SKIING IN EUROPE

Skiing has been a major part of my life, starting on the slopes at just 4 years old, having years of ski school instruction and competing on the ski team, the winter season has always been a favorite of mine. So during this European trip, stopping in Zermatt and Chamonix was a no brainer for us!

Geneva, Switzerland

We flew into Geneva and spent 3 days exploring this beautiful city. Unfortunately our first full day was a Sunday, and if you’ve been to Europe you know that everything is closed on Sundays… We didn’t, HA! However, this didn’t stop us from putting on our coats, hats and gloves and walking around, and to our pleasant surprise, we weren’t the only ones!

The people in this city seemed to be extremely active, as the city lays at the edge of the Alps. While we wandered around we saw hundreds of people cold-plunging in the lake, swimming laps, adult and children running clubs, cyclists, sailers, etc. It was so inspiring that my boyfriend even did a cold-plunge!

Airbnb

Zermatt, Switzerland

After Geneva, we took the train to Zermatt, which is actually the only way to reach the town since cars are not allowed. We decided to pre-book our ski rentals ahead of arriving which allowed us to be guaranteed equipment at a discounted price. We went through Matterhorn Sport Zermatt, they even let us pick out our skis, boots and helmet.

Unfortunately we were early in the season (November 26th) and only Matterhorn Glacier Paradise was open for skiing. This mountain is actually open 365 days a year, since it’s a glacier and there is always snow on a glacier, fun fact! There are three main ski areas connected to Zermatt, ranging two countries: Switzerland and Italy.

Cervinia is the area connecting the two countries, and sadly we learned the hard way that the Ikon pass does not grant access to Cervinia…. by going down a run and having the Italian lift operator telling us to not come back. The picture on the left below was taken on the one and only Cervinia run we did (-:

We purchased the Ikon pass and were able to use the “free” 5 days in each location we went to.

I, for obvious packing reasons, did not bring ski clothes with me on the trip. I was planning to rent clothes from the same shop we rented equipment, until we went into a store called Decathalon, in Geneva actually. This store was like a Sierra Trading Post store, part of TJX companies so the clothing was more affordable then other options. I realized that it would be cheaper to buy basic black pants, a black jacket, gloves and goggles than it would’ve been to rent... With the added bonus of I get a new ski outfit to keep!

Total Cost Equipment Rental: $317

Total Cost Clothing Purchase: $110

Lift Ticket Prices: Ikon Pass

Hotel

Chamonix, France

Our next ski destination was Chamonix, France. This town was so charming, slightly bigger than Zermatt so there was a wider shopping selection. Located at the base of Mont Blanc, you are surrounded by both glaciers and mountains. We were very early for opening day here, and spent our first 3 days doing short hikes, going to an AMAZING water therapy spa (pictured below) and walking around the town.

Chamonix-Mont-Blanc has 10 ski areas. Only two were open while we were there: Grand Montets, and Brévent- Flégère. We only skied on Brévent-Flégère for two reasons.. 1. Our Airbnb was right next to the bus stop to that mountains gondola, and 2. My rental skis got stolen so the second day we had to track them down.

Extremely funny story made short… I left my skis outside while I went in the lodge to have a quick lunch. I went back outside to find my skis were no longer there. The next morning we went up the first gondola to see if any skis had been left overnight and there was the same pair as mine, just a different color, from the same rental place. In my head I had an itching that those skis belonged to the person who took mine. As we waited for the bus to take us back to the Airbnb with no skis in hand, I watched a guy get off the bus carrying the same exact skis as mine. I ran after him in the snowy parking lot and asked if I could see the barcode on the skis.. and they matched my rental code number! Detective Anne and Stefan on duty, and I saved both the random guy and myself $400 in lost rental fines! Needless to say, I did not take a lunch break on day 2 (;

Airbnb

Skiing in Europe was truly a dream come true, and I am so thankful for the opportunities, lifelong stories, and incredible memories that I now have. There are lots trip details from these locations that I did not share, but if you’re interested, let me know in the comments below and I will share a recommendation post of things we did in greater detail!

xo,

Anne