fondue party

A fondue party on top of a mountain is a pretty regular winter event here in the Swiss Alps.

Last weekend, we were invited to the local Saanen Skiclub annual fondue party on top of the Eggli.  There was much debate in our household about whether we would go.  I was a little nervous (ok, a lot nervous) because I do not know a single other parent of any of the local kids nor do I speak their language.  And if that's not enough to scare me off, Jeff is Canada so I'm picturing myself in a restaurant full of family and friends, standing alone.  Ahhh!  The boys were also anxious - while they have been training with the local kids, and have made a couple of friends, I wouldn't say that they've really bonded with the group.  We are not from here, do not speak quite enough Swiss German and they go to the international school, not the local one.

As we were deliberating about whether or not to go, this simple, but oh-so-powerful image arrived in my inbox....

That was it.  We were going and in search of magic no less!  

I wasn't totally sure of the format or etiquette as this was our first real fondue party.  I asked around - "we wear our ski suits, right?", "do we bring poles or not", "do we need to bring our own torches?".  As part of my research, I wanted to ensure that one of the coaches, Stefan, whom I know a little was going with his son Rhys.  Stefan speaks several languages, including Swiss German.  He has been living here for a long time so he was the perfect guy to latch onto as we tried to move from our safe circle into the other one!  Once I confirmed that they would be there and as fate would have it, with 2 Canadian guests, it was game on.

We took the last lift up at 16:30, arrived at the restaurant, I had a glass (maybe two) of gluhwein and we all took part in a couple of ski boot dual slaloms races.  It was freezing (-15) and when we were finally called into the restaurant, the setting sun was projecting its alpenglow on the peaks all around us.  

Stefan + Sherry and Grant, fellow Canadians

Eli, Rhys and I enjoying our fondue

The fondue was delicious, of course, and the company wonderful.  I even met a local guy (Thomas) who lives here in the winter and runs a fishing lodge outside of Whitehorse in the summer.  In that small world, somehow never surprising way, he knows my cousin Braden who lived in the Yukon.  His wife, Corin, came bounding over to our table, demanding to know which one of us was Braden's cousin.  She was thrilled to meet me, full of praise for Braden who had kept her sane during her first summers in the Canadian North.  They had all first met over 10 years ago at Ryan and Ali's wedding here in Saanen.  Corin's father was the priest who married them and the wedding reception had been in the very restaurant in which we were all now sitting, enjoying our fondue dinner.  New friends made in the crossroads, what's not to love about that?

Warmed by all that melted cheese and more than a few schnapps, we armed ourselves with torches and headlamps (for those in the know) and made our way out into the cold night.

The torches were sword-like with long cardboard handles wrapped in a waxy, oily cloth that lit quickly when dipped into the communal flame.  Many of the kids couldn't resist fencing with each other while bits of flaming torch sprayed around them.  Once everyone was lit, the group assembled at the top of the hill. It was a truly beautiful site, standing there with all these people bundled up against the cold, holding their glowing torches, eager for the excitement of the descent.

Headed towards the twinkling lights of Saanen, we snaked across and down the hill in a long line until we safely reached the bottom.  Our first fondue party was a total success and whether it was your thirtieth or your first, there was more than just a little magic in the air.

the neighbourhood goes to punk

As a family, we have been intrigued, ok maybe obsessed, with this van since we arrived in September.  

We see it everywhere - at the barn down the road, driving past our chalet, at the grocery store, outside the bakery, and most hilariously, in the parking lot of the youth community centre.  It's hard to miss because it is so striking and inappropriate and funny.  It has become familial practice to half sing, half shout out "the fucks" whenever we see it. Charming.  

At first sight, the kids pointed and giggled.  I tried to justify the shocking use of language by reminding them that people here speak german and swiss-german.  Perhaps, I said, it means something else.  "Nice try" they howled, "fuck is the same in every language".  Maybe there is a colloquialism that we are missing?

