Ski family Swiss Alps vacation report
Mar 3rd, 2008, 01:38 AM
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Ski family Swiss Alps vacation report
Dear fodories!
I'd like to share our recent trip to Villars-sur-Ollon, about 50 km from Geneva. For those who ever thought of going to Europe for their skiing vacation, here it is:
The skies were azure, the snow was sparkling, the setting was altogether gorgeous, and we enjoyed ourselves tremendously. DD1, DD2 and me skied as much as was possible within the regimented instruction boundaries. My DH who is not a big skier to start with, managed to pull a knee tendon literally within the first hour of the first day of skiing, after which any attempts to fake some sort of enjoyment of the activity became entirely futile. He contented himself with a bit of snow-walking, but primarily with free bar drinks mixed with sauna, hammam and swimming pool sessions.
He additionally spent a whole day sightseeing in Zurich in the company of two old friends. The four of us also went out to dinner with our good friends who live in a sleepy suburb of Geneva. Add in a trip to an indoor water park and an overnight in Reims on the way back, and the holiday ended up not being just about skiing.
The closest that we've ever been to a major North American skiing resort is Mont-Tremblant in Quebec, which normally figures somewhere in the Top 20 on the travel magazines' lists. We have never been to Colorado, Utah or British Columbia, having otherwise satisfied my limited skiing needs with Poconos and once with Vermont.
So, while I want to make a statement of the kind of There's nothing like skiing in Alps, it will probably ring hollow. And yet, I am pretty sure that an Alpine skiing experience is likely to leave a lasting impression on anyone who's done it for the very first time.
You clearly need nice weather for your skiing trip to be enjoyable, and we lucked into an entire week of bright blue skies, warm sun and no wind (funnily, the day of our departure started out very foggy and considerably less pleasant than the preceding week). You obviously need good snow on the slopes, as well, and there was a huge snowfall several days before our arrival. And last, but not least, you need gorgeous scenery. And the scenery in Alps is simply breathtaking.
Now, we were not at Zermatt or Chamonix or Kitzbuhel, but at a decidedly less glamorous Villars-sur-Ollon, which may figure in the Top 20 of Swiss resorts, but no more than that. And the fact that we loved it lends a certain inference to the notion of the aforementioned top resorts being so much more impressive.
Villars is an archetypal Alpine resort village, dominated by chalets, hotels and commercial enterprises that target skiing clientele (i.e., rental and repair shops, skiing gear boutiques, bars and restaurants). Quite picturesque. It sits at an altitude of over 1200 meters, reachable via a couple of narrow winding roads. For a person who does not drive on such roads habitually, it is a bit of a challenge to get to/from Villars, which contributes to the once-here-stay-here atmosphere. While we had little need for it, the village seemingly has all of the amenities for around-the-clock entertainment, including performances and the night scene.
The main skiing slopes "terminal", Bretaye, is 600 meters above the village, accessible via a train line. If there is one major drawback of Villars, it's this: The trains run no more frequently than every 15 minutes even during the peak morning hours, and take over twenty minutes to get to the top. You can spend upwards of half an hour just getting to the lifts. (There is an alternative route involving a bus and a gondola lift that takes about the same time, but deposits you at the top of a slope).
But once you are at Bretaye, the possibilities are endless, with dozens of lifts - button ones, t-bar ones, four-seaters, six-seaters, gondolas - and slopes of varying degree of difficulty (we kept mostly to the blue ones, although I went to red on the last day and I am sure that our DD1 went on more than one of those more advanced ones). For those interested in exercise but not in skiing, there are miles and miles of trails for snow-walking. For those interested only in scenery and relaxation, there are strategically positioned bars and chalets, most with lounge chairs facing the most dramatic - or most peaceful - landscapes. And if you have been skiing, then at the end of your session you do not have to get onto the crowded train again, but instead can take a long and leisurely slope all the way back down to the village.
We did all of that, to a degree, DD1 with the teen club, DD2 with the kids club, and me and DH with our assigned group led by a exuberantly mustachioed instructor, whose limited command of English was outrivaled only by his non-existent teaching aptitude. I still skied every morning and afternoon session with the group, having a lunch break every day at a mountain chalet.
