Chris has been pulling some pretty lengthy hours lately, so this past Sunday, we decided to blow off some steam by taking a day trip to go skiing in Pizol, Switzerland.  Mike and Mary (our Zurich friends) tipped us off to the fact that there are often discount lift-tickets available when the weather is bad, and Switzerland has been getting hit pretty hard by big snow storms as of late.  After checking the webcams (fun fact, it was actually called Wangs Webcam, and we were terrified to open the link – Nudity? Chinese man doing laundry? Ski slopes?), we decided that even though there was lots of fog, there was also lots of snow.  We went ahead and purchased tickets thinking that at the very least, it would be a good way to test out Sarah’s new ski boots (an early birthday present from Chris).

We caught a 7 am train from Basel and were on the mountain in Pizol by 9:30.  The operation was definitely smaller than our last skiing experience in Zermatt, but we were still pleased with the amount of runs to explore.  To start the day, we took a long chair-lift up to some intermediate runs.  The temperature was a mere 9 degrees, the wind was gusting, and it was snowing.  Needless to say, after sitting still for 15 minutes on the lift, we were eager to get moving, and consequently, we spent the rest of the morning doing as many runs as  possible.

Right before noon, an incredibly dense fog settled in, and it was impossible to see more than a few feet in front of our skis.  It was honestly so thick that Chris, a usual speed-demon, was forced to slow down and ski at Sarah’s granny pace.  There’s simply no easier way to wipe out than by hitting an unexpected mogul at high-speeds.  Given the conditions, we took a lunch break, enjoyed some Goulash and Käsespätzle, and waited for the fog to pass.

The afternoon ski conditions were perfect.  It was still very cold, but the wind died down, the sun finally came out, and we had a blast exploring the other side of the mountain.  After a few frozen fingers (Chris) and a few bruises (Sarah), we called it a successful day trip, turned in our rentals, and headed home on a 3:10 train to Basel.  Choo Choo!