Switzerland – Page 3 – Alpine Winter Sports

04/01/201809/02/2019

New ski book published

It has been a dream start to the season in the Alps, and many resorts that might otherwise get overlooked have fabulous conditions.

So why not try somewhere new?

To help you decide where to go I’m please to announce the availability of a book I have just written entitled “Ski and Snowboard Switzerland”. The title sort of gives away the content, although it does include a few resorts outside of Switzerland that are nearby. I believe this book is the most comprehensive and up-to-date resource on skiing in Switzerland currently available.

The book is available from Amazon or Blurb as a paperback, and also in a Kindle edition at Amazon or a pdf at Blurb.

However I am giving you a chance to receive a version of the book for free, which you can get printed out yourself or retain as an electronic copy. I’m doing this because I want you to let me know any improvements or errors ahead of a second edition being made available. That’s the deal – you get a free book, I get suggestions on how to improve the book.

Simply click on the picture of the cover below to access the pdf of the book.

06/08/201708/08/2017

Longest Pedestrian Bridge Opens

The world’s first peak-to-peak suspension bridge opened in 2014 in Switzerland at the Glacier3000 ski area. The 107m long bridge, known as “Peak Walk by Tissot”, has been more than matched by a new suspension bridge in nearby Valais.

The 31km long Europaweg, a hiking trail between Zermatt and Grächen, lies along a route prone to rockfalls. A bridge was built along a section of the route in 2010, crossing the Dorfbach river, but was swept away in a rock avalanche two months later. The determined Swiss went about building a replacement, high enough to avoid the fate of its predecessor. The resulting Charles Kuonen Hängebrücke, or Europe Bridge, opened on 29th July 2017, and is 494 metres long, making it the longest pedestrian suspension bridge in the world. At its highest it is 84 metres above the valley.

The bridge has around 8 tons of cable, and employs a system that prevents it from swinging. It is named after the principal sponsor behinds its construction and is located just east of Randa at map co-ordinates 46° 6′ 6.5″, 7° 48′ 4.7″.

To walk the Europaweg usually takes two days, with an overnight stop in the Europahütte. It is rated T3, i.e. a challenging hike that requires good footwear, orientation skills and some basic Alpine experience (the rating associated with the most difficult hikes is T6). However it is possible to visit the bridge without taking the entire hike by taking the train to Randa – 2 stations from Zermatt – and hiking up from there. It is a steep 650m ascent, and takes around 2 hours each way.

03/05/201604/05/2016

Swiss Ski Season Review

Ski Club of GB
The Ski Club of Great Britain do an end of season review. Of the Swiss season they opined:

In recent years, a huge amount of investment has gone into snow making facilities in many resorts across Switzerland, an investment that paid off during the early part of the 2015/16 season. After the snow failed to fall, resorts such as Arosa and Verbier were able to operate virtually as normal thanks to huge quantities of man-made snow. After a long absence, the snow eventually returned, falling heaviest during the middle part of January, and setting up a plethora of powder days for riders. This continued throughout much of the second half of the season, with excellent riding conditions available across many regions right up until Easter.

Of other ski regions, West Coast USA, Canada, Scotland and, to an extent, Scandinavia, all had good seasons. Eastern Europe was particularly poor, and amongst most other European ski areas only high resorts such as Chamonix fared well.

10/02/2016

Pirmin Zurbriggen Switzerland’s Greatest Skier

When I was a younger skier, glued to the BBC’s BBC Ski Sunday for its dreadfully short season, the most successful ski racer of the time was Pirmin Zurbriggen, He seemed unstoppable and almost single-handed kept the Austrian challenge at bay. He retired at the peak of his career aged 27 to return to his roots in Saastal, in German-speaking Wallis/Valais.
Saastal
During his career he won he won four World Cup titles, an Olympic gold medal and 9 World Championship medals. Who knows what else he would have won if he had continued.

I know his family runs a hotel in his home town and rumour has it that if you stay there you have a chance to explore the local slopes with the great man. Anyway, the reason I bring him up is that there is an interview with him at Powder magazine, including some footage of him racing.