Swiss Snow Trip ~ January 2025

Heads up before wheels up on your way to Switzerland… 1. Bring your fave water bottle because you can fill up at hundreds of charming water fountains around Zürich and most other towns and cities. And normal tap water is safe to drink anywhere as well. 2. Transport of most types is clean and comfortable, may be a bit crowded in cities, not too wild, and runs like a clock, which the Swiss also do quite well. 3. Do your calorie counting up until you land, ’cause all bets are off, as there’s no end to the gorgeous and irresistible bakeries, chocolateries, and fondue and raclette eateries all around the country. 4. Sleeping… If you like sleeping in 72-75º under a cozy down comforter, you’re good to go. Otherwise, bring your summer jammies, ‘cause those thermostats are stuck on ‘sauna’.

Moving on, you’ll most likely fly into either Zürich or Geneva, and depending on your plans, whisk straight away to your first stop, a village to explore, a scenic train ride, or maybe anxious to get to your ski resort and let the schussing begin.  But Zürich is such a beautiful city, steeped in history, with gorgeous displays of architecture, palaces, museums, churches, and one of the most exclusive shopping avenues in the world on Bahnhofstrasse… it really deserves at least a day.

And so I arrived a day early, before the tour began with an itinerary prepared by Suzy, owner of Adventures for Solo Travelers, based in the U.S. Wanting to get a head start in Zürich, I took the train, conveniently located at the airport (as was the hotel), a 10-minute ride into city central, and self-guided through a maze of streets and along the River Limmat as the sun set and lights came on, with many small inviting shops along the narrow riverside passageways. I met the other ladies the following morning and we took in the city again and dined that evening on traditional fondue and a wonderful new dessert for which I am gathering ingredients as we speak. Pear Sorbet & Schnapps.

Day 2 - Coach to Lucerne, a quaint town with well-preserved medieval architecture, the old town, city walls, and bridges, most notably the Kapellbrücke (Chapel Bridge), (I read) the most photographed monument in Switzerland; a 669-foot covered wooden footbridge over the River Ruess, dating back to the 12th-century, and truly picturesque.

Then onward for an hour and half drive to Grindelwald, an idyllic Swiss village embedded in a unique Alpine landscape, featuring a comanding backdrop of the Oberland Trinity; Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau mountains. A winter sports playground, e.g. hiking, ice wall climbing, skiing (of course), cable cars and gondolas, the First Cliff Walk by Tissot, zip-lining, bobsledding, paragliding, bungee jumping, base jumping and wingsuits (both dangerous), and sledging (we need to talk = ).

Three nights at the Romantik Hotel Schweizerhof, a 5-star stay with traditional elegance, lovely rooms with windows that open (Yay! Sleep tight = ), and delish breakfasts. This weekend Grindelwald hosted the ‘World Snow Festival’, featuring international artists competing for the Best Carved Snow Sculpture. The name conjured up a slightly grander event than it was, but for me the evening was quite amazing, in that I ran into my son’s father-in-law. More fun was texting a photo of the two of us to my son and his wife, without any words. Truly serendipitous and very much fun.

Day 3 Morning, find the bus to the base of First Mountain, take the gondola up, passing the first two stations and disembark at the station called ‘First’. Then, either attach skis to your feet or hike your way up to the Cliff Walk by Tissot, which is what I opted for since I hadn’t schussed in 20 years and would rather go home in shoes than a cast. But maybe that’s just me. Glorious weather, sun, and temps in the 30s, the walk ends in a viewing platform that extends 45 meters over the void with sweeping views of the Alps and valleys, and a restaurant and bar… pure Swiss vibe coziness relaxing on the sundeck, apéritif in hand. There is also a glider and a flyer to take rides on; I did the glider, much like a zip line, not very long, but a bit of fun.

