Conquering the mountain

We had such a great ski weekend! Could not imagine a better start to our ski season. It was my first run for the season but C had gone once before. Saturday we left Basel very early, at the crack of dawn (7 am sharp). I think it is totally awesome that we are able to reach the alps within 2 hours. Again this makes me love living here in Switzerland.

We spent the weekend in the small town of Murren. The village is perched on a mountain top shaft. Located at 1645 meters (5400 ft). It is just one of those super cute Swiss villages with lots of charm. Picture perfect and no traffic allowed. You park your car in the valley and then take the cable car up the mountain. A village that offers picture perfect views, fresh alpine air, quiet nights and the most splendid panoramas of both the Eiger and Jungfrau peaks.

We were here together with some of C's co-workers. This is an annual ski event that the company organizes. We were a group of about 30 people. 
Not everyone skied downhill however, there were other activities such as snow shoeing, cross country skiing or just going for a walk. We stayed at a simple but very cozy lodge.

Saturday was absolutely gorgeous. Stunning views of the alps and the glacier. The temperature was just right and the slopes pristine. The big happening this weekend was that I had a major personal break through. We took the lift up Schilthorn at 3000 meters (9800 ft). That is also where they shot some scenes for one of the James Bond movies. You got quite a spectacular view from up there. 

What I was not aware of however, was that the only way down from this point was a dubbel diamond (black slope). I have never really done one of those before. My hart was beating fast as I decided to at least give it a try. Iiiiiiiih, I made it all the way down!!! I could hardly believe I had made it. My legs were all shaky and I was out of breath from concentrating so hard but the feeling of having overcome this obstacle was just the greatest. I actually also proved this was not just a one time happening as I did most of the other black slopes as well. Truly felt like I had conquered the mountain.

C was incredibly proud over me. A small step for mankind but a huge leap for me personally in my ski progress. This means that me and C can actually go skiing together in a whole different way. The ski lesson that I took last season did play a huge impact on my progress this weekend. I plan on booking yet another ski lesson for the next time we go skiing. I would really like to improve and refresh some of the knowledge that I got from the last lesson.

The majestic beauty of the grand alps.

Saturday evening we all had dinner together at the hotel. The choice was either traditional Swiss cheese fondue or the menu. Here is what the traditional fondue looks like. Me and C chose the menu. The cheese fondue is just not my favorite thing, I just find it too heavy.

Sunday morning we woke up to a soft white world. It had snowed all night long and the little village had turned into winter wonderland. The snow flakes kept sailing through the air. Looked very pretty.

The snowing did bring down the visibility quite some. The heavy snowfall also made the skiing technically more difficult. Pretty heavy on the legs to make turns in deep snow. As I have never before skied off pist this was a new kind of difficulty and experience for me as well. Even if Saturday was a much better skiing day with absolutely perfect weather we still enjoyed a few good hours in the slopes Sunday.

We have a ski weekend booked when our Swedish friend E comes (that also came last year to ski with us). We will be trying out a different area of the alps when she comes this year. We are also planing on a ski weekend with some of our friends here in Basel in Chamonix in the French alps. Besides that we might well head for the slopes just for a day or so. This is one of the great things of living in Switzerland, being able to reach the alps within less than two hours. 

Today is a beautiful and sunny spring day here in Basel. Blue skies, sunshine and a temperature of about +10 C . Love that! A perfectly beautiful start to the week.