Adelboden & The Alps
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"… but I just want to be in the Alps…" I sighed to my former-best-buddy-until-jealous-girlfriends-came-in, while drinking a cup of coffee in his Zürich apartment. I had hitchhiked all the way to Switzerland to land a seasonal job, looking to combine a salary in one of Europe's best paying countries with endless top-notch skiing on my days off (a solid plan, don’t you think?), but he had just shat on the dream by saying that odds are I could only find work in the (to me rather unpleasant) cities. “I mean, if it was that easy everyone would do it, who wouldn't want to live in the Swiss Alps and actually get paid for it?“
It was that easy, though.
I just walked into a hotel, said I needed a job, and held up my diplomas and credentials. I might not be the poster-girl of a flashy career, I rather invest my energy in life itself, but I am the last to deny the importance of laying the solid foundation of an excellent education. Cum laude university degrees and 9 languages simply open every door, wherever in the world, especially if you're not too arrogant about the nature of work. The very same day me and my +1 moved into a 4* hotel, bought a season ski pas and let the dream take off. Don't let anyone tell you what you can or cannot do, they probably havent actually tried it themselves and try to balance that lack of effort and missed opportunities by telling no one else can either.
It was that easy, though.
I just walked into a hotel, said I needed a job, and held up my diplomas and credentials. I might not be the poster-girl of a flashy career, I rather invest my energy in life itself, but I am the last to deny the importance of laying the solid foundation of an excellent education. Cum laude university degrees and 9 languages simply open every door, wherever in the world, especially if you're not too arrogant about the nature of work. The very same day me and my +1 moved into a 4* hotel, bought a season ski pas and let the dream take off. Don't let anyone tell you what you can or cannot do, they probably havent actually tried it themselves and try to balance that lack of effort and missed opportunities by telling no one else can either.
This story could have took place anywhere in the Alps, as experiences are similarly incredible. But it took place in Adelboden. A picturesque village filling a scenic valley tucked in between the spectacular snow-covered mountains… basically the picture-book example of what people think Switzerland stands for.
Adelboden in Winter
Skiing & Snowboarding
However much I like hiking through green rolling hills, nothing can beat the Alps in winter. The Adelboden-Lenk might not be the biggest skiing area in Switzerland (that must be Zermatt), the fact that this is where the Skiing World Cup is organized tells everything about the quality of the slopes. Switzerland, being known as one of the more expensive and therefore fancy-pants areas for European winter holidays and mainly attracting 'high society' actually blew my mind in this regards. Positively. Where a seasonal ski pass just across the border in France or Austria cost an average 1100-1500 euros, here I paid 750. Then I visited the 'Heilsarmee Bröcki' (Salvation Army thrift shop) to score some brand new but second-hand skis, boots and a helmet for about 60 bucks (to avoid the daily 40-50 bucks rental), and my winter was aaaaaall arranged. Fantastic. 200KM delcious slope from blue to black, I know them by heart.
Adelboden is also great for snow-shoeing and langlaufen. Pick your fav!
Adelboden in Winter
Skiing & Snowboarding
However much I like hiking through green rolling hills, nothing can beat the Alps in winter. The Adelboden-Lenk might not be the biggest skiing area in Switzerland (that must be Zermatt), the fact that this is where the Skiing World Cup is organized tells everything about the quality of the slopes. Switzerland, being known as one of the more expensive and therefore fancy-pants areas for European winter holidays and mainly attracting 'high society' actually blew my mind in this regards. Positively. Where a seasonal ski pass just across the border in France or Austria cost an average 1100-1500 euros, here I paid 750. Then I visited the 'Heilsarmee Bröcki' (Salvation Army thrift shop) to score some brand new but second-hand skis, boots and a helmet for about 60 bucks (to avoid the daily 40-50 bucks rental), and my winter was aaaaaall arranged. Fantastic. 200KM delcious slope from blue to black, I know them by heart.
Adelboden is also great for snow-shoeing and langlaufen. Pick your fav!
Click to enlarge
Sleighriding for pros
Not as bad-ass as sliding down on skis or a board, but it has to be said that Adelboden / Switzerland really does bring your favorite childhood winter activity to the next level. Entire sleighride-parcourses are created, to be conquered by wide arrange of sleighs in all shapes and sizes (available for rental). It has to be said: it is not for the faint-hearted.
Paragliding
I kept wondering why some skiers went out with massive backpacks. I mean, how much lunch do they really need to pack? Turns out these contained entire parachutes. The Adelboden-Lenk region is a hotspot for paragliders from all over the world, for obvious reasons. Having practiced this fantastic sport in Slovenia, Argentina and Brazil before (for an average cost of 40-70 bucks with guide), I thought I also give Switzerland a go. My wallet thought otherwise, when I read it was gonna cost me a rough 300-350 francs… that’s a costly 20 minutes of air time. Unforgettable air time, I assume though.
