2020 / & Andermatt

Sunday, 1 March – Wednesday, 11 March Experience everything you love about the alps - long days of hard skiing, The concept brilliant blue skies and sunshine, immaculately groomed pistes, fresh powder, tumbles, fast skiing and exhilaration. Ski Buzz is an exciting concept Follow days on the slopes with après drinks, beer, wine and glühwein. Great in ski holidays for the passionate stories, banter and fun. Tomorrow rejoice as the sun rises over the mountains - a new day to do it all ski bum. again.

The Ski Buzz concept was inspired by the sheer exhilaration of sharing great skiing days with like-minded (and similar standard) mates; including partners, children, friends or new skiing buddies.

We invite you to join a small group of like-minded skiers to revel in a unique alpine experience on an escorted ski tour of two of Switzerland’s (almost) hidden secrets whist staying at The Leading Hotels of the World superb five- star accommodation. Behind the concept

Ski Buzz has been created by siblings Yvonne Verstandig and Daniel Burger. Yvonne and Daniel live in Melbourne, Australia and grew up skiing at Mt Buller most weekends. Family holidays during their youth were spent skiing overseas as often as possible and whilst at University they chased any job available in the snow.

Eventually careers and family took priority over life on the slopes and those carefree ski days became a distant memory.

Yvonne is co-founder and head of leisure at Executive Edge Travel + Events and Daniel is an architect and development manager.

Whilst Yvonne spent most of her childhood being tormented by older brother Daniel, their love of skiing has brought them together as adults with a mission to create the perfect ski adventure for like-minded passionate ski bums.

The experience

Ski Buzz 2020 will focus on two of Switzerland’s premier high-altitude mountains; with four nights in Flims/Laax, then transferring by train along the Glacier Express route for six incredible nights in the traditional village of Andermatt.

Immerse yourself in regional Swiss mountain culture and enjoy the unique local hospitality that Ski Buzz offers whilst staying at beautifulThe Leading Hotels of the World member hotels.

Ski with our expert local guides on long groomed runs and off-piste adventures. Relish the opportunity to develop your skills in light European powder*.

Ski Buzz is now offering its 10 night escorted ski tour departing Zurich on Sunday, March 1st and returning to Zürich on Wednesday, March 11th 2020.

An optional extra will be available to extend your ski safari along the Glacier Express route for an additional few days in Zermatt.

* Subject to snow conditions The itinerary Day 1 Day 2-4 Day 5 Sun 1 March Mon 2 March – Wed 4 March Thurs 5 March

Films/Laax: The Warm Up Enjoy 3 days skiing taking in Andermatt: The main event Transfer from Zurich to Flims. both Flims & Laax resorts Enjoy one of the world’s most scenic rail journeys Afternoon at leisure, walk the and travel along the famous village of Flims and prepare Glacier Express. for skiing. Afternoon at leisure, walk Welcome cocktails at The the village of Andermatt and and meet our prepare for skiing. local guides. Welcome cocktails at The Chedi and meet our local guides. The itinerary Day 6-10 Day 11 Extension Fri 6 March – Tues 10 March Wed 11 March Wed 11 March

Andermatt: The main event Transfer to Zurich airport. Zermatt: The Extension 5 days skiing Gemsstock, For those wishing to extend Gutsch, Sedrun and their ski safari continue we will continue by train Including off-piste, freeriding along the Glacier Express and ski touring adventures route to Zermatt for 3 days for the advanced and skiing under the famous relaxed piste skiing for the Matterhorn. intermediate skier. * Zermatt add-on excluded from cost of trip * Indicative itinerary only - Subject to change & reliant on weather and snow conditions * Off-piste, freeriding & ski touring is subject to snow conditions Flims/Laax

We kick of our ski safari ‘warm up’ in the resort of Flims which is connected to the villages of Laax and . The combined villages (typically marketed collectively as Laax or Flims/Laax) make up one of Switzerland’s largest ski areas, with 235km of connected pistes.

Flims/Laax offers vast terrain and long piste trails for all abilities and challenging off-piste skiing & freeride routes. The resort is also known for its monstrous snow parks and whilst it is a highly regarding snowboard paradise the vastness of the area means that our cousins create little impact for us real skiers.

