(Gstaad, Switzerland)
It doesn’t get much better than this. The sun was shining, the slopes in the Gstaad ski region weren’t busy…what better way to start the morning than by heading to the Zweisimmen ski gondola station? No line-up: I walked right into a waiting gondola and began my ascent up the Rinderberg.
The top of the Rinderberg is around 2011 metres (about 6600 feet) high, so it’s not an especially high mountain. But it is still high enough to have a lot of snow cover even though the snow is gone in the valley. I started with some very enjoyable pistes on the back side at Parwengesattel, high above the village of St. Stephan. There was a lot of room on the slopes, so I could focus on my technique a little bit too.
And the good conditions continued, at least on the higher parts of the various linked resorts. Things got a bit wet and slushy on the lower elevations, but my ski posse knows that I usually thrive in those conditions.
For lunch, I stumbled on a rare opportunity: I could eat al fresco (in the sun) at a restaurant right beside the lower part of the slope leading to Oeschseite. So I grabbed a table, ordered a panaché and some pasta, and enjoyed my slopeside meal without my jacket on. Now this is what being on holiday is all about!
I spent most of the afternoon on the slopes above Saanenmöser, before heading back to the Rinderberg for my last pistes at the end of the day. Considering this was my first day of skiing in two years, I was really happy with how it all turned out. My boots still felt good despite the passage of two years, and the Swiss skis I rented (it was too much hassle to bring mine from Canada) were just right too.
So what could possibly make the day even better? How about adding another sport in the evening and turning it into an extended 12-hour biathlon? Well, believe it or not, I was able to go lawn bowling in the evening in Gstaad! I know – it’s winter. But there is an indoor tennis club in Gstaad where they can roll out some special carpets to permit indoor lawn bowling.
On top of that, I was able to play in a pairs match with the current Swiss Indoor Singles champion against the current Swiss pairs champions. They were wearing a lot of Swiss national team gear. I hadn’t played in 5 months, but they found a set of bowls in my size and I was able to find my groove very quickly. We bowled for nearly three hours.
It is remarkable how universal sports can be. We had really competitive games but we also had a lot of fun. And in addition to the guys who played, I met several other members of the club who came to watch or met us afterwards.
To cap off an amazing day, we adjourned to the curling club’s pub and enjoyed some pizza and beverages! It was great to talk about our common sports passions. They were fascinated by a Canadian lawn bowler who originates from the very same mountain valley that they are from. And I never thought I would meet fellow Swiss who played the sport too. All in all, a remarkable day!