Hiking in Villars-sur-Ollon.

Last weekend, I took this winter hike in the mountains. (I wanted to go for a hike today as well, but, sadly, it was foggier where I wanted to go than here in Zürich. Thankfully, I checked the webcams before heading out, so I didn't ride the trains for hours just to walk in the fog...)

Anyways, last weekend I had a fantastic hike in the sun. The weather here can really get to you, as it is pretty much gray and foggy all the time, and the sun rises after 8 am and sets before 5 pm. So it's pretty much dark or darker all the time. Hence, the need for trips to the sun. Luckily, I chose a hike that was high enough to get above the fog!

The hike was pretty much up hill the whole way, which was actually pretty nice. (Easier on the knees, although it makes me feel old to say that. But it's true!)

I had gotten a late start, so I was a little nervous that I was going to miss my train. This meant that I totally booked it on the trail, and ended up doing the 3 hour hike in 2 hours, including all of my picture stops!

Speaking of picture stops, this hike marked a milestone. I totally forgot to bring my normal camera. It didn't even cross my mind. I had grabbed my iPhone, and I guess I've gotten so used to grabbing pictures with it that I don't even think to use the normal camera anymore.

At the end of the hike, because I was so early, I grabbed a lounge chair and sat in the sun for a while. It was fantastic!

After, I hopped on the train and happened to be by Lake Geneva around sunset. It was gorgeous! However, my train window was not.

This hike was really just what the doctor ordered- some time in the sun in the mountains!

Above the fog!

Skiing in Saas-Fee, the full post.

This past Saturday, I went skiing with my colleague Laura in Saas-Fee. We caught a 7 am train, which was a little on the early side for me, but Saas-Fee is 3 hours away, so we needed to have an early start if we wanted to ski at all before noon. The train and bus were pretty crowded with other people heading into the mountains for skiing. It has been so warm that there are not so many areas left with good snow, but Saas-Fee still had really nice conditions, with most of the runs still open. Saas-Fee is one of the higher skiing areas in Switzerland, and you can actually go skiing year-round on the glaciers here, from what I understand.

We were on the piste by about 11 am, and it was truly gorgeous. Sunny and warm (but not too warm), and the skiing was not too crowded. I never really had to wait at a lift, and it was easier to ski without worrying that I would collide with someone.

Laura is a better skier than I, so we parted ways for the rest of the morning. I stayed on a very nice, mellow blue run and tried to get the feel of skiing again, and tried to push myself to go faster, since I tend to be a nervous skier. I just want to stay under control, but some people have told me that it is easier if you're willing to go a little faster. So I was trying to go faster! I'm not sure whether or not it is actually easier, but maybe it's funner!

Laura and I had a picnic lunch in the sun, with a great view of all of the mountains, and then we took a gondola and a underground tram up to the top of the ski area, at 3500 m. The view was really amazing!

I didn't ski up there, as the runs were more difficult, but I found another really nice blue piste that went halfway down the mountain, and I started to get faster. In fact, I could almost keep up with Laura when she joined me at the end of the day!

Of course, then we had the last run of the day. I have decided that last runs are not the best idea. It's always the last run when something happens. Laura and I had decided to take a long piste all the way down to the village from the middle of the mountain. We got a little way down, past the point of no return, when the blue piste was closed, and our only option was a steep, narrow red run! Not only was it super steep, but it was the end of the day, so the conditions were not ideal. There were tons of other skiers making their last run, and the piste had turned to almost bare ice in parts, with mounds of icy snow in other parts. I really had a small meltdown. I knew that I had to get down, but I was a little paralyzed, and I couldn't convince myself to turn. I ended up sliding down sideways for a while, until Laura could encourage me enough to try to turn. I think I was mostly freaked out because I had not so much room to turn, and every time I hit a mound of snow I would lose control a little, and I was so tired that I didn't have the strength to push through the snow. Thankfully, Laura was patient, and we eventually came across an open blue run for the rest of the way down the mountain, at which point I was able to collect myself and go a little faster. Oh, skiing.

Other than my little episode at the end of the day, I really enjoyed skiing at Saas-Fee. I think it might be my favorite ski area so far! Not a bad way to end the ski season!

Skiing in Saas-Fee!

(see full image)

View of the piste at Saas-Fee today. It was so nice!

Sent from my iPhone

Walking, Wine and Raclette in Valais.

My co-workers and I had a perfect outing yesterday in Valais. (Valais is the French name for the Wallis, where my parents and I vacationed in August. The valley is split approximately in half between French-speaking and German-speaking, so it has two names. Since that is not at all confusing.)

We have had a visiting PhD student, Flo, in our lab who is originally from Sion, a city in Valais. Her family name is Bonvin, which means "good wine" in French. As you might expect, her family make wine. Somehow we came up with the idea to organize a little outing to go for a walk along the valley to enjoy the vineyards in the glorious fall weather and then to do a wine-tasting at her uncle's vineyard.

Of course, somehow this small trip turned into an excursion for 20 people! Flo's uncle also offered to prepare a traditional Valais-style raclette in addition to the wine-tasting, so the trip snowballed a little bit into a larger production. Of course, it was incredibly fun and a really perfect day, thanks to Flo and her family!

Our group met at the train station at 07.45 on Saturday morning to catch our train to Sion. (I got to sleep in, compared to last weekend!) Since we were such a large group, we made a group travel reservation, meaning that there was a space reserved for us on the trains and that we were all able to sit together. Traveling by trains here is just so easy!

We arrived in Sion around mid-morning and met Flo at the station to start our hike. The day was a perfect fall day. The sky was clear, the sun was warm and friendly, the air was nippy, the foliage was changing colors and the mountains were out. (Really, I do promised that not all days are perfect in Switzerland. It just so happens that we've had a nice fall. Either way, I'll take it!)

Our hike went through Sion, up a hill and then along a ridge beside a canal used to irrigate the vineyards. There were vineyards above and below us, and we could see the mountains up and down the valley. Lovely!

We stopped for a picnic along the way. We had all brought our own little snacks, but Flo apparently had baked like a fiend the night before and supplied us with 3 or 4 kinds of bread with accoutrements and (naturally) some wine. After the picnic, we continued on and reached the end of the walk in early afternoon and were met by her uncle and his wife along the road. They drove us back to the vineyard, with about 12 of us sitting in the back of an open pickup truck.

Once we were at the vineyard, we sat down at a big, long table and commenced the wine-tasting. (We really did end up drinking wine from about 2 in the afternoon to 7 in the evening!) We started out with red wines; Flo's uncle would describe it in French, and then some other people would translate for us. Once the raclette started, we switched to white wine, since it goes better with cheese. Our meal and wine-tasting really was a family affair. Flo's aunt and uncle and their children were helping, Flo's parents and boyfriend showed up and various other people came and went during our party. It was really lovely to sit and chat with people, drinking good wine and overlooking the autumnal mountains. Flo's family were so incredibly hospitable and really made us feel welcomed and at home.

We also got a tour of the winery and some history of the vineyard, which was really fun. Quite a few of us ended up buying wine to take home, as the winery is small enough that the wines are not sold in stores. Our evening ended with a quick ride down to the train station and then a long train ride back. It was quite a long day, but really relaxing and super enjoyable!