Wengen, Switzerland

This fall we'd come across this little town at the end of a hike. While gorgeous during the fall color changes, there is no questions Wengen thrives in the middle of Winter. Wengen is probably best known for its International World Cup Ski Race, held last Saturday and Sunday. Those familiar with Interlaken might also recognize this town. Two of the larger peaks of the Bernese Oberland Alps (Jungfrau and Eiger) are just south of popular tourist/adventure destination - Interlaken. A series of villages sit in between the Jungfrau and Interlaken; Wengen is arguably the most charming. The town of Wengen does not allow cars for visitors, so you must arrive by train. After 4 trains (Zurich-Bern, Bern-Interlaken, Interlaken-Lauterbrunner, Lauterbrunner-Wengen) Saturday morning we arrived to overcast skies in Wengen joining a friend for some skiing.

To hit the ski slopes your best bet is to take the cable car from the center of the village. Ironically, this was the same cable car we saw a mock search and rescue performed this fall, while enjoying an apres hike beer. Fortunately Saturday and Sunday's rides up the cable car did not require any such heroics. During Saturday's ascent on the cable car we actually went through the cloud layer and at the summit were clear blue skies. The first few runs actually started out in blue sky and then forced you to ski through the clouds. If you've been to San Francisco Bay Area this effect is eerily similar to the "marine layer", when the clouds creep under the Golden Gate Bridge. While it makes for outstanding views, skiing through it was less then ideal through the cloud layer. Once the clouds burned off the skies stayed clear both days. The temperature was similar to skiing the Rockies in March - sunny skies and changing snow conditions (ice, crust, packed powder, skied off, slush). Although the snow wasn't perfect the views made up for it.

Skiing at Wengen is really only part of the fun. As you ride the chairlifts or cruise down the pistes it is impossible not to notice all of the other winter activities on the mountain. There were dozens of people hiking the mountain (up and down). Even more were hitting the slopes with their toboggans/sleds. Others hit the trails with snowshoes or cross country skis for a big time cardio workout. The extreme contingent was trying one of Switzerland's newest sports - paraskiing. (For those who have been paragliding - parachuting off a mountain - this is the same equipment, but you land on skis.) The winds seemed to be pretty tricky throughout the weekend as only a few got up in the air, but it was pretty fascinating watching these folks try to rig their chutes. At the bottom of the mountain is a giant curling rink which was packed both days.

Apres ski at Wengen was solid, but you can probably find some other mountains for a rip roaring time. Our inn had an outdoor bar set up steps from the trail which made for a good scene. After some mullwein and good tunes we ventured back to the village for some grub. That evening we had an introduction to Raclette - a Swiss culinary experience. Words probably can't do it justice (and according to our "Raclette guide" neither did Saturday's dinner), but here is an attempt to describe the presentation. Raclette is a type of Swiss cheese, which will be cut in a block (or a wheel we later learned). Before the cheese is presented the waiter will bring out a heater (electric or fire) which will begin to cook/melt the cheese. As the cheese melts you scrape off the top layer on to a bed of mixed vegetables (potatoes, onions and pickles in this case) and/or meat (prosciutto and bacon). Simply put it is roasted cheese. Just like fondue, this is a very social dining experience and is definitely worth a try. After dinner we enjoyed a couple Rugenbraus (if you've been to Balmer's then you've had this beer) and called it a night.

For additional shots from skiing in Wengen, click here....