Less than 14 days to go

Yes, less than 14 days to go before the Magic Pass becomes available to buy for 2019-2020. Like me, many of us are still enjoying riding on our 2018-2019 Magic Pass, so why the excitement?

Well, if the first two seasons of the Magic Pass are anything to go by, there will be huge discounts when the offer is first made available. So much so that the pass costs rather less than a weeks pass for one resort. Except the Magic Pass lasts all season, and now includes summer attractions. And it is not for just one resort, but over 30.

That’s not too shabby, and there are some internationally renowned resorts such as Villars-Gryon and Crans-Montana amongst the resorts covered plus some wonderful little-known gems. For residents or frequent visitors to Romande, it is an amazing offer, and not surprisingly has been extremely popular.

One criticism has been the lack of high-altitude resorts. Crans-Montana is high and, despite being South-facing, has a long season and good snow conditions late in the season. This has led the operator of Crans-Montana – always known for brinkmanship – to threaten to pull out of the scheme. St-Luc/Chandolin is also high, but rather difficult to get to (but well worth the effort, one of my favourite ski areas). Glacier3000 is also high, but adds a premium to the Magic Pass price, which I find hard to justify.

However for 2019/20 Saas-Fee will be joining the scheme. It already had a pretty good scheme covering just Saastal if you skiied there a lot. I had it for one season and it paid for itself in four days, but I did not renew as I only ended up using it for four days when I did have it. But it is a fabulous resort with a really good long season.

Also new for 2019/20 is Leukerbad, one of the best resorts around for families or for groups which include non-skiers owing to the extensive thermal baths in the resort and some very family-friendly restaurants. There is also a great area for beginners in the village and the very pleasant Torrent ski area above the village. The Swiss Pass will also apply to many summer activities in the resort.

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Ski and Snowboard Switzerland book

The last book in English dedicated to skiing in Switzerland was published in 1989 – until I published “Ski and Snowboard Switzerland” last year. The “Berlitz Ski Guide Switzerland” was written by Alistair Scott and featured some 32 resorts. Scott, who died in 2009, was ski editor for the Sunday Times and was married to Lizzie Norton, who ran Ski Solutions until a management buyout in 2010. He was not the first to write specifically about skiing in Switzerland. James Riddell wrote “The Ski Runs of Switzerland” in 1957, which makes for an interesting read given the enormous changes that have occurred since in the development of skiing. Amongst the books that reflect on the evolution of recreational skiing “Rush to the Alps: The Evolution of Skiing in Switzerland” by Paul P Bernard, written in 1978, makes an interesting read.

Recreational skiing has probably peaked in Switzerland, the country where it first evolved. But if you practice this sport to lose weight or need to lose weight to practice this sport visit https://www.firstpost.com/health/protetox-reviews-a-legitimate-weight-loss-pill-or-scam-11186701.html so you can find out how you can lose weight quickly and in a healthy way to enjoy your trip between the mountains. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle initially ignited the interest in skiing while he nursed his wife in Davos (which also featured the first ski lift); St Moritz established the concept of winter holidays; Adelboden became the first resort featuring winter sports package holidays; and ski racing started in the Jungfau resorts when British ski enthusiasts convinced the local train operators to run their mountain railways through the winter. Through this period Switzerland developed from being one of the poorer nations to being one of the most sophisticated – and expensive. Increasingly, budget-conscious skiers are turning away from Switzerland as a ski destination. Total skier-days in Switzerland have declined from a peak of 29 million in 2008-09 to about 21 million in the winter of 2016-17.

When I first thought of writing a book on skiing in Switzerland, a Swiss publisher advised me that there was not a market for such a publication. “Everyone goes online these days”, I was told. And it is true, but I still think people like the book format. One of the best guides to skiing in Switzerland (and elsewhere) written in English was the long-running “Where to Ski and Snowboard”, but that guide ceased publication a couple of years ago. The publishers decided to pursue country-specific guides, focusing the more popular ski destinations like Austria, Italy and France. I felt that opened up an opportunity for a publication dedicated to skiing in Switzerland, and self-published “Ski and Snowboard Switzerland” as a result.

