The REAL Switzerland

Disclaimer-more text than pictures on this one.

1 Swiss trains are not always on time-coming home from Verbier i was delayed by trains around 50 minutes.

2 Swiss roads, thought to be some of the best kept in the world are NOT. black ice, snow, and traffic jams are ever prevalent!

The REAL switzerland story-So yesterday I go back to the scene of the "crime" to see if the person who owns the boxes would give them to me. I started to know on doors and i see this man trying to carry a tv into his apartment. i asked if the boxes over there were his. he replied that yes they are but i have to move this tv right now. his buddy couldnt carry his end of the tv so soon i was carrying it to his 3rd floor apartment. he was super nice about it all and offered to take me to get those for him. soon we were walking across town and went to a second hand shop. here Robil tried on a styly motorcycle helmet.

There wasnt anything at the store that i wanted and told him that we should go back to his place so i can show him exactly what i want. we got there and i showed him the boxes. he told me "well you can have those or i have these nicer ones right over here." ho gave me some solid plastic milk crate boxes for helping him out. then "he let me show you my friends they live right over here." soon i was in an apartment with a refugee family from Eritrea Africa, where Robil came from as well when he was one seeking political asylum from a war going on there. In this family was a pregnant mother and three kids living with no furniture, or much of anything. the one thing one their walls-a small swiss flag. Robil asks"can you make bed?" "ya i could". all of a sudden I'm put to work helping to make a cabinet, their first real piece of furniture with the help of Robil and the oldest son Joseph. the mother made tea and cooked up some delicious tradition Etritean bread. The kids were super cheerful and happy watching us assemble the new cabinet. here is Robil and the kids-

the new cabinet-

It was crazy to see this side of switzerland! Robil says that since immigration is new to Switzerland many people look at him like a "wild animal". he has lived here 2 years and the only work he can find is under the table and under the minimum wage. he says that there is a lot of prejiduce towards black people in switzerland. if he sits down next to someone on the train they either put their purse in thier lap or get up and go to another seat.

I think maybe the craziest, most moving, experience i have have ever had traveling. made me think about some things in my own life for sure.

i found out what the bread is(through wikipedia of course)

wikipedia search "Himbasha" it was great!

hiking, skiing, and close encounters with the 5-0 in Switzerland

So while I have been waiting for my sleeping bag to arrive here I went on some hikes around the Zurich area-
Sure hope I'm even going somewhere!


Found some bunkers in the woods, nuclear holocaust ready


My uncle would love this place, 5' diameter tree being cut down by some farmers



The local watering hole is maybe the coolest I have ever seen



Thirsty people live around these parts

I thought the ski hills around here in the alps, not back in Minnesota

Hiked up to uetliberg overlooking Zurich, i was pretty happy

looking down

Then Friday Andre from Titlis invited me to the local mountain to ski with him. Never seen a morning lineup like this before.

The speaker cone where you "talk to god"

Some ice climbing friends would love this place

Andre-we were the only people skiing that day. I couldnt understand it all, it was deep!

Andre took me to the farm on mt. Rigi where his girlfriend worked. Top 5 prettiest places I have ever been too. On a clear day across lake Luzern you can see all of the alps.

Then on Saturday Patrick and I drove to Les Marecottes and scored some more fresh turns

Sweet chutes littered this place. Midseason with safe avy conditions, this would be a skiers heaven

Beautiful day, great visibility and snow makes for an awesome day

I split ways with Patrick and went to Le chable, access to Verbier was a gondola ride away. I stayed at a youth hostel "le stop" located inside a bunker! more about bunkers to come-
Verbier- most sun I had all day.

ok snow at Verbier but it was pretty wind effected.

some more things I leanred about Europe-

-Bunkers in Switzerland- Due to the Swiss safely making in through WWII without harm and the effects of the cold war, the swiss govt supplied bunkers to all citizens in case of a nuclear fallout. now there must be a place for every citizen to stay at in a community bunker or have one built under or near your house. even if you build a house nowdays there must be anuker for you if there is no place in the community bunkers. some, like the youth hostel in le chable, have been converted into youth hostels(probably because normal people wouldnt actually pay money to stay in a dingy mold cellar).

