Some thought we were crazy to go snowboarding in Switzerland the first weekend of November with a forecast of 0°F (-18°C) and 25mph (40km/h) wind, but that doesn't stop two hard core snowboard chicks like Chiara and me! On Saturday, my brave partner in crime, Chiara, met me halfway between Lausanne and Belinzona for an early season snowboarding weekend. She and two friends picked me up in Visp, and we made our way to snowboard two ski resorts open year round, Sass Fee and Zermatt. Chiara came prepared with an extra pair of long underwear, fleece, ski socks, coat, pants, goggles, beanie, and boots and dressed me in the car (Chiara is a good friend, indeed!). She also lent me her 154cm snowboard. It was about 10 centimeters too big and loads stiffer than my board back home (but free)--which reverted my snowboard skills down to a sloppy level 4. She, too, was handicapped, as she rode her sister's 157cm board with no edges on somewhat icy terrain. That was our first day in Sass Fee, the day Chiara and I bruised our thighs on crotch wrenching T-bars and looked like beginner snowboarders on the hill. :P
(Pictured: Views of crevasses in the glacier at Sass Fee)
(Pictured: small avalanche seen from the lift line)
Day two went much smoother. Chiara picked up her skis for a change, and I rationalized rental equipment. My legs, which suffered a bit from the damage done the day before, burned a bit in my beginner Burton boots with built-in forward lean.
We hopped on three humongous gondolas / cable cars--the Glacier Express carries a hundred people per car--before reaching the top. Zermatt, the the southernmost ski resort in Switzerland (which also easily connects you to Italy by snowboard in winter), is at 12,739.5 feet (3,883 meters) high. My jaw dropped when I saw the view. Wow. It was beautiful (and a beautiful day too, despite the bad forcast). The scenery was so different than Vail. The ragged and sharp rocky peaks of the Swiss Alps were far from the tree covered mountains back home. One cannot say which one is better, but the only word I can use for comparison is "different." 
(Pictured: Views of some steep chutes in Zermatt)
All day, we had excellent views of the Matterhorn, Switzerland's most famous landmark (and key icon from the Swiss chocolate bar Toblerone). It stands 14,692 feet (4,478 meters) above sea level. 
(Pictured: Trails covered at Zermatt during this early weekend in November)
(Pictured: Juliana Hotel, Juliana and the Matterhorn)
We had a fun drive home. We drove from one Swiss canton, Valais, to another, Ticino, passing through the Cento Valli (hundred valleys) road in Italy. We didn't really cover one hundred valleys, though we did do over a hundred sharp switchbacks as if we were on a sick amusement park ride. Anyone who is the least bit motion sick or hungover should NOT attempt to drive on this road! The cool part is that I have crossed the Swiss-Italian border eight times on this trip!
(Pictured: No cars are allowed in the town of Zermatt)
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