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mySwitzerland SEASON 2017/2018 8 Upgrade your Winter. SEASON 2017/201 Upgrade your Winter. SEASON Upgrade your winter: watch TV spot at MySwitzerland.com/ winter Welcome For me, there is hardly anything more beautiful than snow- flakes falling from the sky and covering the world in a thick white blanket. A snow-covered landscape is a source of great tranquillity, but also the stage for sports experiences that people look forward to all year long. Fantastic ski regions with superb pistes and magnificent deep powder snow make Switzerland the home of winter sports – in other words: back to the original ski resort. The mountains here are simply a little higher, the snow a touch deeper and the fun a lot greater. Treat yourself to this winter upgrade. I hope you have great fun and many happy moments in the snow and ice. Jürg Schmid, CEO Switzerland Tourism 3 Contents 10 20 Steep, Ice is steeper, nice Heitz More than snow: Switzerland’s best ice sport experiences A 28-year-old from Lower Valais is shaking up the extreme ski scene 44 5 4 Usbekia Ski-out Valeria Spa-in How Valeria Holinger From the piste to wellness succeeded in the male-dominated paradise in record time sport of Skikjöring 66 74 Happy To the snow birthday! The most glorious snowshoe tours in Pays de Fribourg Even after 50 years, the fascination of the Engadin Skimarathon is unbroken 4 mySwitzerland UPGRADE YOUR WINTER 36 Piste ahoy! Taking a boat to the piste? Only in Switzerland 5 8 The jibber 6 Snowflakes brothers 10 Steep, steeper, Heitz To the White Elements Snowpark 20 Ice is nice Grindelwald with Gian Simmen’s 26 Ice-cold figures sons Niculin and Florin 28 Posted: black ice 36 Piste ahoy! 42 Made-to-measure winter sports 44 Usbekia – Valeria 54 Ski-out Spa-in 58 The jibber brothers 82 64 School in the snow Bye-bye 66 Happy birthday! 74 To the snow routine! 82 Bye-bye routine! 84 Prix Bienvenu Winter Hideaways: the handbook to take away 86 Genuine summit encounters 92 From ski star to star architect 95 Useful information 5 Snowflakes: winter experiences Give your winter an upgrade. With these eight tips. From a toboggan ride to a fondue evening and from powder snow to thermal springs. What experience would 7 you like today? 4 3 5 1 6 8 2 2 1 Grächen, Valais Jaun, Fribourg Region FONDUE 6,000 METRES OF FUN WITH A VIEW Fun for the whole family at Jaun toboggan run. A culinary flight of fancy. Take First, head up comfortably on the chair lift, then a night-time trip on the unique shoot down over 6,000 metres on the tobog- fairytale cable car to the Hannigalp. Enjoy “fondue in a gan, dropping 500 metres in height. Away from gondola”, paired with Valais the ski slopes, through snowy forests and white wine, and a traditional pristine nature. Those who have worked up an dessert from the region. appetite can eat to their heart’s content at There is no nicer way to end a winter’s day. the Bärghus Gastlosen restaurant. graechen.ch la-gruyere.ch/jaun 6 mySwitzerland UPGRADE YOUR WINTER 3 Arosa, Graubünden NO FIXED BINDINGS Lift your heels, bend your knees – the old telemark Fixed-heel bindings are currently enjoying a comeback in Switzer- land. The elegance of turning with a raised heel is beyond compare and refines the technique for “normal” skiing as well. Top trained instructors will show you how to use these bindings – against the backdrop of the impressive mountain landscape of Arosa. Tele ho! skischule-arosa.ch 4 Pilatus, Lucerne-Lake Lucerne Region PANORAMA INCLUDED “2,132 possibilities above sea level” on Lucerne’s local moun- tain: the new aerial cableway, Dragon Ride, takes you to winter or snowshoe hiking and a wide range of other snow sports. pilatus.ch 5 Bönigen, Bernese Oberland EVERYONE ABOARD It doesn’t always have to be snow. Water is also fun in winter. A guided kayak tour on Lake Brienz offers a new perspective. High-quality dry suits will keep cold feet at bay. interlaken.ch 7 The best way to experience Switzerland: BY TRAIN, BUS AND BOAT One of many dream routes: through the winter Bernese Oberland from Wengen to Kleine Scheidegg. Sit back, relax and look forward to City break or winter sports? In Switzerland, a perfect winter holiday! both are possible! Your holiday begins with a comfortable From Zurich, Lucerne, Bern and Lausanne, journey by train, bus or boat: cosy, pleasant, you can reach the ski area in no time at all spacious. Allow your gaze and thoughts to for an unforgettable day on the slopes. With wander while travelling through Switzer- a Swiss Travel System Ticket, Snow’n’Rail land’s magical winter