Disclosure: It is my assertion/argument that when a person offers/writes a review on a particular activity, tour, trip event, he/she must state their age, male/female, fitness level, and if they are now or have ever been an Olympian; my favorite example of this being ‘Mountain Gorilla Treks in Rwanda’, which was fairly understated compared to actually doing it (twice!). So, this writer is a Grandma who enjoys baking, leisurely walks by the sea, and fireside chats with cats*. So…

Let’s talk ‘sledging’, similar to sledding. We walked to the local sled store to get fitted for helmets and to pick up our sled, which we carried to the train station, and rode from there to a shuttle train to take us up to the start of the run at Alpiglen.

Here’s the overview from the internet: “Sledging on the Eiger Run refers to a thrilling sledding experience down a dedicated track located near the iconic Eiger mountain, offering stunning views while you slide down a slope with a significant gradient, covering a distance of 3.5 kilometers (2.2 miles).”

Except we did it at night (and without signing any waivers!), and though portions were lit, many turns and curves were in darkness (see the video on my fb page). We were supposed to be wearing headlamps, but apparently our guide either forgot to bring them or forgot to hand them out. Also slim were the instructions for us newbie racers. The sleds have no steering function, you ‘steer’ with your feet and body, holding onto a cord. That’s fine if some version of this sport is already in your repertoire of activities, or you’re simply young, athletic, and don’t care if you careen madly off the side of a mountain. Makes for better après ski stories I suppose. I asked the guide if there are any cliffs, he replied no. But if you slide off the trail, the only way is down, onto various grades of snowy slopes, and lots of trees. AND, the faster sledders that approach from behind can easily run into you. And if you approach another sled and anticipate passing them, it may not help to yell “on your right! (or left):” since they may not understand English. So there it is, know before you go, have fun, and after all that, I lived to tell, but didn’t go back for seconds.

(Re: the photo below has been lightened, but it was actually so dark I could not see anything beyond the edges of the sled trail.) Our group leader, Deanna, took a video of the sledge run with a GoPro and headlamp on her helmet on her second run, so check it out with the link at the end of the post, and watch the whole video, as parts are dark and don't really show the trail.

Day 4, What a day it was! The plan was to make it to The Top of Europe, Jungfraujoch, and a few of us did. But 40,000 other humans were also making their way up the same mountain, just another stop on the same route, to the World Cup Ski Downhill Race on Lauberhorn mountain. The wide corridor of the gondola station was quite the party, 20 persons wide (many already getting into the ‘spirit’ = ) and a mile long, winding through the corridor, into the car park, and back up again, to board gondolas… 10 persons at a time. So after a bit of a pow wow, 3 of us broke off, pushed our way against the tide and chose a quieter path. Our guide, Laura, knew the area well and suggested a visit to Gimmelwald and Mürren, two villages made popular by Rick Steves’ Europe episodes. We exited the train and joined a small gathering of folk near a cliff wall, eyes to the sky, and enjoyed the Swiss Air Force show celebrating the first day of competition of the World Cup Ski Race. We had the most relaxing time at the Mountain Hostel in Gimmelwald, a rustic, off-beat, traffic-free village hanging on a cliff high above Lauterbrunnen Valley, pure Swiss Alps vibe.

Day 5 takes us up to Col Du Pillon and Glacier 3000, in Les Diablerets, which we reached by taking two gondolas to an altitude of nearly 10,000 feet, complete with frigid, blustery winds, but a mix of clear skies and billowy clouds for atmosphere and fine photos. Besides the 360º breathtaking view of the Vaudois Alps, and those in the distance, the main draw is the Peak Walk by Tissot, the only suspension bridge in the world that links two mountain peaks! With clouds in the distance, I was still able to pick out Mont Blanc, but not sure about the Matterhorn. We also walked on the designated path on the glacier, though it’s really just like walking on a snow field.

After lunch we made our way back down and to our coach for an hour ride to Monthey and a bit further to Whitepod Original, where we’d have two nights at this “eco-luxury” stay. Upon arrival they took our bags, made sure they were all name-tagged, and began the introduction and procedures; how to regulate the pellet stoves, how to contact via cellphone or walkie talkie, gave us a backpack with a headlamp and pages of instructions, a map, and then looked at our feet, to make sure we were fitted properly to make the trek up to our pods (what?!). They also had large clumsy crampons (think Frankenstein) for our boots if we preferred, but we all just grabbed ski poles for assist. Pretty sure the others were as surprised as I, and we wondered how this would be handled had the group consisted of twenty or so guests where at least a few might not be able to handle the hike on uphill roads and slippery ski slope. Uber to town perhaps, or definitely, I can imagine.

