(Zweisimmen, Switzerland)

After a stellar “biathlon” the previous day (see above for a photo from the previous day!), it wasn’t fair to expect another wholly amazing day in Zweisimmen. And while it had some fun parts, it’s not going on my all-time Traumtag list.

In the valley, it rained all day. It changed to snow once I got above 1300 m elevation, but most of it was very wet and heavy snow. And visibility was quite poor for most of the day. With wet goggles, seeing properly was even harder.

With that dim introduction, you might think it was a terrible day. But there were still some highlights. People weren’t skiing on the Rinderberg in the morning for some reason, so I was basically able to make first tracks in the fresh foot of snow that had fallen since the day before. And I kept doing that for at least 5 more “laps” of the upper Rinderberg pistes. The visibility wasn’t great, but it was good enough that I could focus on skiing through the fresh stuff.

Eventually, however, the ski schools arrived en masse and I no longer had the mountain to myself. I figured I would return to the St. Stephan slopes where I had so much fun the day before. Alas, the conditions were terrible. The top half was OK, but there is only one lift…so you must ski the bottom half too. The bottom half featured muddy snow that felt like sand…and stopped your skis dead in their tracks. It was grim. I only did the one run there – life is too short for skiing in mud. I couldn’t return to the Rinderberg without doing multiple lifts and low-elevation pistes, so I moved on to the Saanenmöser slopes.

Saanenmöser was better than St. Stephan, but even there I had to adapt. While there wasn’t any muddy snow, the warm temperatures meant that skiing anywhere “fresh and untouched” in the middle and lower sections would also bring your skis to a sudden stop. So I could only ski where other people had skied before. This goes against my skiing instincts, but the alternative was worse. And even then there were some invisible slow spots.

Lunch was a much-needed escape from all the rain and snow. I ate at the Hotel Restaurant Hornfluh. I ordered Älplermagronen und Suure Moscht: this is Swiss-German for macaroni and cheese (deluxe, with ham, two cheeses, and fried onions) and an apple cider. Once again, lots of carbs to get me through the demanding ski conditions!

By the end of the day, I was exhausted and soaked. Plus, my water bottle leaked in my backpack. As a result, my dry extra clothes were even wetter than the damp ones I was wearing. It wasn’t a very glamorous way to end the day. Nonetheless, I decided to focus on a sense of accomplishment for adapting to the many challenges I faced throughout the day. And nothing can take away those dreamy first runs in the morning when I had the slopes to myself!

Next: my return to Wengen!

(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!