I have tried to find out more, but googling "the fucks" leads to some REALLY inappropriate results, ones that I choose to believe don't have anything to do with our local red van.  What I have uncovered so far is that The Fucks are a punk rock band based here in Saanen.  They have been making music since 2003 and released their first CD in 2010.  Not much to go on, so the fascination endures.....

on tour

ski touring - skitouren (german) - randonnée (french)

Last week, we tried a new sport - ski touring!  It requires different equipment (of course) so we've been spending lots of time at our new favourite ski store / gas station (a one stop shop) renting touring boots and skis, trying different widths and lengths in an attempt to figure it all out.  Touring is like winter hiking, but even better because you get to make your own fresh ski tracks on the way down.  Skis and bindings are lighter in weight than their downhill cousins which takes some getting used to and the whole idea of layering your clothing is essential to being comfortable - not too warm, but not too cold.

At the bottom, you put the skins on your skis which makes them stick to the snow for the ascent.  You also put your boots on "walk" which gives them lots of flex and they are surprisingly comfortable.  The bindings allow your heel to be clipped in for skiing down or free for skinning up, there is even a "high heel" option for steep climbs!

It's truly amazing.  The pace is perfect - there is time to notice things like how the feeling of the snow changes between north and south facing slopes.  You can really see the shapes of the terrain and trees and take in the colour of the sky.  Our guide even noticed a few Steinbock way above us on a rock face, or so he claimed, I didn't have my glasses on!  Some of our fellow skiers like to listen to music on the way up, but I like to hear the crunching of the snow under my skis, enjoy the peace of the quiet and pay attention to the cadence of my breath (or lack of it sometimes).



For me, touring is not just about skiing, but about the whole experience of spending time on the snow, "climbing" the mountain, being in the presence of impossibly beautiful views.  It makes me feel connected to the landscape, like I'm really a part of our surroundings in a way that more traditional downhill skiing lacks.

Another incredible way of exploring the mountains....

heading up behind Rougemont

almost at the summit of Rodomont Derriere

lunch in the sun at 1900m, Rodomont Derriere

ski racing: the real deal

While it's a bit disgusting, the old expression "there is more than one way to skin a cat" is a good one to describe our varied experiences of skiing here in Switzerland.  I have already written about the powder, the on-piste and off-piste and even the barn skiing.

There's also ski racing which is a sport unto itself.  On Sunday, Jeff and I took the boys to the Men's World Cup Slalom in Wengen.  Esmée opted for a sleepover and all-day playmate at her friends' house, so we took the boys' friend George with us and off we went.  It was a pre-dawn start, we weaved through the valley to Interlaken and were meant to take the train to Lauterbrunnen, but instead took a train to Grindelwald.  This happens when the ticket seller waves vaguely in the direction of a train standing at the platform, the whistle blows and you don't quite read the actual sign above the platform. You know that the trains don't wait in Switzerland, so you just assume and jump aboard.

No big deal, we assured ourselves, plan b: go to Wengen from Grindelwald instead which, given the geography, means we can access the top section of the race for the first run.  We are bundled in ski clothes, but are without our equipment.  Having been to Adelboden the week before with Jeff Turner, Ross Kappele and Paul Turner, our resident World Cup groupie Jeff concluded that it's easier to watch if you don't have your skis and poles to deal with.  It took a bit longer, but when we got off the train and half slid, half walked down to the start area, even I was excited.  This was not our usual Nancy Greene or K1 kids race, this was the big leagues baby!

start area at the Wengen slalom

 

Canadian Mike Janyk in the start

We stood a few gates down from the start and  cheered everyone on, but our "go, go, go's" + "hoop, hoop, hoop's" were exceptionally louder for the 6 Canadians in the race.  The start is much quieter than the finish.  There is a seriousness in the air, athletes are preparing.  Some are warming up their bodies and others, their minds.  You see many of them standing quietly on their own, "skiing the course" with their hands, listening to music, getting ready for the run of a lifetime.

For the second run, we went to the finish area which is wild.  Fans are cheering, music is pumping and everyone is having a good time.  There is a huge jumbotron in the finish area so you can see the top part of the course, but when a racer comes into view over the top of the last, very steep pitch, the crowd erupts and cheers each one across the finish line.

