Skiing in Switzerland October 10, 2005
Every ski season is a blessing, but last year I was not once but twice blessed. Not only did I do more skiing than I had in years, but I was able to do most of it in Switzerland . For the uninitiated, the pistes of Europe open a new dimension on the sport to Americans used to skiing east or west. Like the Rockies , the Swiss Alps offer elevation, but with conifered trails and snow conditions often more reminiscent of New England . Slopes are often not groomed. Many beginning and intermediate skiers may recoil at this lack of mollycoddling, but the scenery is always spectacular and the food and wine give new meaning to lunch on the slopes. In the Alps far more than in North American resorts, skiing is more likely to retain its original, authentic origins as sport, unpampered, and for Americans used to destination resorts, often a little rough, that is European, on the edges. A business trip to Bern in March offered an opportunity to make long-deferred plans to steal a couple of days skiing with a London-based friend from our days in Jerusalem . He flew to Geneva on an early evening, cheap Easyjet fare, rented a car and met me at the train station in Lausanne , on the eastern edge of Lake Geneva . Because time was short, we didn’t want to spend a lot of time driving. As luck would have it, we had the run of a mountaintop chalet in the Vaud Alps town of Leysin , an hour’s ride to the southeast. Leysin is perched at the top of a series of steep switchbacks which rise from the main road to Aigle. Although home to the posh Leysin American school, the Kumon Academy , and the Glion Hotel School , Leysin, with its 13 lifts and 50km of trails, is far less known than Les Diablerets and Gstaad, and retains the feel of a small provincial village where skiing complements but does not define its character. Situated at a reasonable 1263 meters with a skiable summit, there are no acclimatization issues ... as if a little less oxygen would slow us down!

Out early the next morning, we were quickly short of breath, but not because of the altitude. The overnight storm that had tested our driving and navigation skills more than compensated for this hardship by depositing a cool 6 inches up top.

Fresh Swiss snow suffers by comparison with its Colorado cousin, but this stuff was untracked and above treeline, and the sun was shining. One route led from top of the Chaux de Mont chair at 2205 meters down the face of a slightly wind-packed snow field, broken only by occasional rock outcroppings and the snowboarders on their way to the freestyle park. The other option required a traverse under the shadow of the imposing Tour d’Ai rock face before turning down a steeper but shorter route leading into the main slope.

After too many runs to count we headed to Leysin’s signature Kuklos restaurant, a dramatic structure where diners can enjoy not only food and local wines but a magnificent 360 degree view including Lake Geneva and Mount Blanc as the floor slowly rotates.

For the fainter of heart, intermediate level terrain can be accessed by exiting the chairlift at the halfway station. In fact, there are only two expert runs in the entire thirteen lift complex that includes the nearby village of Vers Vuarin . The trail mix at nearby Les Mosses is similar, with plenty of beginner and intermediate terrain, almost all of it above tree line, throughout the system.

This bias and the unassuming yet authentic ambiance of the town make Leysin a worthwhile destination for intermediate skiers and their families seeking local and decidedly non-chic Swiss skiing, touring and other winter outdoor sport.

Much sooner than I anticipated I was heading to another such Swiss village, Champery, this time with my wife and son.

Champery, in the Chablais region, boasts many of the advantages of Leysin as a small, unpretentious Swiss village not far from Geneva . Champery, however, is a Swiss member of the Portes du Soleil, an integrated far-flung system that spans the border with France and turns a day on the slopes into an international adventure.

Although we skied the last week of March, my ten year old son Josh was comfortable wearing his winter jacket. Each morning we would walk from our unassuming chalet to the telepherique that sped us to the entry point of the trail system.

Although the terrain is well marked, a network that boats 650 kilometers of slopes traversing two countries and 14 mountain villages can be intimidating. Add to this a healthy concern about the mountain weather and a desire not be caught in faraway France at the end of a long day and it’s a wonder I ventured far from the lift.

I must admit that our first day on the slopes I did not explore beyond the local trail system. In other words, we stayed in Switzerland , moving between the summits at Vorlaz, altitude 2400 meters and Mossettes at 2300 meters. Each offered an array of chairlift and pomalifts leading to expanses of intermediate slopes. Our arrival at the tail end of the season produced classic spring skiing conditions - hard, crusty snow in the morning softened by early afternoon into what my son graciously described as "Swiss powder." Still, there was plenty of it.

One word of caution about the pomalift. On certain lifts, Josh, weighing in at 65 pounds, would literally take off into the air. He was too light to keep his skis on the ground. After a couple of failed attempts to stay on the lift, he simply rode up with me.

Armed with the "local knowledge" gained from our first day on the slopes, our subsequent skiing was much more adventurous, taking us well into the French sectors anchored by the towns of Avoriaz and Morzine. At times we were skiing a good 2 hours from Champery, but with fine weather, a map, and a back pack full of supplies for every contingency, it was an adventure without doubt, but one for which we were well prepared.

We created our own route, guided by little more than an opportunistic assessment of which runs looked interesting. Skiing above tree line makes this kind of reconnoitering possible. Skiers interested in a more organized itinerary can follow one of the 12 "Discovery Routes," arranged by ability, that traverse the system. Each route is well marked with different animal symbols.

A story about skiing the Alps would be incomplete without at least a passing reference to alpine gastronomy. A well-appointed lunch at one of the many mountain refuges that dot the landscape is for me as much a part of the Swiss ski experience as the skiing itself. There are a range of slope-side offerings, from white table cloths to less formal family-style tables near a roaring fire. What does not vary however is the quality of the food and wine. Whether it was my son's spaghetti and meatballs or my rack of lamb and locally produced Humagne Rouge or Petite Arvine white, not a day passed without a lunch that usually became as integral a part of our day as skiing itself.

Since my days as a resident of Steamboat Springs, I have always sought to marry my skiing with some apres ski thermal aquatics. Just by chance both Leysin and Champery are not too far from Lavey les Bains, a wonderful, affordable spa whose origins can be traced to a small hot spring discovered over a century ago. There is still a traditional sanatarium and medical center at the complex, with the whitewashed spartan simplicity that one associates with the classic European stereotype. For the rest of us, a large outdoor thermal pool borders a series of indoor facilities with a range of sauna and steam options, including a Nordic pavilion where a snowscape is reproduced (including the howling wind), and my favorite, the cold plunge. My wife preferred choosing from the extensive menu of traditional European and Asian spa treatments.

We stayed overnight at Lavey. It wasn't our bodies that cried out for the thermal R and R as much as it was our desire to enjoy the facilities and walk along the nearby river at our leisure. Our days skiing in Champery, filled as they were with a relaxed regimen of sport, food, and wine, offered a fine introduction to Lavey's aquatic charms.

Leysin Tourism
email tourisme@leysin.ch
www.leysin.ch

ski pass CHF82/2 days

Chablais Region Portes deu Soleil
www.chablais.info

Champery Tourism
www.champery.ch
www.telechampery.com

ski pass CHF252/3 days 1 adult/child

In Champery
Hotel Des Alpes
www.hotel-desalpes.ch
CHF 240-260/night/room with breakfast
During April kids ski and stay fee

Les Bains de Lavey
Spa only adults CHF20 adults (3 hours), children CHF 13
www.lavey-les-bains.ch

Le Grand Hotel des Bains
001-41-24-486-15-15