DH did only two morning sessions, taking the train down the mountain after lunch; on two other occasions, he tried snow-walking with funny implements on my feet that are called raquettes, once on his own and once with an entirely French-speaking group. Because he had some spare time on his hands as a result, he also took a couple of aimless strolls around the village.
DD1 eventually got bored with her skiing partners and joined my group for the last couple of days. The fact that there was a friendly English-speaking boy of 16 in the group did not hurt.
DD2 had two skiing sessions every day as well, with a lunch at a chalet in between. This was only her second attempt at skiing, but by the end of the week she became quite proficient; certainly better than her father. For a couple of days she was really excited at the prospect of "ski school", having made fast friends with an English-speaking girl at her group. But the poor girl broke her foot in mid-week, and that put a bit of a damper on her skiing, as the rest of the kids were either boys or non-English-speakers... She still enjoyed it overall, I think.
And we all did. Truly, when the weather is perfect, the skies are blue, and the snow is sparkling, there is nothing like skiing - or simply being - in the Alps.
We had stayed at Villars palace at Club Med. Here is what my DH thinks about it http://burlaki.com/b2evolution/index...or_of_club_med
Here also his travel notes regarding our accomodation at the village http://burlaki.com/travelog/2008/02/...rland/#more-65
Feel free to ask any question and post commemt here or on our web
I'd like to share our recent trip to Villars-sur-Ollon, about 50 km from Geneva. For those who ever thought of going to Europe for their skiing vacation, here it is:
The skies were azure, the snow was sparkling, the setting was altogether gorgeous, and we enjoyed ourselves tremendously. DD1, DD2 and me skied as much as was possible within the regimented instruction boundaries. My DH who is not a big skier to start with, managed to pull a knee tendon literally within the first hour of the first day of skiing, after which any attempts to fake some sort of enjoyment of the activity became entirely futile. He contented himself with a bit of snow-walking, but primarily with free bar drinks mixed with sauna, hammam and swimming pool sessions.
He additionally spent a whole day sightseeing in Zurich in the company of two old friends. The four of us also went out to dinner with our good friends who live in a sleepy suburb of Geneva. Add in a trip to an indoor water park and an overnight in Reims on the way back, and the holiday ended up not being just about skiing.
The closest that we've ever been to a major North American skiing resort is Mont-Tremblant in Quebec, which normally figures somewhere in the Top 20 on the travel magazines' lists. We have never been to Colorado, Utah or British Columbia, having otherwise satisfied my limited skiing needs with Poconos and once with Vermont.
So, while I want to make a statement of the kind of There's nothing like skiing in Alps, it will probably ring hollow. And yet, I am pretty sure that an Alpine skiing experience is likely to leave a lasting impression on anyone who's done it for the very first time.
You clearly need nice weather for your skiing trip to be enjoyable, and we lucked into an entire week of bright blue skies, warm sun and no wind (funnily, the day of our departure started out very foggy and considerably less pleasant than the preceding week). You obviously need good snow on the slopes, as well, and there was a huge snowfall several days before our arrival. And last, but not least, you need gorgeous scenery. And the scenery in Alps is simply breathtaking.
Now, we were not at Zermatt or Chamonix or Kitzbuhel, but at a decidedly less glamorous Villars-sur-Ollon, which may figure in the Top 20 of Swiss resorts, but no more than that. And the fact that we loved it lends a certain inference to the notion of the aforementioned top resorts being so much more impressive.
Villars is an archetypal Alpine resort village, dominated by chalets, hotels and commercial enterprises that target skiing clientele (i.e., rental and repair shops, skiing gear boutiques, bars and restaurants). Quite picturesque. It sits at an altitude of over 1200 meters, reachable via a couple of narrow winding roads. For a person who does not drive on such roads habitually, it is a bit of a challenge to get to/from Villars, which contributes to the once-here-stay-here atmosphere. While we had little need for it, the village seemingly has all of the amenities for around-the-clock entertainment, including performances and the night scene.
The main skiing slopes "terminal", Bretaye, is 600 meters above the village, accessible via a train line. If there is one major drawback of Villars, it's this: The trains run no more frequently than every 15 minutes even during the peak morning hours, and take over twenty minutes to get to the top. You can spend upwards of half an hour just getting to the lifts. (There is an alternative route involving a bus and a gondola lift that takes about the same time, but deposits you at the top of a slope).
