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Well, we just returned from our ski trip to St. Moritz. No big deal. This is where you, the reader thinks - "Wow, I thought those guys were just hosers from the prairies - I guess they are as big a deal as they make themselves out to be after all".
Ha! Exactly what we wanted you to think. Excessive self-promotion wins again.
Ski vacation here is a national right. Every school has their specific week sometime between January and mid March. Everyone here plans this a year in advance and you are SOL ($hit outta luck) if you didn't book the accommodation you had last year the day after you returned home. It turns out that Sophies week was very early and attached to our Christmas break. What this meant for us was that it was still low season and Baebs found us a cool deal in a hotel that caters to families (complete with play room and toys) for 4 nights, breakfast and a simple but very tasty and elegant 3 course dinner included. It was in, what used to be, a single family residence built in 1927. It's now a family hotel that holds up to 58 guests. That musta been one heck of a family from 1927.
The staff were super friendly which was such a nice treat as I can imagine in a place that can get as busy as St. Moritz, along with what I imagine could be quite demanding guests. They treated Sophie like royalty and listened to her stories and real time re-enactments on the dining room floor of her wipe outs.
The week went like this:
Sunday - Final packing and then catch the 9:30am bus with our back-country backpack loaded to the gills. Arrive at our hotel around 3pm after a beautiful train ride (although 1 or 2 too many connections to be fun). We went through Klosters on the way there (that's where the royal family skis, not us). It was snowing and there were 50 cm's of fresh snow sitting on cars in the parking lots. That'd be a lot of work to get your car out after a week of skiing. A 19km (!!!!) long tunnel and we arrived on the other side of the mountain where the snow was more Alberta Rockies like. Almost a bit of a disappointment after seeing that dump of snow in Klosters but still decent.
Monday - You know how in life you figure out systems that work for you. At home, we drive to the hill, perhaps get the car nice and warm just before you park and then you get dressed in the car, perhaps somewhat cramped but always in your temperature comfort zone (am I the only person that has such a narrow zone that I actually notice this)? We head to the ski rental place. This entailed a bus + lugging along Sophies equipment and Barbara's ski boots that had been donated by her sister, all dressed in layers of thermal clothing for a cold day on the hill. Just as we're warming up from the walk, we head into the shop and down to the basement (who puts a ski rental shop in a basement?!?!) where it's 25C and we're completely bundled up. I'm stripping off whatever I can to stop a core meltdown. By the time we get dressed again and climb the stairs with all of our equipment in our ski boots I'm reaching dangerous cerebral damage temperatures. We walk two blocks in our gear to the gondola and when we stop at a bus shelter to collect our(my)selves, I have steam coming off my head, helmet and chest and am prickly and damp everywhere. Sophie is also thinking that Ski boots are the dumbest things in the whole world. Barbara doesn't get bothered by either really. Ever since she gave birth to Sophie she's got this annoying "Oh, I don't feel discomfort/annoyance" thing. I think she's still got beta-endorphins floating around in her system from then. I want some too! Anyways, once we get on the hill, it's fantastic. It's a blue sky day and there are very few people, even on the front lifts. Once we get our legs and our bearings, we try out another few lifts, head up to Piz Nair (just over 3000M) and then down to our favorite lift of the day where there was beautiful snow coverage and almost no one there. Almost all the lifts are quad or 6 person chairs and have a bubble cover that you can pull over to cut the wind. It's so civilized. Most of the day we just skied right onto the lift and never shared a chair. Lunch break on a patio, sun in our faces, sitting on fur blankets to keep our bums warm - again, so civilized.
Tuesday - the clouds have moved in and it's windy like crazy. We decide to rent Cross country skies and keep low and hopefully in the trees. After getting our gear and taking a bus to where we think we should have a nice run, we learn that it's not sheltered at all and at times the wind is pushing Sophie backwards. Abort mission, board another bus and head up the valley to where we can ski with the wind pushing us a bit. This works great until Sophies binding breaks about 2km's into our ski. After trying to fix it in the cold gusts for 10 minutes we realize a (white!!!) piece has broken off and now it's a fight for our life walking back into the wind to the nearest town to catch the two buses back to the rental shop. Sometimes there just aren't enough Gummy Bears in the world for some cold and tired skiers. In the end Baebs convinces the shop that we should get an in-store credit for what we spent and we exit the shop, enjoy a walk home, a bakery stop and some playing in the snow by our hotel.
Wednesday - It has dumped over night and continues to snow. We decide that we'll go sledding today and save the ski hill for the last day. While tobogganing is fun, sledding is a whole different world. We train to one village, rent two sleds (old school looking things with runners) and then take the SEVEN KILOMETER closed track to the next village. Barbara's Dad and Uncle have joined us for two nights by this time and we all enjoy a pleasant, if not somewhat slow trip (due to all of the fresh snow) down the hill.
Thursday - with Barbara in charge of our logistics, we divide and conquer. Equipment credit is used to get skis and snowboard, then Jason heads to the train station to store massive backpack in a locker for the day while the girls head to the nearest gondola. It's a beautiful blue sky again, although the wind is howling. The family reconnects at the top of the hill and we find a lift, mostly protected, that lets us ski with the wind at our back. The snow from the previous day is fantastic and fresh powder is just off the side of the run and we are, once again essentially alone. We ski hard, then do the reverse maneuver for getting the equipment back to the shop. Rendezvous in the train for a beautiful ride through the mountains and an apres ski apero in the train. Arrive home at 9pm, just in time to get the first load of laundry done and hung.
So, that's it. We're now back to our respective careers. Three more weeks and Barbara is down to three days a week and the days are already getting longer.
Love to everyone. Hope you're having a great winter too.
JBS
- comments
Adele Laughed out loud once more while reading your opening paragraph! You guys always make winter look so awesome ... and even I, sitting here under the hot African sky, am tempted to experience just one more winter! Loved reading about Sophie’s real life enactments and can almost picture it. Glad you’re documenting all of this as it will be priceless in years to come.
Sandi Laughing yes, and always smiling. Sorry I don't write or comment more. Know I'm here checking in on you when I can and enjoying living vicariously through your adventures. Have a great day!!
Sonja Dasiuk You had me in stitches with all your layers of clothing and sweating! Poor you! I'd have overheated for sure! Monday sounded like a beautiful ski day and loads of fun! We've just wrapped up over 2 weeks of more than -20 degrees each day in Calgary. Beyond cold and dreary unfortunately. We are so tired of being cold and cooped up indoors. No one wants to go out. All the indoor businesses are thrilled. We played mini-golf indoors and bowled on Sunday for some fun. Thank goodness today warmed up to -4 .... balmly indeed! And just like that another year flies by - Mikayla is now 18 (and all the celebrations that come with that) and Justin just celebrated his 22 birthday. Thinking of you and wishing you all the best. Happy days! xoxo