Sitting beneath the glacier, 70% of the Flims/Laax ski area is at an altitude of between 2,000 and 3,000 metres and is considered to be amongst the most reliable places to find snow in the Alps.

We selected Flims as a great location to begin our safari due to its high altitude and expansive ski area. This will provide a perfect ‘warm up’ before heading off along the Glacier Express train route to Andermatt.

Oh! We forgot to mention, wait until you see the magical Waldhaus Flims hotel. Andermatt

Andermatt was selected as our ‘main event’ for several reasons; snow reliability, extensive groomed runs, challenging off-piste opportunities, charming village, location on the Glacier Express route, and not to forget the incredible Chedi hotel.

The SkiArena Andermatt-Sedrun is the largest ski area in central Switzerland which provides a great range of skiing from intermediate to advanced on 120km of pistes together with amazing off-piste areas. For off-piste skiing, the Gemsstock mountain is a freerider’s paradise, with steep descents and big vertical.

Andermatt is located in the Ursern Valley, where the mountain passes of Gotthard, Furka and Oberalp meet. Its location benefits from storm activity and snow dumps from all directions. Located at 1445m and the highest slopes at just under 3000m, there is always good probability of excellent groomed and powder skiing.

The village of Andermatt is small enough to get around on foot and has all the charm and beauty that you’d expect from a traditional Swiss village. It is quite a unique addition to our stable of resorts visited, providing a truly special ski buzz experience. The hotels Ski Buzz has selected two very special hotels for your Swiss ski experience. Both are 5-star hotels and are members of The Leading Hotels of the World, a collection of authentic and uncommon luxury hotels.

The Waldhaus Flims

Waldhaus Flims Alpine Grand Hotel & Spa, is an historic European hotel dating back 140 years, set in a fairy-tale forest sitting high above the village of Flims. Rooms are spread over three guest houses which includes the Villa Silvana, reminiscent of a colourful, quirky Wes Anderson film. The hotel has recently undergone a full renovation blending traditional charm with contemporary style.

There are four restaurants offering local gourmet cuisine, through to a Thai specialty restaurant and two bars for our apres-ski fix.

The Waldhaus spa includes an indoor and outdoor pool set amongst the stunning gardens with plenty of dry and wet saunas to choose from (and can even try a dip in the ice lake). The Chedi Andermatt

A stunningly designed chic hotel that blends a warm European Chalet style with an Asian Zen influence, The Chedi, a 123 room hotel will be our base during our stay in the quaint Swiss Alpine village of Andermatt.

Rooms are huge and start from 52 sqm with large picture windows offering superb views to the unique mountain landscape. The hotel has three restaurants including the 1 Michelin star Japanese restaurant with the most extensive sake selection in Switzerland. The Health & Spa Club at The Chedi offers a 2400 sqm wellness center, with a 35-metre indoor pool, an outdoor pool, steam rooms and saunas along with the latest state of the art techno gym fitness centre. Cost & inclusions

• Swiss Franc CHF 6,500 per person land package (Based on double share - single share supplements apply) • 10 nights in 5-star The Leading Hotels of the World accommodation in twin/ double rooms • Breakfast and dinners throughout • Ski passes • Ski guides for 8 skiing days • Training in powder and ski touring (subject to snow conditions) • Activities listed in itinerary • Welcome drinks at The Waldhaus Flims and The Chedi Andermatt • 1 x 50 minute massage (per person) • Experiencing the special charm of village life and unique insights with our fantastic local guides

*Alcohol excluded (other than welcome drinks) *Ski tour subject to minimum group size of 12 ski bums *Excludes Zermatt add on – price on application

Join the buzz If you are a passionate skier, looking for your an unforgettable ski adventure, join our 2020 tour.

Please contact Yvonne Verstandig on +61 3 9519 7777, +61 418 561 352 or [email protected] to learn about the Ski Buzz experience.

There are only limited places available for the March 2020 tour, so reserve your place as soon as possible to avoid missing out on this extraordinary ski journey. @skibuzztours