14.2.15 - Glacier 3000

Postcard: a cozy village with cottages, caricatured shops, friendly people and a train that breaks slowly up the mountain. This is Villars, one of the locations hosting the resort that we chose to "attack" the Glacier 3000.
Unfortunately the Glacier 3000, due to heavy fog and snow, was closed. So I, Pi and Luca - an Italian friend -, to this resort with over 100 km of area, established as a strategy passing the maximum possible clues linking the three villages: Villars, Gryon and Les Diablerés.

With the sun peeking through the clouds and a deep snow, skied by excellent tracks, drawn through the various hills and valleys that make up the domain. We walked for wide and narrow lanes, more or less inclined.
Villars, went down by high speed slalom track that was mounted to a championship.
DeVillars for Les Diablerés, crosses a huge valley in teleski to then delicious clues for its curves and slopes take us to the village.
Access to Gryon was out for a sly track, very narrow and rough, I lost a stick and forced a walk that was not in the plans.
I saw many blind skiing with a guide. Heard the voice of command and there followed him down the mountain, at an average and not bother anyone speed. I noticed they had practice and, above all, attitude.
The final descent to the car, was to follow the line walks iron, crossing the tunnels and bridges, relaxing and enjoying the scenery.

13.2.15 - Bugnenets-Savagnières

Just 30 minutes from Neuchatel, at the Jura mountains in the Swiss Alps, I found the resort  which the Swiss champion Didier Cuche trained.
It isn`t a typical Swiss fancy resort and is far from comfortable. It has a restaurant and a coffee lost in the middle of a track. Could hardly find a place to rent skis and as mechanical, contain only teleski without chair. In the middle of the tracks, one barn and its friendly inhabitants: cows.
The man who rented skis, typical local, said the snow was hard, not being the best. I agree; but here we see that he was born to skiing and did not have to go to icy slopes and shaved tracks in Spain or, much less, go with a plastic bag for Serra da Estrela!
Bugnenets-Savagnières is a resort of pure downhill, with very very very fast tracks, of medium width, and with many bumps and tight corners, testing all the skier expertise. To get an idea, is only 30 km skiable but these, 20 km were of black and red slopes!
Cuche posters are all over the place, noting that the hill produces champions; and saw several kids to train for, maybe one day, be the Swiss representatives in the world downhill.
There is no aprés-ski but a bifurcation between a black track and two red enjoyed, a terrace, a reinvigorating sun, a vegetable soup, fries and a beer. A snack that cost only 17 euros!
A resort for those who like to ski, move quickly, without looking at the luxuries. A beautiful resort with a fantastic view at the top.

7.2.15 - Manzaneda

Life isn`t only St. Moritz and Lech - at least mine! - and I was pleased that, to remember the old days, I went to Manzaneda.
I opening a Nordica boots, green cabbage metallized, and I was excited!
Just a little over two hours away from Porto found a friendly resort for those who want a day of skiing. The accessibility is good, the difficulty is minimal and the atmosphere is familiar; inviting picnic.

There was lots of people and resources are reduced. As soon as we arrived, we purchased the skipass  and hve lunch. It would be noon and the bocadillo of jamon and caña learned for life.
Recomposed the stomach, until five in the afternoon, was a ski festival! Dropped a snowfall during the week and the snow was very good. We went up and down several times the mountain, exploring off-piste through the trees, walked quickly and slowly went to the snowpark.
Despite the little difficulty of the tracks, I felt three times and each of the three were "falls to the world championship." But guilt was not the boots, indeed!
The access to the car was for a track off that crossed a stream and reached the road. I could go down from a little way of snow, avoiding walk several hundred meters.
Since there is no aprés-ski, we stopped in a village to eat another Galician sandwiches before we drive to Porto.

20.1.15 - St. Moritz

Last day of this trip through Switzerland, Austria and Liechtenstein, passed under a melting sun and listening to David Bowie, Ena Pá 2000, Creedence Clearwater, among many others.
The initial program included a visit to the lake Boodense, the city of Bregenz and Konstanz.
However, St. Moritz also was "already there" and St. Moritz, for those who like skiing, is a mandatory spot.
St. Mortiz, for those who enjoy a certain lifestyle that is easily found in the 007 movies, or in magazines of international Jet 7, is a must.
St. Moritz, for those who like roads that go up and down around the mountain, lakes, 270º turnes, covered with snow and ice, is a real treat.
And I like a bit of all!
Since Friday I refuse to go to St. Moritz; but today I surrendered, I became the road and in good time went.