-DONT TAKE GARBAGE! Yesterday I was walking around town and saw some cardboard boxes next to the garbage andf thought they would be good organizers for my car. i grabbed two of them and walked 10 feet away and was tapped on the shoulder by 2 cops. they made me spread my arms and they emptied my pockets. they asked my why i had stollen the boxes! I told them and they said "were dissapointed that an american comes over here and steals stuff." I was about ready to poop myself on the street over 2 cardboard boxes! they called me in and checked to see if my ipod and cell phone was stollen. they hassled me for 10 minutes and then made me return the boxes to the garbage. as they left they said"be carefull, there are lots of cops in switzerland" to which i replied "no shit!"

Titlis-bare the cold to get the goods

Drove to Engelber Titlis today in the Red Rager. Pat helped me do some decision making on where to go, I think it was a good choice.
I arrived and it was freaking cold and low visibility. lost sight of everything about 500' up the gondola

cleared up around noon and i couldnt believe the view and the snow. 20 cm of fresh and no lines. this isnt the europe i had heard about

cool mtns

looking towards the peak-that right there is the vertical of my resort Bridger Bowl, in one shot, with a glacier on it!

we skied in front of that massive rock

taking this picture is where i had my first totally white nose from frostbite. still tingly and numb a day later, really fun

from the top an amazing view with the clouds

I met these two guys Christof and Andre on the first tram ride and i wouldnt have skied anything without them. they knew the area pretty well and were willing to wait for me while i warmed up my frostbitten toes two times throughout the day. thanks for showing me around!

my 5 minutes

Patrick submitted this picture to webshots.com and it got featured picture of the day. There my 5 minutes is done.

Low visibility in Austria

Driving to Sunnyhead in Austria, a little worried about visibility

Patrick had a hard time seeing at some points throughout the day

Shout out to some low viz

goggles were changed and changed again, Pat couldnt see a thing

I pulled one of those "Ray Charles" moments

Pat knows how to manipulate his camera, it really wasnt all that good

SYKE-welcome to austria

it was tough to see where you were going

at other times i just couldnt see

theres a knapp sack under there somewhere

just another low viz day

had to stick to the trees due to clouds and such, so really this just looks like a continuation of last year, which i am ok with.

Starting the list of things I am learning in europe-

-if you stay up late saturday night wear ear plugs because the churches ring their bells for 20 minutes in the morning. worst wakeup call ever

-cursing on the radio and TV is totally ok unlike the untrarestrictive american stuff

-you have to pay for parking after you are done shopping. if you dont you will be parked in front of a gate that wont open while cars line up behind you and get pissed off.

-yellow lines on the road are for busses, you cant use their lanes apparently? i just dont get it

from powder days to down days

Sorry for the laziness on posting. A lot has happened since. Brandon slayed some powder-

Adam proved that November is a good month in Montana

Kinsey got on her new skis and went skinning with the ARMY rep

Went up to Hyalite Res. to ski Blackmore

Got to this chute, dug a pit, and quickly turned around after a massive slab broke free. maybe in March

Ran into Mr. Snowman himself

Kinsey and I saw some unreal wind one day

and some cool snow another




Colton ski across some rivers up hyalite

Adam showed how it is done

And then I found myself in NYC with Clarfignoogan

Sights were seen. I guess not what the normal tourist sees when they go there.

The view was great of the East River.

And then magically I was in Zurich Switzerland enjoying chocolate and the view-

Did I tell you about the view?

Or some of the new friends I made today?

Or about the RED RAGER, my new car aka the enabler. went to Ikea and custom fitted a mattress in the back. Say hello to my new home for the next 3 months! She's beautiful, fully decked out with a hotel, dj booth, and soon to be a navigation system.

Going skiing tomorrow for the first time in Europe! I have been waiting for this day since I first read Powder in high school. It is finally here.