ICS Ski Club

It's tough to live abroad in a non-English speaking country. There are a lot of days I get frustrated translating mail, understanding the culture (and the many Swiss "rules"!), or hunting for an ingredient that is readily available at home in the States -- but a lost cause in the local grocery stores. Sometimes I just sigh loudly and say, "This would be so much easier at home!"



Then there are days like yesterday. Mid-week skiing. Gorgeous blue skies. Looking at a sea of clouds below the white mountain peaks. Those are the days you just have to sit back and say, "Yeah, life doesn't get much better than this!"



Yesterday, was my first outing with the Parent Association's Ski Club. Six of us got our kids to school and then headed for the slopes. We skied Flumserberg which is just about an hour away. It's crowded on the weekends, but the slopes are wide open mid-week.





It's been foggy and gray for days in Zurich, so it was fantastic to actually see the sun again! We were able to ski for 3 hours. Then, we turned in our lift tickets for a half-day credit back and enjoyed a quick lunch before heading back to reality and school dismissal.

Unlike ski resorts at home, pretty much anything goes on the slopes here. You'll often run across toboggan riders, dog walkers on snowshoes, or snow bikes. Yesterday, we got to watch a couple of para-gliders take off and enjoy the afternoon sunshine.



This poor guy didn't get off on his first attempt, so we watched him gather up his parachute, hoof it back up the hill, and try again.

Now I can't wait for next Tuesday to hit the slopes again!



Ironically, one of the best parts of the day was when I crashed and tumbled a ways down the mountain. Last year, I spent the year skiing very conservatively and protecting my knee. I severed my ACL the previous year skiing, and I really don't want to repeat the experience. Well, this year I've got my "groove" back and I've picked up speed, but I hadn't had a bad crash yet. It was actually a relief to take a crash at "full speed" and realize that it really isn't a big deal.