The city is the most fancy that there may be, full of boutiques with the best brands. Speaking of brands, top of the car also there are all, and tracks in the snow designed for the lucky customers can put their skills to the test on snow and ice. There is also a casino and hotels for which there is no description possible, beyond the houses of all millionaires.
The resort is brutal, with wide lanes, with a lot of slope, allowing breakneck speeds. Like yesterday it didn`t snow, the snow was compact on the slopes, helping to that effect. The off-piste are also any fantastic things.
With my Reuch equal to the Hermman Maier I was a champion of speed ... But when pass me a guy who had a Olympic Team Switzerland jacket i thought certainly he had an engine in the skis!
But as the city, everything else is outstanding: the ski lifts have an automatic shutdown, the bars serve Pommery and Mumm in icy flutes, service staff of the equipment, monitors and other people working in the office are to blush any professional.
Everything is done for the customer to return to St. Moritz.
To get an idea of ​​this holistic vision of luxury associated with the sport, I went up to the Piz Nair, the 3057 meters of altitude: a restaurant with a fantastic menu, with the best products and beverages, so that each one can take comfort from the ski day; however, barely out of the restaurant and within seconds was in Corviglia, the 2486 meters of altitude, in full Downhill track of FSI. It's unpriceless!
With all these memories, with a satisfied smile, as I am in Memmingen, to take the flight to Portugal. I want to return, not go out; but tomorrow is a day of work.

18.1.15 - Silvretta Montafon

Today the sun appear and the day had another glow.
Instead of yesterday, the Alps were opened in splendor and can observe the beauty of the mountains and valleys. Yesterday had felt but today I saw why they called "walls" to the Austrian ski resorts: the slope is such that the difference between a red or black is basically the width of the track. Blue and green tracks; whats that?
Silvretta Montafon is in the Top 10 of the best resorts. The village that hosts doesn´t have the glamour of other resorts but the tracks are top. The lift pass price and ski rentals are in the normal table of the Alps; that, in my view, the price / quality is much cheaper than other resorts.
In rental ski shop, by our faces and languages, we were the center of attention. When asked how was my ski, said "expert": they gave me a fantastic skis from Nordica, which were well explored throughout the day.
With the sun came visibility and with it the speed that can printed to ski: it was a return to the good old tight parallel, go with the hand to the floor, alternating between wide pistes with other narrower, with hooks that reminds the Turini, traded on slide heels. The snow was soft and allowed almost everything.
On returning to the car, to enjoy the most, went down the mountain by a red track. In its final, followed by an off-piste in the trees. I the middle of nothing, we found a tavern with a superb view, full of Austrians to hear a folk music and drink beer. We participate in the tasting, of course.
Then it was follow the trail out to the village center, crossing houses, backyards, and paved streets, like in a 007 movie.
Today was, as they say in my jargon, "on red line".
Do you want a day like this?! Contact Agência Parai

so and enjoy good times.

17.1.15 - Lech

A few kilometers separate the "Switzerland base" from the Austrian Alpine resorts.
The sunrise didn´t already occur but I and John were already driving: I as a pilot, with the John to charge the GPS notes and increased focus on the radar; heard on the radio the successes from Tendinha and Jamiroquai, remnants of the sounding board of the trip through Croatia and Bosnia. Lech was the destiny.
With the approach of the resort, white robe intensified, testing my snow driving skills. Not bad!
Back to skiing with John, returning to La Molina in the 90s, or the La Mongie after the millennium. During the day we remember huge things, laughing all day! (Yes Toli, you missed, but you were topic of conversation. If we had a Mojave, had seen much better!). For ten years of separation of the great resorts and has long wanted to return.

Lech was chosen to begin Snowtrip, being in Austria. - Much cheaper than Switzerland. Even so, the amount of Bentley and Maserati , I8, Mercedes F1 and other crown jewels per square meter, I wondered how it would be St . Moritz.
The ski was painful, a real time m * £ @% because the snow which was falling and we weren´t enable to see an inch in front of the nose.
Among suits and falls, I had goulash, sausage and chips for lunch, with a pint of Franciscan beer, by the price of a McMenu in Switzerland.
The après ski was powerful: Lech is a friendly village with wooden low houses, very typical with many cafes and five-star hotels, receptions of Mercedes, BMW and other luxury brands.