Skiing Switzerland

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Skiing Switzerland
Looking for travel that's part vacation, part adventure? Switzerland's majestic mountains offer up world-class skiing in an idyllic setting that's perfect for your next getaway.
By Frank DiScala

Flying Swissair on a clean new Airbus 330 is wonderful. Unless you are six feet tall and get a bulkhead seat. I was scheduled to fly business class out of New York's JFK airport but switched my flight to leave from Miami instead. There were no business class seats available so I decided to go and rough it anyway. I should have known better but there I was, unable to stretch out. I tried to push the seat back because it was stuck (it wasn't). I put my feet up against the bulkhead and pushed harder, prompting only a scolding from a flight attendant who angrily asked me "if I was trying to break it?" "Nope. It's already broken!" I replied. "You are pushing the wrong button," she chided. I was pushing a bolt. I was warm from pushing so hard so I opened the window shade to regulate the temperature, as there were no individual passenger-controlled fan vents above any of the seats. The same flight attendant leaned over me twice and shut my window shade even though it was dark outside. Trouble seems to find me. I was scared of her by this point and dared not say anymore. She reminded me of my third grade teacher, Mr. Diller. Diller the Killer.

EASY TIMES IN THE SWISS ALPS
Skiing Switzerland is easier than you can imagine. It's shockingly easy. Easy in a way that we need international travel to be. Why to be sure, it's both a vacation and an adventure. True, it's far, far away. But consider this: the Swiss have rounded all the square edges on the wheels to make you comfortable, both getting there and being there.

It's also easy on your psyche because it is a civilized, polite and intelligently managed nation. A vacation here is a casual and civilized time spent in a safe and gentle environment. The Swiss are generally quiet, tend to keep to themselves and are very considerate of others. Everything is clean and everything works. Switzerland is dependable, multilingual, gorgeous, majestic and more efficient than your watch. Not to mention that you can find some of the world's most challenging off-piste skiing here.

EASY TO GET TO THE SKIING
The Swiss despise inefficiency. Malfunction is near impossible to detect. Poor systems and machinery were either never born or were systematically and unnoticeably rooted out, the way my grandmother eradicated ants in the pantry. They are destroyed by a silent killer that is never seen, perhaps whisked away at night, gloved hand over mouth, never to be seen again.

From most major cities, direct flights bring you into Zurich, a major hub that is incredibly well organized. As one would expect, the train system is located directly inside the air terminal. (Why would anyone put it miles away like in New York?) Also, intelligent, multilingual, patient and informed persons staff an information/travel agency directly within the hub. I got off the plane where I retrieved my luggage, walked through customs faster than walking through Grand Central Station and immediately saw the information center. Luckily, I had my ticket in advance, so I did not have to stand in any lines. Tickets can be purchased online and I highly recommend doing so. Next, I pulled my flopping suitcase and ski gear towards a man behind the desk. He smiled and I told him that my ultimate destination was Adelboden. He typed into the computer and printed out my itinerary for two train rides and a bus ride. I walked to the escalator, found my extremely comfortable train and relaxed. Before falling asleep in my clean, reclining chair, which offered up a generous amount of legroom, I was visited by a man with a cart full of snacks, sandwiches and beverages of every kind. I settled in as the Swiss countryside and the snow-capped Alps emerged from behind the suburban homes of Zurich. I didn't have to rush. The train to Adelboden made a stop in Bern. I disembarked uneventfully and within mere minutes caught another train to Frutigen and a bus to Adelboden. Total time: three hours and three minutes. Swiss time is on time.

ADELBODEN
The bus stopped in an ancient town in the mountains. Adelboden, still accessed by a single road and dating back to the 13th century, has quaint family homes and both new and old hotels. In this traditional Alpine Swiss village, many small restaurants are converted family homesteads, still owned and operated by the families that farmed and made cheese in the shed out back for generations past. The pastoral setting is genuine and relaxing.

From there it was a 200-foot walk to the new Solis Cambrian Hotel & Spa. This four-star, 71-room, non-traditional, edgy-contemporary cozy hotel has all of what you might want but none of you what you might expect in a Swiss Alp location: clean lines, modern furniture and architecture, spacious rooms, a fully-equipped workout facility, 7,500 square feet of spa facilities, a vanishing pool and an indoor pool set beneath the pinpoint lighted canopy of a deep blue planetarium-like ceiling. The views from the rooms sweep the valley and the mountains in the distance.

Mosey downstairs to the lower level to the restaurant Nova, which serves fine food accompanied by a skilled wait staff and a complete wine list. I enjoyed a flawlessly prepared Tuscan meal and unbroken views of a timeless agrarian Swiss countryside. The rocky Alp crags seem entirely out of place in this contemporary, clean and sharp dining room. Somehow the marriage of simple and complex, old and new, rustic and modern, makes the diner feel especially privileged to be warm and inside and here.

SKI TIME IN WORLD-CLASS ADELBODEN
In the morning, I awoke a bit later than I should have. I bounded from my bed and raced to the lobby. The group was gone but our group leader was not. She was outside with her skis in her hands and an unhappy expression on her face. "You are late!" I looked. My clock was off by seven minutes so I'd "missed the bus" to the mountain. I grabbed my skis from the complimentary ski locker and started to walk across the street. "No, Frank," she said. "You need to put ski boots on!" Good morning. I went back and put my boots on and we walked across the street to the enclosed bus terminal. Our bus had not left. And my clock was not wrong. Smirking, I climbed aboard. I felt like sticking my tongue out.

The highlights of the great skiing in Adelboden are the weather and the ski school. We were lucky to be with Andreas Belser who won the Swiss Tourism competition for the best-looking ski instructor in the country. We were there on the slopes, when he got the phone call informing him of his success. Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. Trouble with fame is that now we had to wait while he took more calls from reporters, friends and people who wanted to congratulate him for being so damn good looking. Well, you know how it feels ...