landscape. Travel with- will even give you a discount on your ski out a care in the world, and let professionals pass. Public transport can be used to get to handle your luggage. The outstanding lug- any Swiss ski region. Klewenalp and Rigi gage service will ensure it is reliably and can even be reached by boat. From the pier, carefully delivered to the desired location pistes, winter walks and scenic points are on time. You can then focus on simply just an aerial cableway or mountain railway enjoying your journey. trip away. Your perfect winter holiday awaits with a Swiss Travel System Ticket! Swiss Travel Pass – your ticket to everything! With the Swiss Travel Pass, enjoy virtually unlimited travel through Switzerland by train, bus or boat. It also gives free access to more than 500 museums and up to 50% discount on most mountain railways. Children under the age of 16 travel free with the Swiss Family Card when accompanied by a parent. The Swiss Travel System Tickets are only available to those resident outside Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein. More information at SwissTravelSystem.com/ticket 7 Zurzach, Aargau SWIMMING IN THE SNOW Even when temperatures drop below freezing, swim outside in Switzerland’s biggest open-air thermal bath: the water is 39.9 °C in the alkaline Glauber’s salt spring. badzurzach.info 6 Rueras, Graubünden SKI LIFT 8 WITH 3 HORSEPOWER Les Diablerets, Lake Geneva Region When Edi Hess attaches the harnesses to his horses, it isn’t for farming or a romantic carriage BLAZING RUN ride through the Surselva. Each Thursday from The speedy run through the night 2 to 4:30 p.m., he runs the most environmentally starts at the top, at Les Mazots. friendly ski lift in the world: the horse-drawn From here, 7,200 metres along a ski lift in Rueras near Sedrun. For young skiers, secured path, first through this is a very special experience as they can pet the romantic forest landscapes and then along the mountain the horses when they reach the top. ridge down to the village of biohof-edihess.ch Les Diablerets. villars-diablerets.ch 9 Winter sports: extreme skiing Steep, steeper, Heitz To call Jérémie Heitz just a skier would be a great understatement. The 28-year-old from Lower Valais goes down the steepest slopes quicker than anyone else: straight and at full tilt. Text: Christian Sidow Photographs: Mika Merikanto, Tero Repo, Jeremy Bernard 10 mySwitzerland UPGRADE YOUR WINTER 55° slopes like we have here in Le Luisin in Lower Valais are a com- mon sight. Before every descent, Heitz climbs up the mountain on foot, as this is the only way to really assess the con- ditions. 11 12 × sheer drops were featured in the film “La Liste”, including Ober Gabelhorn in Valais. With this project, Jérémie Heitz also hopes to honour his role models from the 70s. 120 kph – the top speed that Jérémie Heitz reaches down the Zinalrothorn. Good pre paration is not the be-all and end-all – good equipment in perfect condition and a clear head are needed too. 14 mySwitzerland UPGRADE YOUR WINTER 32 m is the height that Jérémie Heitz jumps down at the Breithorn. In a no-fall zone, where a mistake would be fatal, he skis with full concentration and lets nothing distract him. 15 Hello Jérémie, what made you decide to tackle the steepest slopes? I have always been drawn to the mountains. I think it’s in my genes, as my father was a mountain guide and my mother a skier. I have been skiing since the age of two. How did you start? First, I skied normally, but I wasn’t very good, to be honest, and also not very motivated. By freeriding I then dis- covered the wilder side of the mountains. I was immediately hooked. I assume you didn’t start on the highest peaks? No, no, that happened gradually. I only started going down the 4,000-metre Alpine peaks after I had gained some experience during the Freeride World Tour. What drives you? Curiosity. I couldn’t work in an office. I need to be outside, to travel and see the world. I am very eager to find out where else I can get to with my skis. Are you ever scared? Yes. But the fear stops me from being overconfident and reckless. *1989 Jérémie Heitz was born in Les Marécottes (Valais), where he still lives today. In 2015, he was ranked second overall at the Freeride World Tour. He skis for Mammut, Red Bull, Scott and Audi. 17 READY? GO! 1 3 2 6 7 9 8 4 5 15 10 12 13 18 11 16 17 14 MySwitzerland recommends completing an avalanche training course before skiing off-piste for the first time, checking the weather and avalanche reports and always skiing with a mountain guide when out in unfamiliar terrain.