Shredding the Alps

Not a whole lot to report from this day. Simply put, we had a fantastic day in the mountains. We'd rented pretty good gear the previous night and got a ride to the cable car from the owner of our hotel. The day started out bluebird and stayed that way just long enough for us to get a few good pics of the mountains that appeared to stretch forever in every direction. Then the clouds rolled in. The visibility was pretty low for the rest of the day. We still had a fantastic time. It was a little difficult after only three days of riding this year to keep up with Liz and Jason who were coming off an epic year of snow at Mt. Hood, but we were all wiped out after eight hours of skiing.

A Typical Scene

When we returned to our hotel to gather our car, we were informed that many of the passes were closed because of the weather. We had to take the train tunnel to the other side. This involved driving the car on to the train and then through the tunnel...a new experience for all of us.

Italian Alps

Jason was hell bent on staying in Pontresina. Thirteen years ago he came to Pontresina with his school band and stayed for awhile and performed. He has really fantastic memories of the experience. Sadly, the weather was so socked in that we weren't able to see the scenic beauty of the area. We made it to Pontresina which was a nice town with lots of expensive hotels. Many were closed anyway...even the youth hostel wasn't open. We finally got the advice to go to the nearby town of Samedan where there was a bed and breakfast for a somewhat reasonable rate. We returned to Pontresina for dinner and this restaurant was fantastic, they even served fondue. But by the time we arrived (after 9) fondue wasn't available anymore. Still chicken and risotto was a nice switch from the pasta of the two nights before. As we ate, snow began to fall, covering the whole area in at least a half foot of snow by morning.

Lago di Como

Liz and Me

Pushing the Car out of the Snow