But once you are at Bretaye, the possibilities are endless, with dozens of lifts - button ones, t-bar ones, four-seaters, six-seaters, gondolas - and slopes of varying degree of difficulty (we kept mostly to the blue ones, although I went to red on the last day and I am sure that our DD1 went on more than one of those more advanced ones). For those interested in exercise but not in skiing, there are miles and miles of trails for snow-walking. For those interested only in scenery and relaxation, there are strategically positioned bars and chalets, most with lounge chairs facing the most dramatic - or most peaceful - landscapes. And if you have been skiing, then at the end of your session you do not have to get onto the crowded train again, but instead can take a long and leisurely slope all the way back down to the village.
We did all of that, to a degree, DD1 with the teen club, DD2 with the kids club, and me and DH with our assigned group led by a exuberantly mustachioed instructor, whose limited command of English was outrivaled only by his non-existent teaching aptitude. I still skied every morning and afternoon session with the group, having a lunch break every day at a mountain chalet.
DH did only two morning sessions, taking the train down the mountain after lunch; on two other occasions, he tried snow-walking with funny implements on my feet that are called raquettes, once on his own and once with an entirely French-speaking group. Because he had some spare time on his hands as a result, he also took a couple of aimless strolls around the village.
DD1 eventually got bored with her skiing partners and joined my group for the last couple of days. The fact that there was a friendly English-speaking boy of 16 in the group did not hurt.
DD2 had two skiing sessions every day as well, with a lunch at a chalet in between. This was only her second attempt at skiing, but by the end of the week she became quite proficient; certainly better than her father. For a couple of days she was really excited at the prospect of "ski school", having made fast friends with an English-speaking girl at her group. But the poor girl broke her foot in mid-week, and that put a bit of a damper on her skiing, as the rest of the kids were either boys or non-English-speakers... She still enjoyed it overall, I think.
And we all did. Truly, when the weather is perfect, the skies are blue, and the snow is sparkling, there is nothing like skiing - or simply being - in the Alps.
We had stayed at Villars palace at Club Med. Here is what my DH thinks about it http://burlaki.com/b2evolution/index...or_of_club_med
Here also his travel notes regarding our accomodation at the village http://burlaki.com/travelog/2008/02/...rland/#more-65
Feel free to ask any question and post commemt here or on our web
Mar 3rd, 2008, 02:07 AM
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We almost always stayed at the resort: they had different theme every evening and various entertaiment for any age and taste. There was an excellent Ski/Snowboad show one evening, other day were at the bar listening great performance of a young lady (she sang on at least 5 languages!), we even saw a stand up comedy (in French)!
Kids went swimming in outdoor pool with their friends and participated in shows and theater performances. You can book youself for massage (additional fee) or drive 20 min down for a Thermal bath experience in Lavey-les-Bains. We went for an indoor waterpark http://www.aquaparc.ch/, which is 30min drive. There is an adult only area that we enjoyed very much!
There was also classical misic concerts in the village...
Let's just say that we were never bored! And the food at the resort! Good thing that we were skiing all day otherwise I would gain ... pounds!
Kids went swimming in outdoor pool with their friends and participated in shows and theater performances. You can book youself for massage (additional fee) or drive 20 min down for a Thermal bath experience in Lavey-les-Bains. We went for an indoor waterpark http://www.aquaparc.ch/, which is 30min drive. There is an adult only area that we enjoyed very much!
There was also classical misic concerts in the village...
Let's just say that we were never bored! And the food at the resort! Good thing that we were skiing all day otherwise I would gain ... pounds!
Mar 3rd, 2008, 02:31 AM
#4
Enjoyed your report Matroskin, and I don't even ski (but I do love Switzerland!)
As an American expat living in Indonesia, I also enjoyed reading about your American expat family living in London.
As an American expat living in Indonesia, I also enjoyed reading about your American expat family living in London.
Mar 3rd, 2008, 02:39 AM
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Thank you for reading! We enjoy traveling and show our kids that there is so much more in the world than malls and DS! That is why we still on the expat side rather than being back in NJ!
Mar 3rd, 2008, 04:37 AM
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"<i>For those interested only in scenery and relaxation, there are strategically positioned bars and chalets, most with lounge chairs facing the most dramatic - or most peaceful - landscapes.</i>"
You paint a beautiful picture, Matroskin.
You paint a beautiful picture, Matroskin.
