The Switzerland Traveler

I’ll apologise in advance for this one.
This weekend sees the 5th annual convention of Swiss-French cartoonists in Champery.
That doesn’t seem like the type of event that needs to be advertised on a national website. Surely there can only be about four of them?
Anyway, if you do happen to be skiing in the Portes du Soleil and see a wild bunch of people communicating by drawing on large sheets of paper, please let me know.
I don’t why I think it’s funny, I just do.
As for the cartoon above, it’s in French, and I don’t think it’s funny, but it does …read more

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Another one!
From the top of the Weissfluhjoch at Davos, you can ski through Klosters to the small village of Küblis.
To be honest the last bit isn’t much fun, as it just crosses lots of fields and tends to get a bit patchy, but as you don’t often get the chance to ski 13km in one go, you might want to try it.
The good news is that the train (or bus) ride back to Davos from Küblis is covered by the lift pass.
Don’t forget to check whether the run is open before you set off, it’s a long walk if …read more

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Following on from the Inferno piece, I figured I should also document another classic.
The run from the summit of the Klein Matterhorn to the village of Zermatt is a massive 18km (11 miles) long.
The Klein Matterhorn is high, over 3800 meters (12780 ft) so be prepared to get a little out of breath.
It can also get VERY cold, especially with wind chill, so make sure you have clothes you can completely cover up with.

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I’ve been doing quite a bit of skiing recently, and I like the challenge of attacking longer runs than usual.
At Mürren, near Interlaken, you’ll find the Schilthorn, and from there you have the opportunity to ski the route of the Inferno race.
The height difference is 1970 meters, that’s nearly one and a quarter miles.
Run as a race open to the public it must be very tiring to complete it without stopping, but why not take the opportunity to stop and admire the views of the Bernese Oberland’s most impressive trio: The Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau?
And there’s always the possibility …read more

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Well, this surprised me, but apparently Pop Art is a European invention. Forget Warhol and Lichtenstein, London, Paris and, you guessed it, Zurich was the place to be in the 1950s.
And to celebrate that, the art gallery in Zurich is running an exhibition until 12th May.
To quote the gallery’s website:
Art reflects the society in which it is created. The works in the show are grouped according to chapters and express the concerns of the social milieus on both sides of the Atlantic during the late 1950s and 60s.
There are guided tours on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings.
www.kunsthaus.chtel. …read more

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If you are planning a trip to Switzerland (and if not, why not?) then you might just like some ideas of things you could do.
How about a spot of rope climbing, or playing on suspension bridges?
Ropetech is a park where you can do all these things, safe in the knowledge that you are being supervised by Swiss people; which means not only have they been trained, but they’ have been trained properly.
The park opens for the summer on March 21 and is located near Bern.
www.ropetech.ch

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Time for another look at what Switzerland can throw at us, both in terms of its landscapes and views of its residents.
First up, a mountain view from Gruyere, which you may remember from a recent post. Photo Courtesy of therealsparkplug
Next a study taken in Zermatt by an_untrained_eye

The Swiss don’t mind graffiti too much if it’s well done, although they do get a bit irritated (understandably in my book) when a nice old building comes in for the treatment. But industrial areas are fair game. Kecko

By the same photographer is the burning of the snowman to mark the …read more

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If you’ve never seen Telemark skiing done properly, how about a trip to Saas Fee this weekend?
And don’t forget, the new tunnel saves around 45 mins when travelling from Zürich.
It’s apparently a very friendly event, emphasis being more on style than speed but I daresay some will take it very seriously!
Here’s how it’s set to unfold:
Friday:From 8p.m. “Meet & Greet” at Living Room
Saturday:From 9a.m. Nostalgic ski race at StaffelwaldFrom 4p.m. Apéro at Black Bull BarFrom 9p.m. Nostalgic party at Living Room
Sunday:“early birds” Off-piste with Mountain Guide11a.m. Brunch in the ski area
+41 (0)27 958 18 82
www.saas-fee.ch

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Dog time again.
The Swiss Championship for dog-pulled sleds takes place at Les Mosses, a Col situated between Aigle and Bulle in a couple of weeks time.
It’s a sprint race, run over a distance of 8 to 16 km, and around 500 dogs will run in two heats according to the categories and number of dogs that make up the team.
Office du tourisme Les Mosses-La Lécherette, Les Fougères, Case postale 38, 1862 Les Mosses
+41 (0)24 491 14 66 www.lesmosses.ch

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If money’s no object, then the new spa at the Gstaad Palace Hotel might interest you.
You may have already heard of the Palace, but the Spa is new.
It was opened a couple of months ago, and covers 1800sq meters, which must be about 20,000 sq ft.

With spectacular views over the mountains, it’s sure to be a place you won’t want to leave in a hurry, so make sure you are there for as long as you can be. 
Rooms at the Palace start around 700CHF/night for a double.
Or, if you are lucky, you can book as an external guest for …read more

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