The Problem with Zermatt is...


It is a true test of your character walking past these bakeries... and not just one... there are several between here and any destination in town. 

I have been pretty good, but of course, Switzerland is FAMOUS for its chocolate... so of course, you have to sample it, right!

These bakeries are very tempting :)

Cheers, Troy



The Matterhorn fitness test

When at the Matterhorn, why not try the fitness test, how hard could it be.  Well, Ruth's mountain bike rides are nothing compared to his... HR maxed out for 50 min.  Straight up a hill at 50% grade... which is so steep you have to grab trees to keep walking up.

Anyway, the pain was worth it, at the top was probably the nicest restaurant I have been to with deck chairs that look up to the Matterhorn.

Today was a training day.  The lift lines were horrendous!  It took us about 1:20 hr to get up and 1:50 to get down from the mountain... not fun.

Did some interesting research on the hill looking at the recovery rates of mogul skiers in between runs.  Found that some athletes are better than others.  So we're gonna try a bunch of stuff to try and accelerate their recovery.  Should be fun.

Ruth is sending photos of her and Matilda having fun back at home.  Seems like Matilda is pressing Ruth's buttons and running the house.  :)

Ruthy, here is another map... this one is the ski map of this place.  Pretty impressive! 

Gotta Run!  More updates to come!




The Matterhorn is defeated

I am currently in , Switzerland.  Today I ventured up the hill with the Moguls team.  It took 3 cable cars to get up to the top... it was at 12800 feet and I must admit it was so high I felt dizzy!

I was skiing with the team on the back side of this guy.  It was pretty amazing.  Thankfully this year there is not much ice, so I managed to not hit the deck in front of the whole team.  The Australian ski team arrive today also, so that should be fun.

So, I consider the Matterhorn defeated!  Skied it.  Done it.  :)

Zermatt is a small town in the valley at the bottom of the hill.  It is particuarlly pretty with lots of cows and cow bells.  Just over the back of this hill is Italy and France.  In fact, when you go up one of the lifts you actually ski from Switzerland into Italy and back again.

I ventured into town to scout out the supermarket today.  There is no doubt the food is expensive, but amazing quality and diversity.  Lots of Swiss stuff.

Ruthy, I have put in a map, because I know you love maps!

The cable car was packed with it seems like hundreds of people.  At least nobody lit up a cigarette today!

Tomorrow is a day off and there is a hike planned.  Seems like it might be to the top of this guy in the background.  Well, no, but something similar!  Wish me luck (it is high altitude here!)

Better go get some rest, more updates to come! 

Troy