Am now in Switzerland after a wonderful week skiing. I was blessed this year to have excellent room mates, my group was generally fun and was part of an exciting social group where every night was a fun night.
The highlight though was definitely skiing alongside the glacier on grands montets. We started at 3300m, definitely the highest starting point I have skied from. The views from the top were stunning. The start was very steep, thin and bumpy. The actual run was more off piste than piste, the snow being knee height at many points on the way. A massive challenge, with group members losing skis in the snow when they fell. Luckily my skis could take a lot of tension (which isn't normally a good thing) so the few times I fell I kept my skis. Surprisingly I skied much better in these conditions. Maybe it was due to the softness of the snow, knowing it didn't hurt at all.
Overall the skiing this week has been tough. I have skied deep snow, moguls, ice, grass andin low visibility, but hopefully I have improved and become a better skier. Although I still have a little fear still about falling, especially on the harder snow/ice.
Now am sitting in a hotel in Brig, Switzerland. I have spent the day in the resort town of Zermatt. Made famous for the first deaths of mountain climbers on its most famous mountain, the Matterhorn. What a stunner it is. I can see why Toblerone chose this mountain as it's logo. I even went to the spot where the Toblerone view is based from. Although it is not the tallest mountain in the alps, it is much more impressive than Mont Blanc. This is due to its interesting shape and the fact it looks more stand alone. Up close it is obvious why the Matterhorn is so hard to climb.
The whole Valley as a whole would be great to hike in summer. It is a nine day trip. The ski area looks more impressive than chamonix With higher runs. There is even summer skiing. and you can ski to Italy.
Was quite expensive to get to Zermatt though. You can not drive there as it has a no car policy so you have to take a train. This train has beautiful views the whole way, so is just about worth the cost.
Better go to bed now. Of to Bern tomorrow, the capital of Switzerland.
Joshua
The highlight though was definitely skiing alongside the glacier on grands montets. We started at 3300m, definitely the highest starting point I have skied from. The views from the top were stunning. The start was very steep, thin and bumpy. The actual run was more off piste than piste, the snow being knee height at many points on the way. A massive challenge, with group members losing skis in the snow when they fell. Luckily my skis could take a lot of tension (which isn't normally a good thing) so the few times I fell I kept my skis. Surprisingly I skied much better in these conditions. Maybe it was due to the softness of the snow, knowing it didn't hurt at all.
Overall the skiing this week has been tough. I have skied deep snow, moguls, ice, grass andin low visibility, but hopefully I have improved and become a better skier. Although I still have a little fear still about falling, especially on the harder snow/ice.
Now am sitting in a hotel in Brig, Switzerland. I have spent the day in the resort town of Zermatt. Made famous for the first deaths of mountain climbers on its most famous mountain, the Matterhorn. What a stunner it is. I can see why Toblerone chose this mountain as it's logo. I even went to the spot where the Toblerone view is based from. Although it is not the tallest mountain in the alps, it is much more impressive than Mont Blanc. This is due to its interesting shape and the fact it looks more stand alone. Up close it is obvious why the Matterhorn is so hard to climb.
The whole Valley as a whole would be great to hike in summer. It is a nine day trip. The ski area looks more impressive than chamonix With higher runs. There is even summer skiing. and you can ski to Italy.
Was quite expensive to get to Zermatt though. You can not drive there as it has a no car policy so you have to take a train. This train has beautiful views the whole way, so is just about worth the cost.
Better go to bed now. Of to Bern tomorrow, the capital of Switzerland.
Joshua
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