As I look back to just a week ago, I thought to read a bit online for descriptions, reviews, and laughed aloud as I read… “Some Whitepod locations might provide luggage transport assistance, especially in winter conditions.”

Every one of us had a checked bag, a carry-on, and some sort of small backpack. Clearly, dragging these uphill on roads and a ski slope would be impossible, hysterical, and ready for prime time internet reels. They did transport our bags, and we trekked up for about 20-25 minutes, depending on how far up our pod was.

The pods are heated with a pellet stove, which mine was stone cold when I unzipped the tent flap and entered, but was nicely heated when I returned after dinner. But that may also have been from sweating my way up the hill. The pod, however, is lovely with comfortable bed and large bathroom, but be sure to close the shower door before you turn the water on or else the ‘special’ shower head will whip around and spray the entire room. The ‘eco’ designation in the name does suggest that you will be giving up some things during your stay, like enough light to apply makeup, or even find an item in your luggage without a headlamp on. And the ‘luxury’ designation in the Whitepod description might be a bit overstated. All in all, we did fine, even with a senior grandma in the group (me). But I would suggest to anyone planning a stay at Whitepods to do your research and read plenty of reviews, not just the ones with 5 stars, and for summer as well, for according to one review I read, some pods have no AC and heat up like a steamy greenhouse, and comments about how awful to have to drag up your own luggage on muddy slopes or uneven trails of woodchips. Yikes. So caveat emptor to keep your travels happy.

Didn’t mean to carry on so, but I guess it just spilled out of me. ANYhoo, Day 6 was spent on the road again, in buses and trains, as bucolic storybook towns and countryside whisked by, as we headed west to the lakeside town of Lausanne, known as the “Olympic City” because it is the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee. Just don’t go on a Monday since the Olympic Museum is closed, so we strolled the city, had lunch, and made our way back to the now infamous pods.

Day 7 - Last day at the pods, sunrise over the mountains from the pod was beautiful. All packed up, I dragged my bags outside and let them roll down the ski slope. No, they picked them up in the snowcat. I made my way down for a most yummy breakfast around 7:30 (breakfasts were the best meals of the day here). Then a short coach ride to Salines de Bex, a fascinating tour of the underground world of salt extraction in the Alps since 1684. First you have a seat in the teeny railroad cars that usher you into the labyrinth of tunnels and workings of this intricate and elaborate industry. The guide explains the various stages and processes, and I believe it is far more complex than most would guess. Highly recommend this tour.

Back on the roomy and comfortable coach to Zürich for a walking tour with an engaging guide through the city’s back streets and notable highlights and up to Lindenhof Park for a wonderful high view of the city and river. Bye bye to Zürich, back to the hotel at the airport, walk over to the underground shopping area at the airport to grab a light dinner and finish shopping at Migros for a stack of chocolate bars to bring home. Back in my room, I pack my bags, stuffing breakable gifts into thick socks, say a little prayer over them, for no bag hath weathered the wrath of a cranky baghandler.

And that was that, a few bumps along the way, but no broken bones, no colds, just an amazing week in one of the most beautiful countries on this Big Blue Marble We Call Earth.

Ps. Check out Adventures for Solo Travelers (since 1989) for trips around the world, with accomodations, sites, and events curated by owners Suzy and Terry. Read all about it on their website, I believe the new trip list comes out early October every year, and they fill up fast!

*Besides being a Grandma, I’m a wildlife photographer and scuba diver and travel the world (all 7 continents) to photograph animals above and below the sea. I also have a portrait studio on Long Island, NY, since 1984. 

Website: junejacobsen.com

Facebook: June Jacobsen Photography

Instagram: June Jacobsen Portrait

Following is the video taken by our group leader, Deanna, on the sled run, with a headlamp on.

Eiger Sledge Run