Adelboden is a world-class ski area. It's more that just big, although with 58 lifts, it dwarfs even Vail's 33 and Snowbird's 13. Great ski mountains offer the following combination: predictably good weather, high quality snow, varied terrain, excellent and friendly services, reasonably easy and efficient access, reliable and easy-to-find hearty and fast food, and excellence in accommodations. It has the requisite glorious views, sunshine and winter temperatures that hover around freezing. If you like deep powder off-piste or off the trail skiing, Adelboden has everything. Steeps and deeps, sun and fun.

While none can promise a good sun drenching every day, we got it in Adelboden. Adelboden treated our group to sun-glinted days, frosty two-day-old, knee-deep powder, winter wonderland extended views of alpine meadows and long leg burner runs that seemed to extend for miles past brown wooden homes and deep treed ravines and gorges. The Swiss and other European ski areas dislike moguls so corduroy groomers are everywhere, making it a safe place for intermediates and beginners.

ADELBODEN SKI RENTALS AND EQUIPMENT
The Swiss reign in the game of ski rentals. Top notch, full variation latest edition skis are at your fingertips as soon as the bus deposited us at the mountain. An elevator lifted us to our ski locker for the quick boot change and stow. I always bring my own boots so I can't comment on the boot rentals. I tried a pair of 185 freestyle tips fatties, which responded to both long carving and off-piste deep. It's a real treat to be able to switch skis both at the base and on the mountaintop. Courteous and trained ski technicians race to accommodate. Skis are electronically tagged so returns move quickly with a bar code scanner. Waiting is minimized with an inter-mountain network of bar code scanning. Rent from one area and drop off at another. I traded my skis three times without more identification than a smile.

SKI MOUNTAIN FOOD: NO SOGGY BURGERS HERE
While the best ski mountains have access to good food on the mountain, few have it like Adelboden. First-class Swiss hospitality abounds at every mountain restaurant and food venue. Traditional food means something delicious ... with plenty of melted cheese and the usual meat. True vegans should pack lunch in. The slope-side eateries have full sun and expansive mountain views. Some have chaise longues where you can lay out and really relax.

DINNER IN A TRADITIONAL SWISS CHALET
Night brought crisp air and a horse-drawn carriage. A sled with wheels pulled our group a couple miles into the mountain seemingly straight up while a heavy shearling blanket covered our legs from the frosty night air. We arrived at the Chalet Aebi and sat down to an intimate, family-style dinner in the quaint wooden home of the chef and his wife. One writer in the group, David Sarter, raised his glass and proclaimed: "This may be the best meal I have ever had!" Big words from the big man, a world traveler and accomplished writer. Superlatives shock me. Yet not this time. His sentiments were followed by "this is delicious", "unbelievable" and other Zagat-style commentary. I had the perch, as we all did, prepared simply over vegetables, which were perfectly cooked and accompanied by the chef's choice of wine and Alpine water. The candlelit room made me feel lonely for my beautiful wife as this is truly a romantic place to get back to the basics in life.

GETTING THERE
Traveling by train in Switzerland: Switzerland's rail network offers punctual, hourly trains throughout the day to the nearest station at Frutigen. Each hour, a dependable bus will take you along a 35-minute valley ride to Adelboden. The train/bus network is precisely integrated. See www.sbb.ch.

ADELBODEN FACTS
Total length of piste: 185km
Height of resort: 1,353m
Snow ranges: 1,350m � 2,350m
Number of lifts: 58
Piste type: Easy (blue) 43, Intermediate (red) 11, Difficult (black) 11
Lift pass: Adelboden & Lenk, adult 257SFr (approx �106) and child (under 16) 226SFr (approx �95), both for 6 days
Equipment hire cost: 180SFr (approx �78) for skis / snowboard equipment
Ski and snowboard school: The Swiss Snowsports School
Ski and snowboard lesson times: 09:45 � 13:30. 3 hours per day.
Ski and snowsport lesson cost: 3 days 180SFr (approx �78), 6 days 300SFr (approx �126)

NIGHTLIFE
Nightlife? I didn't find out. If you have enough energy after a day of Swiss skiing to go party, then you should go somewhere else. Evidently, the town seems to be content with its daytime focus as you don't want to sleep in when you are here. It's that good. It's quite simply some of the world's best skiing. And it's good to be back because you're going to need all your sleep from the work you do during the day. In the morning, it's a simple stroll from the ski locker at street level to the bus station diagonally across the street where the bus fills with skis and skiers to take you the to majestic trams that await your venture into the Alps.

Join me next week as we continue the adventure.

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Note: This trip was sponsored by Switzerland Tourism.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
International Recreation Expert. Francis J. DiScala (Frankie D) was born to do it differently. On his first camping trip at 10 years old he was sequestered from his group for talking and forced to sleep in an open field away from the safety of the tents. He immediately realized that the moon was much clearer out under the stars and has been "out there" ever since. Never one to say no, Frank has been to Mountains of Montana, Idaho, Arizona bow hunting and sleeping outdoors, fishing off-shore amongst the whales for giant tuna, skiing and snowboarding almost every major mountain in North America, racing motorcycles on international racetracks in New Hampshire, and scuba diving reefs from Australia to the Red Sea in Jordan. fun and games are often interrupted and trips cut short by his need to return to his beautiful wife and to his legal career. He hasn't stopped talking and often can be seen and heard giving strange opinions on television shows including CNN'S Headline News/Nancy Grace and Court TV. Despite a hectic schedule, Frank has also found time to travel and write and in recent years has become an enthusiastic contributor to JohnnyJet.com, one of the most comprehensive travel resources online.

Pics From The Trip