Not as bad-ass as sliding down on skis or a board, but it has to be said that Adelboden / Switzerland really does bring your favorite childhood winter activity to the next level. Entire sleighride-parcourses are created, to be conquered by wide arrange of sleighs in all shapes and sizes (available for rental). It has to be said: it is not for the faint-hearted.
Paragliding
I kept wondering why some skiers went out with massive backpacks. I mean, how much lunch do they really need to pack? Turns out these contained entire parachutes. The Adelboden-Lenk region is a hotspot for paragliders from all over the world, for obvious reasons. Having practiced this fantastic sport in Slovenia, Argentina and Brazil before (for an average cost of 40-70 bucks with guide), I thought I also give Switzerland a go. My wallet thought otherwise, when I read it was gonna cost me a rough 300-350 francs… that’s a costly 20 minutes of air time. Unforgettable air time, I assume though.
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Igloos
I'm at the point of my travels that I have seen and experienced it all. Which makes me happy and sad at the same time. In Adelboden you can dine in an igloo, right on top of the Engstligenalp. That's nice, but I already actually slept in one last year in the heart of Transylvania. But: The apple of my eye didn't... so off we went, the perfect birthday gift. As an actual chef he wasn't necessarily impressed with the so-called corner stone of Swiss cuisine, the cheese fondue (which is just dry bread dipped in average-tasting melted cheese – cost: 50 p.p.), but the experience was something to write home about. Literally. As that's what I'm doing right now.
I'm at the point of my travels that I have seen and experienced it all. Which makes me happy and sad at the same time. In Adelboden you can dine in an igloo, right on top of the Engstligenalp. That's nice, but I already actually slept in one last year in the heart of Transylvania. But: The apple of my eye didn't... so off we went, the perfect birthday gift. As an actual chef he wasn't necessarily impressed with the so-called corner stone of Swiss cuisine, the cheese fondue (which is just dry bread dipped in average-tasting melted cheese – cost: 50 p.p.), but the experience was something to write home about. Literally. As that's what I'm doing right now.
Adelboden in Spring/Summer
Hiking 'n Biking
Wasn't I just saying I was staying for the season? Yeah, that was the idea. Then an invisible force entered our planet, forcing every single one of its inhabitants into lock-down. Honestly, it could've been worse for me, MUCH worse, considering I'm most of the time roaming around in third world countries where any sense of comfort or basic health care is far-far away. Now I was hidden inside of an empty 4* hotel with a fitness center and sauna, and a sexy chef on my side inside of an entirely empty restaurant. Oh, and the Swiss government paid me 80% of my salary for my (basically zero) efforts. As I was A) smack-bam in the mountains and B) Switzerland doesn't give 2 flying fucks about corona to begin with, I could go out hiking if we didn't have guests (yup: some Swiss continued traveling as always) without meeting a single soul. And hiking I did. Every damn trail I could find, and jesus christ, they're everywhere. Switzerland has more trails than highways, I swear to god. I hiked so much I walked every trail twice, climbed every Alp… until I was bored out of my mind and could do nothing more than stare out of the window (with a fantastic view over the valley ending in Switzerland second-biggest waterfall though: Engstligenfall), because there's nothing else you can do here in spring and summer. Unless you have a "vélo", then you can bike the same routes as well.
That said, have you ever seen something this precious:
Hiking 'n Biking
Wasn't I just saying I was staying for the season? Yeah, that was the idea. Then an invisible force entered our planet, forcing every single one of its inhabitants into lock-down. Honestly, it could've been worse for me, MUCH worse, considering I'm most of the time roaming around in third world countries where any sense of comfort or basic health care is far-far away. Now I was hidden inside of an empty 4* hotel with a fitness center and sauna, and a sexy chef on my side inside of an entirely empty restaurant. Oh, and the Swiss government paid me 80% of my salary for my (basically zero) efforts. As I was A) smack-bam in the mountains and B) Switzerland doesn't give 2 flying fucks about corona to begin with, I could go out hiking if we didn't have guests (yup: some Swiss continued traveling as always) without meeting a single soul. And hiking I did. Every damn trail I could find, and jesus christ, they're everywhere. Switzerland has more trails than highways, I swear to god. I hiked so much I walked every trail twice, climbed every Alp… until I was bored out of my mind and could do nothing more than stare out of the window (with a fantastic view over the valley ending in Switzerland second-biggest waterfall though: Engstligenfall), because there's nothing else you can do here in spring and summer. Unless you have a "vélo", then you can bike the same routes as well.
That said, have you ever seen something this precious:
Favorite Adelboden Day Hikes:
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Find a great digital trail map here!
Unless you have some physical conditions holding you back, you really do not need to pay for the gondola up. You are here to hike, that is the ONE thing you can do here in summer… then do exactly that and enjoy every minute of it. No cheating ;)
6 months. 6 full months I spent in this tiny village, without hardly ever leaving it. Until it was time, for more reasons than I can count. But my heart is delightfully prejudiced, mainly remembering the good and beautiful… I don't leave memories, I take them with me. Adelboden shaping my feelings about Switzerland. |
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