Last Saturday was the changeover of the Geneva canton schoolkids winter ski break to the Vaud canton schoolkids winter break (for those that are wondering: A. Cantons are like States in America, think of Geneva as Wisconsin and Vaud as Colorado if it helps, B. Instead of a Spring Break like the kids get in America where parents reluctantly drag their children to sunny beaches, the Swiss spend a week skiing in the Alps, C. Not really instead of Spring Break, but more like in addition to Spring Break as they still get a week off around Easter, D. FYI - School lets out the last week of June/first week of July). As a result, the slopes this time of year are absolutely packed with an entire state's worth of people...so if you wish to go skiing in February, your only shot is to go on a changeover day (which is always Saturday).
We opted for Les Portes du Soleil (or the Gates/Doors of the Sun in English) as this resort area is made up of 12 different ski villages, roughly half on the Swiss side and half on the French side of the mountain. One simply picks a village, and then skis to the remainder utilizing chair lifts to get to further and deeper into the Alps. The day was overcast, and it snowed on-and-off most of the day which made for challenging conditions as there weren't any shadows...for those that don't ski this makes it very difficult to know if you are about to go over a steep drop or hit a big bump as everything just looks white (apparently there are special colored ski goggles for this purpose, but we're too cheap to have more than one pair). We basically had to ski slowly all day, but we still had a great time as the snow was very nice and powdery. We only skied on the Swiss side as well due to the conditions (as well as it is about 20 CHF cheaper if you just ski in one country, versus ski on both sides of the border).
The only negative aspect of the weekend was I somehow managed to pick up a virus of some sort which forced Alli to tend to my pathetic whining for the remainder of the weekend and through Monday as well (she took the day off cause she loves me, and because I got her sick too...although somehow she was only sick for a day, and I was sick for like three...must be easier to get over being sick when you can't afford to miss days of work, sorry Medtronic Switzerland, you will be getting sick in the next several days. Stock up on Gatorade)! Although I am still feeling some of the after effects (mostly dehydration), I can't wait to get back on the slopes (just not until March when it is less crowded).
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