share a pizza, we decided to get our own pie. Mainly because the owner mentioned the word: bacon. She easily sold me! To be fair, Mary Frances decided to get that one first.It was delicious! It was a full of flavor and just very tasty! Mary Frances also enjoyed her pizza pie. Overall, we can definitely say we recommend this pizzeria! Since it is technically my birthday weekend, I decided to treat ourselves to fresh, warm apple strudel! Surprisingly, Mary Frances has never had apple strudel… I was a little shocked! Perfect ending to a great day![gallery size="medium" ids="832,833,834"]On Sunday, we did not have anything special. Due to the large crowds and our limited time on the slopes, we quickly grabbed lunch from the buffet. It was really cold so we decided to head to the Igloo bar! It is a corny fun bar shaped as an Igloo. Most importantly, it was warm!Switzerland is known for having expensive food costs, but the food and bier are certainly delicious!
[divider class="" ]The UnChartered 13:
[gallery size="large" columns="2" ids="851,839,831,822,829,838,848,828,856,853,852,842"]