The Swiss to the rescue!

Debbie on the mountain


Gary on the slopes


Alpine views


Towering mountains


Sarah wishing us a good day!


Locals on the ski lift


View down the piste from the chalet


Gary at the chalet

On Monday, I took a four hour train ride to Thusis to meet up with our Swiss friends, Sarah & Kofi and some of their friends from London to spend five glorious days in the snow. Gary met up with us Wednesday morning. The ski chalet belongs to Sarah's Aunt & Uncle and is actually situated right on the slopes, just off one of the lower ski runs (or piste, as the Swiss say). So, you park in the resort parking lot and walk for about 10 minutes up the piste (ski run), dodging skiers and snow boarders (thank goodness it was mid-week and not so busy!) The entire resort is dotted with chalets, some of which are pretty high up. We even saw people with loads of stuff going up the lifts!

The ski resort, (Heinzernberg) is located in the tiny high mountain village of Sarn, which is near the slightly larger village of Thusis. The "resort" is small, but bursting with local charm. It is actually run by local farmers (namely Edward and his wife), who use the land for grazing cows that produce milk and cheese during the summer. The pistes are not only dotted with chalets, but also old barns and even a few cows that watch as you ski by. But it is small, so when I first saw the ski map, I was a worried that it wouldn’t be very challenging for me, but I had no idea what I was in for!

The pistes were very long, which means the lifts were long too. The only problem was that there was only one chair lift, and the rest were very long T-bar lifts! How hard could it be? Well, let me start by pointing out that the T-bar was invented before snow boards existed, so they are manageable for skiers, but it is quite a different story for this boarder from California. The bar looks like a giant plastic pick axe that hangs on a retractable tether from the lift. Skiers simply sit on one side and are gently pushed along up the hill. Boarders have to stand with their board facing up the hill and with one foot out of the bindings, you have to grab the bar and put it between your legs so it's hooked behind your front leg. The bar then pulls you, by that one leg, up the hill. Meanwhile, you are desperately trying to keep your balance while you fight to keep the tip of the board on a straight track. It's a little like waterskiing by one leg and riding a bucking bronco, all at the same time.

But all the best slopes are at the top of the T-bar lifts, so I had to master this crazy thing if I wanted to get to the good snow. It didn't help that the T-bar was about 20 exhausting minutes long to get to the top, but I was determined to get there. The first time I made it about 1/2 way up, but it was all down hill from there (no pun intended). I was back on, then fell, back on, fell, back on, fell. The very sweet older man running the lift was trying to give me pointers in German, but I just smiled back and tried my best.

At the end of day one...
T-bar: 7
Debbie: 0
All I had to show for it is was a bruised ego and some huge bruises on both legs, but it was only Tuesday and the week was still young.

The next day I took it easy and started the day a little late. I attempted the T-bar a few more times, but still the top eluded me. On the last try of the day I made it about 3/4 of the way up, which I was happy with, but I had no way to know I fell in the worst place possible. I thought the piste was just to the left of the lift track, through a little deep snow, but still not too far. So, I strapped on my bindings and set off through the deep snow to where I thought the piste was. It was about 3:30 and it was snowing pretty good, which made it very hard to see, but I knew if I just kept going down hill I would be fine.

Gliding over the wonderfully light, fresh powder was amazing, until I fell, and then I realized just how deep the snow was. I went to push myself up only to find that my arm would sink straight down to my shoulder. It took forever to get up again. It was so hard to see the terrain, that I would accidentally get into these little valleys where I had no speed and could only stand on my board and shuffle my weight back and forth, inching forward until I would either pick up a little speed or hopelessly bury my board or fall, all of which was absolutely exhausting. Where in the world was the piste? I was making slow progress down the hill, but soon I found myself in a large, flat valley of waist deep snow, trying to find the path of least resistance to get back to the chalet. I was scared to death to take off my board. The snow was so deep I knew I would never get it back on again.

I struggled in this valley for about an hour when I stared to worry that I may not make it back! It was about 5:30, the lifts closed at 3:45, it was snowing pretty good, it was getting dark and I was completely wiped out. I hadn't seen a single person since I fell off the lift two hours before, so I was surprised to see some people come out of a chalet at the edge of the valley I was stuck in. They were very far away, but they watched me for about 15 minutes and then started to shout to me in German. Finally, in English, the older guy shouts, "You don't have enough speed to make it to the top of the ridge!" Really?!? I was standing on my board, which was about a foot under the snow, not moving an inch. Then he shouts, "Take off your board!" and began to walk in the waist deep snow toward me.

I had been saved!!!

The family from the chalet on the ridge was so nice. They offered me something to drink and we chatted a bit (the dad was the only one who spoke English, so he translated). The daughter of about 14 couldn't believe I was from California (her favorite show is The OC). Soon I made my way back down the mountain and finally was back at our chalet. Sarah said that this was big news for a little village like this and in no time the story of the wayward snow boarder from California will make its way around the mountain and to the village below (where her grandmother lives).


(Chalet on the hill where I was rescued)

The next day, I am happy to report, both Gary and I conquered the T-bar lift and made it to the top of the hill! The sun was out and there was about a foot of new snow on the ground, which made for the best two days of boarding I have ever had. I stopped by the chalet on the hill and delivered a bottle of wine to the family that rescued me as an offer of thanks. They were happy to see I was having a better day and I actually ended up seeing them a few times over the next couple of days we were there.


(View from the top of the T-bar lift)

We really had a wonderful time at the chalet. We had a lot of laughs and ate like kings with plenty of wine and traditional Swiss faire. Everything was home cooked in Swiss-German style with loads of local cheeses, cured meats, breads, sausages, and vegetables. Our favorite meal was Alplermagrone, which is made with noodles, diced cooked potatoes, mixed with grated cheese, garnished with fried onions and serves with cooked apples. Delicious! The last two days were some of the best boarding I have ever had. The snow was perfect and the runs were amazing.

That Friday we headed out to Torino, Italy to be part of the 20th Olympic winter games! This was a whole other adventure which I will update you on when we return from Koln, Germany next weekend.

Next time.... The passion of the Olympic Games in Torino!

~~ Go USA!! ~~ Hop Suisse!! ~~