And…the Skiing is on!
In these November days, the very first snow whitened the mountain tops of the Swiss Alps, an unmistakable herald of winter joys for both ski lovers and their hosts, so get ready, and…the Skiing is on!
Now that the first snow has come, it means that the brand new ski season is starting. And…the Skiing is on!
So gear up, and let’s hit the slopes! And…the Skiing is on!
Some winter resorts throughout Switzerland have already opened their doors to ski & snow aficionados. Switzerland is the epitome of skiing in Europe with its majestic mountains, vast ski terrain, picturesque alpine villages, and a lively après-ski scene. And…the Skiing is on!
Being home to enormous ski areas above 2,000 meters, the Swiss Alps are privileged to play host to a long ski season – from mid to late November till late April or so. The length of the season clearly varies according to climatic conditions, although choosing a high-altitude resort is a guarantee of even year-round fun. Start of ski Season
There is no mistake with Zermatt on the Matterhorn glacier, which operates over 300 days a year. One of the highest and most famous mountains in Europe, it combines world-class ski & snowboard terrain of 360 km of trails and a charming alpine town.
Another popular destination is Verbier, the main resort in Switzerland’s largest ski area – 4 Vallées. Situated in a natural mountain reserve, it comprises six resorts with 410 km of impressive ski runs and freerides routes catering from beginners to the very best world riders.
Known as the ‘Pearl of the Alps, ‘ Saas-Fee is a year-round open resort offering skiing on one of the largest glacier ski areas in the Alps, and the laid-back vibe of its traditional alpine village standing tall at 1,800 meters above sea level. Start of ski Season
And thanks to the enchanting surroundings between the shores of two lakes, Thun and Brienz, a traditional resort town Interlaken in the mountainous Bernese Oberland region of central Switzerland, was listed as one of the world’s ten best ski towns.
A brief History of Alpine Ski and Swiss participation
The Swiss Alps have seen skiing develop from a novelty for industrialists in the 19th century to a favourite pastime of skiers worldwide in the past century. And…the Skiing is on!
Even though skiing is considered a national sport in Switzerland, the Norwegians were the first to turn it into a common recreational activity – cross-country skiing and ski-jumping, in the mid-19th century and introduced it to the Swiss.
However, in the form we know it today, alpine skiing is, in fact, a British invention. At the end of the 19th century, upper-class Britons started to climb the Swiss Alps, searching for a new kind of amusement during the winter.
On these slopes, Arnold Lunn, a son of a travel agent who offered winter holidays in Mürren to wealthy British tourists, found an ideal terrain for his latest trendy hobby – descending a slope as fast as possible, acknowledged as ‘downhill only’. Lunn and his like-minded British and Swiss fellows started in 1911. to organize races and thus invented modern skiing. And…the Skiing is on!
Paradoxically, Alpine skiing became domesticated and rose to prominence in Switzerland due to the absence of international tourists during the First and the Second World Wars. That was when this winter sport discipline was popularized by the Swiss ski association, clubs and hoteliers to the local population and, subsequently, gained the status of a national phenomenon. And…the Skiing is on!
Interestingly enough, due to the new domestic tourist rush in the 1943/44 season, Swiss hotels reached around 90% of their pre-war occupancy rates. And…the Skiing is on!
In the post-war era, alpine skiing became a matter of a national identity for the Swiss.
Hitting the slopes is part of everyday life for many Swiss people who perceive themselves as a true ski nation. A study “Swiss Sport 2020” Sport Schweiz administered by the Federal Office of Sport on Switzerland’s resident population’s sports activities and interests showed that skiing is one of the country’s five most popular sport disciplines. Start of ski Season
However, just 35% of the population is skiing regularly, still significantly higher than other types of sport. After all, it is a sport like no other, the one that gets you up on the mountain with the sunrise to tackle pristine runs, filling you with a rush of adrenaline as you slide downhill in a whirl of white powder. And…the Skiing is on!
And today, after hitting the slopes, immerse yourself into a heated pool or lose in the hydromassage to warm up tired muscles and wind down any ounce of stress you didn’t shake on the slopes. Start of ski Season
Welcome to the winter wonderland, Swiss-style.
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