Spring is upon us, but before winter is a distant memory, I thought it might be fun to consider what the Swiss do in the winter. This was a mild winter in Zurich with very little snow, but that did not stop the locals from packing backpacks, grabbing their skis, snowshoes or snowboards and heading to the Alps by train. We took a 2 hour train ride to Engelberg which is a town in central Switzerland. Ski slopes are even closer, however. The trains are packed with people heading to the snow on Friday nights and Saturday mornings, but the truth is, almost every time I have ridden a train heading in the direction of the Alps, even at eleven on a weekday morning, I have seen people carrying skis (even this week when the weather in Zurich was close to 70F).
The train station is a short walk from the ski slopes. Engelberg is at the base of Mount Titlus, known for its steep slopes and a rotating gondola which provides riders with a 360 degree view of the Alps. Mr. McAuliffe and Mrs. Heck recommended that we not miss this ride. As one who does not love heights, I was terrified when I learned that the funnicular (like a train car elevator that runs on a track on the ground) that we had taken up the mountain had ceased operation for the day and we had to ride down the mountain on a gondola. I will have to work up to the rotating gondola. GULP!
My husband and I marveled at the idea of traveling so readily by train to ski. We’ve seen people ranging in age from 2 – mid 80s heading to the slopes. However, we have discovered that the Swiss have planned their train routes to make the adventure, with rather unwieldy equipment, easy. The train station, at least in Engelberg, is equipped with lockers and restrooms, so day-trippers can store a change of clothes to change into after skiing at the station so their ride home is more pleasant. The station also is within walking distance (a few hundred yards) of a ski and snowboard rental facility which is right next to the ski lift.
Parking is available at the ski centers. The lots generally fill by 10 A.M. Many families opt for traveling by car.
Many of the children learning to ski were two or three years old, although there were several older children and a few adults. We encountered a group of fearless college students from China. Parents, who are proficient skiers themselves, often teach their own children by skiing beside them, with them between their legs (with the littlies) or even by skiing backwards in front of them. Engelberg has a children’s area which has a Globi Theme Park. Honestly, the park is low-key compared to American theme parks. Basically, here are three or four cardboard cutouts of Globi in the area, and Globi occasionally makes guest appearances as he did the day we were there. My daughter was so excited she was shaking. The Globi Park has a conveyor belt to transport skiers up the hill. Adjacent to this lift is a t-bar lift and a disk lift which transported beginning skiers further up the mountain. Can you believe that we returned to this general ski area the next weekend and the snow in this ski area was all melted. We could see the grass. Luckily, we had plans to cross-country ski further up the mountain where the snow was still in abundance. Clouds blocked our view in the afternoon of our second day. Every now and then, there’d be an opening in the cloud cover that revealed spectacular beauty.
Several American-in-Switzerland bloggers had mentioned that the Swiss have a different agenda for a day of skiing than the Americans, and we have found their analysis to be valid. The bloggers contend that the Swiss arrive between 9:30 and 10:30, ski until 12 or so, take a leisurely break for lunch and head back for one or two more runs, ending their day around 2:30 or 3:00. We found this to be the case. The Swiss seemed relaxed about skiing and always find time for sitting and chilling during lunch. Americans, on the other hand, often get to the slopes early, eat a quick lunch and ski until the lifts close to make the most of their ski day. While these may be generalizations, the difference may exist because more Swiss have ready access to the mountains, living in a small country and having impeccable train service. Perhaps, in skiing communities in the U.S., people are more relaxed too, knowing that they can ski again the next day or the next.
Not to be overlooked, are the CRAZY sledding or “sledging” paths that wind down the mountains here. The one at Engelberg was 3km long, but friends of ours ventured to the Eastern slopes and rode down a 6km long path (that’s 6 times the distance from Louie’s to CLE – vertically). There is even a sledding trail down the mountain that is on Zurich's western border – in the city of Zurich. We were warned by many who tried the sledding that it can be an extremely dangerous adventure, so we opted for a trail that runs adjacent to the bunny slope, and it was perfect for us.
We only encountered four other cross-country skiers. Most of the visitors to the mountain were there to downhill ski. Our daughter was a trooper through the whole adventure, thankfully. On our second trip to Engelberg, we took the train for the day and went cross-country skiing. We rode the funicular car up to a plateau (like a large ledge) with cross country ski trails. The view was stunning. My husband and I were giddy, drinking in the beauty of our surroundings. I never thought I would see such a sight.
Zurich’s huge Dolder Rink This rink rents polar bears for kids learning to skate. We’ve seen people use stacked milk crates and even a contraption like a small hockey net (really cool – the child holds either side and has room to move feet as one normally moves them when skating) at a rink in Medford, MA. The kids loved using the polar bear and seemed to get the hang of the motion.
Skating is also a favorite pastime. Zurich has an outdoor skating rink which is refrigerated with 6,000 sq. m of twirling space. Actually, the 6,000 sq. m rink is separated into smaller rinks depending on the needs. We skated several days and the rink was usually separated into three areas – a free skate area, an area for figure skating and an area for Swiss curling and/or hockey. The rink is open from October to May and trams and buses conveniently drop one off near the facility.
Surprisingly, we found the lift prices less expensive than those in the U.S. (This was one of the few costs that we have found to be so.) There are good deals to be found on train/ski-rental packages, too. However, discussions with a few Swiss that we have encountered revealed that not all Swiss families can afford to go skiing. A tour guide I met said that she grew up in a suburb of Zurich and she and her sisters never learned to ski because of the expense.
I had never thought that I might have the opportunity to ski in Switzerland and was pinching myself the whole time.
I am kind of late with this but Toby and i went snow tubing and it was amazing.
Winter is my favorite season, so in addition to staying at home playing tunnel rush, this festival is completely suitable for me.