Skiing at St. Cergue, Switzerland, February 1966

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Club member, Harry Swaddling, of Karori, who, accompanied by his wife Irene and two-and-a-half-year-old daughter Kirsty, is on an extended working holiday in the United Kingdom, sends this account of a skiing holiday in Switzerland. SKIING AT ST. CERGUE, SWITZERLAND, FEBRUARY, 1966 One of our ambitions whilst in this. One advantage of St. Cergue to us part of the world was to ski on the was that it is in the French speaking part Continent. Therefore, last October we of Switzerland. At least we could get by began to make inquiries with travel with the language. Some of the ski school agents, regarding suitable places, not so instructors spoke no English, and hiring much for ourselves as for Kirsty, who is skis involved a good many words that now two and a half, and not really old we had never come across! enough to ski. The village is a very pretty place, and We discovered one agent who special- very small-two churches, three ski ized in "Family Parties", sending a shops, a few food shops, and a couple representative to look after the baby of bars, which I never saw closed. In the sitting. We therefore decided to go to village itself are two ski tows, both Galtur, in the Silvretta region of Austria. Poma, one a beginners tow and the other However, the best laid plans often about the equivalent of the T-bar at fall through, as anyone who has tramped Ruapehu. A little distance away is "La in the Tararuas knows, and ten days Baraillette", a chair lift with a rise of before we were due to leave, on the about 1200ft., with a magnificent, though 5th of February, we had a letter from at times rather hair-rising, piste. The the agent, saying that insufficient people view from the top is as good as I have had booked, and that they could not seen anywhere. Lake Leman (Lake send a representative. They hoped that Geneva) is in the foreground, with the this would not affect our holiday in any whole range of alps behind it; Mt. Blanc way! towers above the entire scene. Then followed a hasty trip into town Further away is "La Dole", a less to try and find something else suitable. heavily wooded mountain of 55001 ft. The most likely spot seemed to be St. This area is served by a series of Poma Cergue, in the Jura Alps of Switzerland. lifts, two of them with over 1000 ft. It was a rather expensive hotel, as rise. In this area it is advisable to ski against the cheap pension we had been with your passport on you, as one lift going to, but for a small charge children is in France, and it is easy to cross the were enrolled in a "Children's Club", border by accident. The whole system of where they could be looked after all day lifts is owned by the railway company, while we skied. To save a bit of money and for 50 Swiss francs (just over £4) we decided to go by rail instead of flying. you buy unlimited use of all the tows, What a mistake that turned out to and the mountain railway which links be! We left Caterham, where we are them (although there is a snow cat as living, about 18 miles from the centre well) for fourteen days. of London at 12.30. Twenty-three hours We were unlucky with the weather. later we arrived at St. Cergue, utterly Iam sure that it would have been kinder exhausted, having travelled on one bus, to US on Ruapehu, although on several one boat, and seven trains, including a days we had magnificent new powder mountain railway for the last five miles. snow, we had only one day with sun all The train trip across France is quite an However, we were able to do plenty eye-opener. There are six bunks in each good skiing. da'ge compartment, with not enough room to The hotel, to our pleasant surprise, swing a mouse in. It is a bit like sleeping was delightfully informal. There were in a truck going to Ruapehu, but the no prohibitions on ski boots anywhere, journey is twice as long. There is a bar and changing for dinner was completely and dancing car provided, but dancing is optional. Table tennis was provided, as just as easy for sardines. Service at the was ice skating, although we never found bar was terrible-one barman, many time for the latter. thirsty skiers, and four currencies being The evening life was very amusing. used: French francs, Swiss francs, Aus- We had two Gluhwein parties-a spicy trian schillings, and sterling. wine served very hot, and very easy to drink. There was also a Fondue party- 15 miles away, as the previous afterdifferent cheeses are boiled together with noon it had rained, and the snow was wines and Kirsch. This is eaten on lumps terribly slushy. We spent the afternoon of bread while still boiling. White wine window shopping, and wishing that we is served throughout the evening. Return- had about 100 Fr. to spend. The price of ing to the hotel after this, a party of us watches and clocks was incredible. used snowballs to refight the Battle of After all this, we were so tired that Waterloo with a large French contingent we even slept a bit on the train coming who were there. home. Our last day we spent in Geneva, about -Harry Swadling. *