The energy was electric, especially since we were standing with the hundreds of Croatian fans there to cheer on their countryman, Ivica Kostelic.  When Kostelic finished his second run, the Croatians went wild, cheering loudly and even lighting flares and fireworks.  When the 3 skiers who came down after him failed to beat his time, they went crazy.  He won the race for the third year in a row and while he is an exceptional ski racer, there's no doubt that the wave of fan support helps get him to the top of the podium.

Croatian ski racing fans light it up for Kostelic

Graydon was determined to get some signatures on his Craigleith racing jacket.  He went to three different restaurants to find a permanent marker to borrow and with Jeff's help, he sweet talked his way into the VIP finish area and hung around waiting for an athlete to pass by.   If you look closely in the photo below, he is the one wearing a Canada hat, standing on the fence scanning the crowd for a world cup ski racer.  His perseverance paid off and he got 3rd place Fritz Dopfer's of Germany signature.  He was so thrilled and his huge smile made all the standing around in the cold worth it.   Later, at the train station, he spotted some Canadian athletes waiting to load up their van and move on to the next race.  Without any hint of shyness, he marched up to them, introduced himself and got a few more autographs on his jacket!

It was an action-packed day full of new and exciting experiences.  We all got to be a part of the World Cup action, watch some incredible skiing and take in the dramatic beauty of both Grindelwald and Wengen...  Kitzbuhl anyone?

catching up

I'm not really a maker of new year's resolutions, but if I were, I would resolve to be a more active blogger. 

However, I'm only allowing myself to feel gentle guilt as the last month has been busy - festive, fun and truly memorable.  Some highlights.....

At the beginning of December, for the first time in 30 years, there was skating on Lauenensee (the Lauenen Lake).  What made this an unusual occurance was the combination of cold temperatures and a lack of snow.  For about one week the entire lake, surrounded by rolling hills and dramatic mountain peaks became an enormous and natural skating rink.  Locals, transplants and what few tourists were left flocked to the lake.  During this time, we skated during the day while the kids were at school and again after school with the kids, often catching the last moments of daylight and watching the alpenglow along the ridges of the surrounding mountains.  The lake made disconcerting noises.  It belched and gurgled from deep below the frozen suface as the ice shifted with the change in temperatures throughout the day.   If you banged your skate against the ice, it felt solid, but sounded a little hollow.  It was very clear, you could see the bottom, bubbles were trapped in the ice.  I have never experienced anything like it. 

even this poor fish got trapped in the freeze

About a week before Christmas, it started to really snow and it hasn't stopped until this week.  We have been skiing, snowshoeing and building snow forts.  I honestly don't think I've ever seen so much snow.

the last week of school before the break

snowshoeing

Opening Day at the Saanen Eggli - first skiers on the lift 

We live near the bottom of the Saanen Eggli chairlift which opened for the season on Friday, the 23rd of December.  Given that we live within walking distance to this lift and that it is connected to a fabulous ski area called the Videmanette, this was a banner day for our family.  Jeff had us up at the crack of dawn and we were out there, waiting for the lift to open.  We were rewarded with the distinction of being the first "guests" of the season on the Saanen Eggli!

The skiing has been, to quote my kids, epic and sick.  We've had knee to thigh high powder most days due to huge amounts of snow, a surprisingly low volume of skiers and snowboarders and terrain that seems to go on and on.  Often, it's like we have the place to ourselves and can do the same runs over and over, making our own tracks each time.  It's insane!

We've been exploring all sorts of skiing - piste and off piste, jumps and bumps, glades and even barns... The boys, their friend Anastasia and I were on a beautiful south facing slope on the Videmanette.  It was all deep powder, the kind that you can just float through and it makes you feel like a rock star skier.   The kids set off before me, I did a few turns (like a rock star), looked up and just below me, the there they were, on top of a barn!  I am sure that the Swiss farmers do not appreciate skiers on top of their barns, even when there is so much snow that the barn has literally become part of the slope.  I can't remember the exact details, but seeing those kids on the barn and then jumping off the side, triggered a vague memory of a tv commercial years ago where a skier skied down a mountain and over a barn or restaurant, racing towards a cup of coffee maybe?  

barn skiing

out of the valley fog and into the sunshine at the Saanen Eggli

the top of the Saanen Eggli

Christmas festivities started with a school choir candlelight service and then a JFK concert where each class preformed songs and acted out the traditions of many of the students' home countries.  We went to a friend's property in Rougemont and cut our own christmas tree - probably against the rules, but driven by the romance of an alpine christmas .  Ryan and Ali sent us a "Canadian Christmas" package which included iconic tree ornaments like a polar bear, beer bottle, beaver and skidoo.  The kids make paper snowflakes and pipe cleaner angels.  Our Swiss tree was simple and beautiful and perfect.  