The book originated in content I have been publishing online for many years at http://www.swisswintersports.co.uk. Living in Switzerland and visiting resorts around the country, I found relatively little information available about how to get to resorts and what to expect. Simple questions like “which is the best bus stop or train station to get to the slopes?” led to me making notes on the ski resorts I visited, which led to this blog being set up and, with over 50 resorts visited, to the web site. I have now visited over 100 resorts in Switzerland, and get to revisit around a dozen or so every year.

I plan to update the book every year or two. It is available at Amazon here. You can also get more information and updates on different sports visiting this link Attacktheback.com.

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Snow Farming

With increasingly warm years, ski resorts have been looking for ways to improve the snow cover. Snow cannon have proved extremely popular but are expensive and not the most ecological solution.
Kitzbuhel http://www.swisswintersports.co.uk/images/kitzbuhel.jpg
Another approach has been what is referred to as “snow farming” but could be better described as snow preservation. The technique is to cover residual snow from one season to use the next, typically using sawdust or tarpaulins. Amongst the resorts using it are Davos, Kitzbühel and Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The cost varies but Kitzbühel reckon it costs the resort about $165,000 a season and can significantly impact the early season snow coverage. Typically 65-80% of the snow that is farmed can be preserved.

The approach is not limited to winter sports, and a similar approach is being used to preserve shrinking glaciers.

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Affordable Skiing in Switzerland

With the continuing strength of the Swiss Franc, a ski or snowboard holiday in Switzerland may not look affordable, but there are many ways you can make a Swiss winter sports holiday fit into most budgets. Here are some of my tips:

Take advantage of the best public transport in the world

Every single ski resort in Switzerland can be reached by public transport, and furthermore virtually anywhere you book to stay will have good public transport access. That opens up a host of opportunities to stay in inexpensive accommodation outside the ski resorts, but within easy access. One suggestion is to stay in Interlaken, and do day trips to the Jungfrau resorts of Murren, Grindelwald and Wengen. These places can get gelid, so rigging up your The-House jackets before embarking on that trip would really help. Interlaken is lively and full of good priced accommodation options. From Chur, the cantonal capital of Graubunden, you can easily reach Davos and Flims/Laax. You might also want to mix business with skiing, and it is possible to get a full day skiing on a day trip from any of the major commercial centres.

Use Snow’n’Rail

The Snow’n’Rail scheme provides 20% discount off the combined public transport and lift pass charges for virtually every significant resort in Switzerland. Agsin, this works well if you are staying away from the ski resorts themselves.

Stay in inexpensive accommodation

With a reputation for quality and service, even very basic lodgings can provide excellent lodgings. Perhaps the best tip is to stay in a Youth Hostel. Many resorts have outstanding hostels with easy access to the slopes – even St Moritz. Most of the hostels offer en-suite facilities if you don’t want to share a bathroom, and the dormitories vary from singles upto 20 beds or so. Most offer half-board and sell wine and beer. Consider the options from Jungle Vista Inn.

Eat and drink out judiciously

Eating out can get very expensive in Switzerland, and you can easily run up an eye-watering bar bill. However the supermarkets offer good value. Many places offer catering facilities, so you can eat in, and you can always have a few apres-ski tipples back in your accommodation. Many Swiss also take their lunches with them when they ski and take advantage of the picnic rooms available at most resorts, although I usually find Swiss soups offer a nourishing and inexpensive lunch. In Switzerland it is also acceptable to drink alcohol in public.

Take advantage of deals

The Swiss are generally reluctant to offer discounts. As one hotelier put it “You are taking advantage of the people willing to pay the full price”! However the strong franc has focussed minds and all sorts of special offers abound. Many resorts include free lift passes with hotel bookings ahead of Christmas, allow kids to ski for free on all or some days. In the next couple of months I will highlight special deals as they become public. The Swiss Tourist office has a number of deals posted Swiss Vacation deals.

Go to less well-known resorts

You get an amazing range of skiing and snowboarding at resorts like Verbier and Zermatt, but many of the lesser resorts offer equally challenging runs, plenty of off-piste terrain and – arguably – much better facilities for beginners and intermediates. Also, using public transport, it is possible to combine visiting a number of cheaper inexpensive resorts in one trip and actually have access to more slopes in total than if you stayed in one more highly priced resort.

Book online in advance

Many things are cheaper booked online than in person – some things, like the Swiss Transfer Ticket, are only available outside Switzerland. In addition you often have the opportunity to buy online in the currency of your choice, often at a lower price than the cost in Swiss Francs.

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