When: 24/12/10
Where: Engelberg, Switzerland
Stayed: Ski Lodge Engelberg
Who knew that a mere 2 hours south of Zurich exists a wonderland straight out of the pages of a fairy-tale?! Streets lined with gingerbread houses, postcard mountainous backdrops, Fir trees dotted with fairy lights and powder snow so soft that you could drop your camera and never see it again. Completely surreal and the novelty didn’t wear off for the entire trip.
As if to welcome us, it started snowing the day we arrived in Engelberg. Not sure what it is about the snow but it always seems to add a little magic – a lovely little touch on Christmas eve in particular. The temperature gauge at the train station indicated it was a cool -5 degrees in the village which was somewhat comforting given how cold we felt. We were greeted at the station by our friends, Fi and Greg, who led us approximately 25 meters to our accommodation. With a view of Mr Titlis which could’ve passed as a painting out our window, the accommodation was nothing short of spectacular.
Being a Swedish run ski lodge, our Christmas eve played out in a traditional fashion. Herring 6 ways, cured meat of every description, enough cheese to harden your arteries, pickles, potatoes, cabbage, meatballs….the list goes on. Importantly, we kick started the night with Gluhwein. This was the first taste of a copious amount of Gluhwein to be consumed over the next few days. A shot of schnapps and we were right into the groove of a Swedish Christmas. A cracking way to start our trip.
Some say that skiing in Engelberg is akin to skiing some of the most difficult slopes in Switzerland. Information which would’ve been handy for Justin and I before we donned our skis and headed out onto the mountain. It had been around 5 years since we’d been skiing and unfortunately Mt Buller doesn’t really prepare you for the slopes of Mt Titlis. With visibility down to around 20 meters, snow steadily falling all day and the temperature dropping to around -10 degrees, by lunch time we’d well and truly set up camp in struggle town. The appointment with our ski instructor was the incentive for sticking around in the afternoon. Unfortunately his prowess as an instructor didn’t extend much beyond the snow plough (or wedge as he called it) so we resorted to skiing the only way we knew how – badly. The run home was incredible taking around 45 mins and capturing the beauty of Engelberg. We would do this run around 6 times over the next few days.
Day 2 brought perfect blue skies and sunshine and we ventured up the mountain with Greg and Fi a little higher to explore the blue runs. We quickly decided that the Swiss use the term ‘blue run’ very loosely in Engelberg (blue runs being the easiest runs). Taking around 20mins to get down one run and having to stop every few minutes to navigate the safest route down steep sections does not an easy run make in my book. Having said that, these runs were probably easy for those who were born on skis – as is the case for most Swiss people.
As such, Justin likened our skiing style down the slopes to that of a Tractor vs the Audi’s of our fellow skiers. Snow ploughing your way down the mountain while everyone else ‘joohzes’ around you doesn’t do much for the confidence. Add in the occasional fall on a blue run and it makes you start to query whether should just acknowledge your limitations and call it a day. We tried not to take the spraying of snow in our faces from the cruising Audi’s personally – although we were well aware of our potentially hazardous skiing on some parts of the slopes.
Despite our struggles we persisted and were quite pleased to upgrade to the red slopes on day 2. Unfortunately this coincided with the snow turning icy following another cold snap where the temperature plummeted to – 21 degrees… The saintly patience of Greg and Fi helped me down one section of the red slope. Justin wasn’t quite so fortunate in his efforts. The loud scraping noise of skis sliding across the ice, unable to get any traction is the stuff of nightmares for us amateurs. Fi and I turned back up the mountain just in time to see Justin careening down on his back, sideways, at a great rate of knots. My stomach lurched as I realized he was actually gaining speed and heading straight for another skier. We could only watch and wait for the pace to wash away while the tangle of arms, legs and skis free wheeled in the air. Over several Gluhweins that night the move was patented ‘The Jilla’. As Justin said, ‘there’s definitely more than one way to get down a red run!’ We also acknowledged that we were probably the only 2 people on the entire mountain who were capable of the The Jilla…
For 4 days we ate like kings, drank an obscene amount of Gluhwein to warm up, laughed at our inadequacies on the slopes and then did it all over again the next day. The food everywhere we went was outstanding including an introduction to fondue three ways at the Alpen Club – meat, cheese and chocolate. Pretty hard to go wrong eating in Engelberg – the only downside being the cost. We learnt pretty quickly not to do the math and just hand over the card.
All in all, an unfortgetable trip with great company and plenty of war stories to keep us going until the next ski trip.
Top 10 for Engelberg:
1. Skiing 3 days in a row when you haven’t skied for 5+ years will introduce you to new muscles
2. Further to point 1, try to avoid skiing the most difficult resort in Switzerland
3. Gwein doesn’t necessarily mean Gluhwein
4. If in doubt, ‘Sprechen sie Englisch?’
5. Don’t go to Engelberg expecting cheap food and wine
6. Wear thermals at all times
7. If all else fails, use your back as a sled to get down the mountain
8. Expect to be overtaken by 4 year olds on skis – leave your ego in the lodge
9. The balcony can double as a fridge
10. Doonas in Switzerland are exceptionally warm
Cathy & Justin Abroad 