My mother, aka Jimpy, arrived on the 19th to spend a week with us.  It was great fun to have her here and to be able to share parts of our new life with someone from home.  She didn't catch the ski fever, but she always loves the Saanenland and particularly the part of European culture that gives a universal and warm welcome to dogs and smokers alike.  A school friend of the kids', Anastasia, also spent Christmas with us.  She is from Russia and despite having never celebrated Christmas before, she easily joined in our traditions and even Santa managed to figure it all out!

our local "charlie brown" christmas tree

Christmas Eve - Jimpy, Eli, Graydon, Esmée, Anastasia and Jeff

Christmas dinner was at the Mountain Lodge which houses Lovell International Camps, Bryce and Vickie's new business.  It was a wonderful collection of about 30 family, friends and Lovell Camps staff.

Bill Lovell orchestrated a magnificent dinner

I got to do the gravy, my fave!

On Boxing Day, we had to say goodbye to Jimpy.  Eli and I accompanied her to Geneva by train, making the 6 minute connection at Montreux with only minutes to spare.  Having to get over 4 tracks while dragging 2 large suitcases, a heavy carry-on and making sure that Jimpy got a quick smoke while she could was almost more than the three of us could handle.  Somehow we made it and after a tearful goodbye at the airport and we were off on our next adventure - four days of skiing in Chamonix....

graydon skis the powder

Hi, it's Graydon here and I want to tell you about the best thing I've ever done in my life!  Today, I went powder skiing for the first time ever.  It's been snowing here in Saanen for 4 days (ok, there was a little bit of rain  mixed in down in the valley) and today the lifts were all closed because of too much snow, wind and snow drifts.  We were all ready for skiing this morning when we found out that nothing was open, so my Dad drove Eli, Esmée, my Mum and I up the Saanen Eggli, the mountain right behind our chalet.  He dropped Eli, my Mum and I off with our skis, poles and helmets to have a run on our own.  Here we are at the top:

Every turn felt like I was in heaven!!  I've never skied in powder snow like that - it was like God dropped lots of flour on Switzerland when he was baking!  The snow was up to our knees and was light enough so that it flew up when we skied through it.  Here I am part way down our run:

After we got to the bottom, my Dad called to say that he was stuck on the road down the mountain because a car in front of him had jack-knifed and blocked the road.  So we had to walk home, but it's not very far so it was fun. I can't wait to ski the powder again.....

Here I am walking down the hill into the Rubeldorf area where we live:

the sky is finally falling

Two weeks of bronchitis is to blame for the radio silence.  But, I'm back in action and just in time for the arrival of winter here in the Saanenland.

It's been snowing in the alpine for a couple of days, but today in the valley, we got those huge, wet flakes that twist and twirl from the sky, almost like they're dancing their way down.  It was the kind of snow that collects in the hood of your coat, melts instantly and then runs to the ground when you bend over to undo your boots. The kind that means you have to start laying out your hat and scarf to dry when you come inside because they're too wet to stuff into the sleeve of your jacket.

There is something so deeply exciting about the first real snowfall.  Walking alone from the grocery store to the post office today,  I caught myself tilting my chin to the sky and opening my mouth wide, trying to catch the snowflakes.  When I told the kids about this, they said that the whole school was doing the same thing at morning break and lunchtime.  Must be an instinctual response for those of us that love winter.

Esmée turned 8 yesterday.  Her party is this coming weekend at the local community centre, but last night she had a few friends over for a raclette dinner.  Freeze dance, playing with new playmobil and bugging the older brothers were the activities of choice.  And of course, the requisite sparklers and loud (off key) singing....