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.

19.1.15 - Vaduz | Rapperswil | Zürich

Cold and sun at Lichtenstein to beginning a journey that, in a short space and time, would make me cross two countries, linking Vaduz - Lichenstein capital - to Zürich, Switzerland.
Some say that Vaduz is the most uninteresting capital of Europe. I fully agree. In the country - and in the capital, confusing one thing to another - breathes well-being and economic strength but it's all very grey. There is nothing apart from good homes and cars of the upper middle class.
Hill climbing to the castle by a dizzying road, close and felt like doing at high speed. "If it was Porsche," I thought ... And is not that past ten seconds had a roar of a boxer engine behind me ?! Shame not go at that Stuttgart wheel.
Then I headed to Zürich, choosing a national road: what wonder, what joy to view and mind.
The road followed the whole mountain, an up and down through icy hills, trees with ice stalactites, streams, people using the horse as a means of transportation and other with ski-background. A landscape of the more bucolic and endearing that may exist. How would say my Brazilian friends, amei.
Until Rapperswil stopped in several villages to take pictures because I wanted to keep track of everything of this.
After that the landscape has changed and came the big lake. What a feeling! All so clear, body & soul purifier.
In Rapperswil stopped the car and walked across the lake. I saw ducks, herons and woodcocks. Nature is present in the cities, not leaving invade, creating a perfect set.
The reach Zürich, the banks of the lake, I began to realize how fancy the city would be: dream homes, Ferrari stands, Porsche, Bentley, Jaguar, Aston Martin.
The town itself, after this cold and European California bath



, showed up in all its magnitude.
Zürich is a fantastic city, a bastion of European traditions in the financial world and this is reflected in the buildings, in culture, in stores, in people.
I walked by the lake and the old town. I went up to the uptown and down saw Wasserkiche.
I hope to return!

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".
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so and enjoy good times.