Tag Archives: Scuol

Posts from Base Camp

Travel Flashback – Summer trip to Switzerland (2006) – part one

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(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

In the summer of 2006, I took my wife on a whirlwind trip through Switzerland. I wanted to show her some of my favourite places in the “motherland”, but also wanted to have a summer experience in some of the places where I had been skiing. Because it was such a fast-paced trip, we didn’t have a chance to meet very many friends/family while we were there.

Schloss Tarasp – near Scuol. We climbed to the top and went on a (German-language) tour.

We took full advantage of our “SwissPass”, which gave us free train, bus, and boat transportation throughout Switzerland. It also gave us free admission to most museums. It ended up being a remarkable bargain…something you can’t often say in high-priced Switzerland. If only it included food too!

Near our hotel in Sent, Switzerland.

The only problem with the trip was the weather. It rained a lot, and even when it didn’t rain, we rarely saw the sun. We made the most of it, trying to focus on indoor activities when the weather was truly diabolical. And that is why there are no photos of Glarus, where we started our trip. The photo at the very top of this post is from our very overcast trip through the Bernina Pass – you can see the glacier at the higher altitudes.

Hiking from Scuol to Tarasp, Switzerland

I had been skiing in Scuol in March 2004 and March 2006. My favourite skiing experience there was a piste that led from the top of the Motta Naluns area to the nearby village of Sent. It was called the Traumpiste (“Dream Piste”), and for good reason…it is 10 km long! The piste is so long that you need to take a bus to get back to Scuol. Sent was captivating in winter, so I just had to see it in the summer. We stayed in a quaint and ancient pension called Pensiun Plaz, which had arched ceilings and was obviously built at a time when people were a lot shorter.

The grounds at Vulpera, near Scuol

We were lucky enough to be in Sent for the Swiss National Day (August 1). We joined the festivities in the town square, where we feasted on sausages and local beverages. Sent is a Rumantsch-speaking community, so we didn’t necessarily know what exactly was happening, but it still felt good to be part of the event.

A statue of Freddie Mercury has become a tourist attraction on the Montreux waterfront.

From Sent (in the extreme southeast corner of Switzerland), we reversed course and spent a long day travelling to Fribourg, in the western (and French-speaking) part of the country. The rationale is unclear, but that’s where we ended up. Fortunately, it gave us easy access to the charming city of Lausanne…which remains my wife’s favourite Swiss city.

Me demonstrating the Olympic high jump record (as of 2006)

Lausanne is the home of many international organizations, including the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It is also home to the Olympic Museum. At the front entrance, there is a high jump bar to demonstrate the current Olympic high jump record. In the photo above, keep in mind that I’m 6’4″ (1.93 m) tall and can just barely reach the bar.

Stay tuned for more from this trip!

Posts from Base Camp

Travel Flashback: Skiing in Scuol, Switzerland

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(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

As the countdown continues for my upcoming Swiss ski trip, I have found some more interesting materials in the archives.  This time, the pictures are from my visits to the remote Swiss town of Scuol in the winters of 2004 and 2006.

The narrow streets of downtown Scuol (2004)

There is something to be said for letting one’s destination be a bit of a mystery.  I didn’t know anything about Scuol (pronounced “Shkwoal”) when I arrived there in March of 2004 for a Swiss Abroad ski camp.  It’s certainly not a place that I would ever have selected on my own:  the ski area does not have an international reputation.

Taking a break on the slopes of Motta Naluns (Scuol, 2004)

But what a pleasant surprise!  Instead of being an international resort where English was commonplace, Scuol was located deep in the Rumantsch-speaking region of Switzerland’s Graubünden canton.  With its narrow streets, unusual architecture, and highly distinctive regional cuisine, it was unlike any other winter resort I had previously visited.  And it was literally at the “end of the line”:  the train could go no further.

Traditional ways in the village of Sent (2006)

As you can see from the photos, the lack of international visitors is no reflection on the skiing:  one of the pistes (the “Traumpiste”, or “Dream Slope”) continued for more than 10 km from the top of the resort to the nearby village of Sent.  The ski area’s vertical drop was in excess of 5000 feet.    And yet, we rarely encountered any other skiers:  everybody you see pictured on the slopes is part of the ski camp.

Getting ready for another long piste at the top of the resort (Scuol, 2006)

I enjoyed Scuol so much that I returned to the region with my wife in the summer of 2006 and celebrated the Swiss National Day in the village of Sent.  I hope to write about our summer visit in a future post.

I’m enjoying the slopes high above the treeline (Scuol, 2006)

It is always a pleasure to discover a place like Scuol that has avoided mass international recognition.  This is what we’re hoping for in the summer of 2018.   We usually plan these summer trips well in advance and, several months ago, thought that we had found a great destination in southern Africa.  We even bought a guidebook and had blocked off the provisional dates off in our calendar.  As far as we were concerned, it was just a question of booking the flights when the airfares hit the “sweet spot”.

Near our hostel in the old part of Scuol (2004)

However, travel does not take place in a bubble.  Due to a number of external factors, including the political uncertainty in nearby Zimbabwe, we reluctantly decided to put this destination on hold.   The timing just wasn’t right.

Ready for some skicross shenanigans (Scuol, 2006)

As a result, the search for our summer destination is once again underway.  Looking at the pictures of Scuol, my desire to go somewhere off the beaten path was affirmed:  not only are such places fun, but they are also highly advisable during the summer when prices and crowds are onerous in high-profile destinations.   I’m watching the airfares closely and will pounce on the next opportunity.   Stay tuned for the details!