Snowboarding in the Swiss Alps

Snowboarding...

I spent last weekend re-learning how to snowboard in the charming alpine town of Lenzerheide, two hours outside Zurich. It had been exactly six years since my last (and only previous) attempt at snowboarding so I was a bit nervous but I had a wonderful and patient instructor who taught me the basics and then shouted encouragement and advice to me as I gingerly picked my way down the mountain (thanks Peter!). There were brief moments of control (I can ride the heel edge of the board down the steeper parts pretty well) punctuated by spectacular wipe-outs (mostly in the flatter parts when I tried to pick up speed and inevitably caught an edge or fell over on purpose in order to avoid going too fast and flying off into the trees). The bruises and sore muscles were well worth it though. Being out on the mountain in that fresh cold air was so much fun and getting down the bunny slope multiple times on the second day without falling provided a great feeling of accomplishment.

Après-Board...

The snowboarding was great but after a few hours I was worn out. Which would bring us to meal time and/or the après-ski portion of the day. There were cute little bars and restaurants scattered along the various slopes serving standard Swiss-German dishes like wurst and rosti (which looked something like hash browns and could be ordered topped with cheese and a poached egg). Tasty. For après-ski there was gluhwein (mulled wine) and jagertee (tea with rum in it) among other beverage options. Lots of ski gear plus vigorous exercise actually made for rather warm conditions so many people preferred a cold beer as their afternoon pick-me-up.

Nightlife...

By 4 or 5pm we were ready for a well-earned nap. Dinner at 8pm was a five course meal in the hotel with the whole group (about 40 of us consisting of my work colleagues and their significant others), after which we adjourned to the hotel bar, then Nino's bar down the road, and eventually ended up dancing at a place called Cinema Club until about 3am. Most of the group duplicated this sequence of events on Saturday night as well but by that point two full days of snowboarding (and the dancing on Friday night) had really taken it out of me and I opted to go to bed early instead.

Après-après-Ski...

On Sunday Lara and I decided to take a break from the slopes altogether and headed to the spa. One of the nicest hotels in town had a hammam (Turkish bath) and we spent a couple of hours there alternating between steam rooms, hot baths, and the full-body application of mud masks and scented oils. Heavenly and just what my aching muscles needed. It was the perfect way to end a really lovely and fun alpine weekend. I definitely want to go snowboarding again soon!

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