St.Moritz awesomeness!

This weekend was definitely a whirlwind. My friend Ali (the one that lives in Parma) and I decided that we were going to make it up to St.Moritz no matter what. At first, we were planning on taking the train/bus/train, but then I talked to Stephan's friend Ezio, who is around 60 by the way, and he said since he was also going up he didn't mind giving us a ride. We had it all planned, Ali was going to get to Milan, be picked up by a driver, and I was going to take the train to Monza where Ezio would pick me up. The first hiccup in our perfect plan was that Ali missed her train because of a crazy construction and a power outage at the Parma train station. She wasn't able to see the track number until it was too late. She ended up getting to Milan a couple hours behind schedule, but was still able to meet up with us in Monza. From there it took about two hours to get to St.Moritz. We were both exhausted, but kept up the conversation with Ezio because he likes to chat and tell stories, and partly because we probably wanted to keep our minds off worrying about the scary Italian driving. I actually told Ezio I felt more comfortable driving with an Italian, but that didn't mean I wasn't gripping the side handle. The drive is half in Italy and half in Switzerland, mostly consisting of hairpin turns and tons of tunnels. The biggest difference between driving in the two countries is definitely the upkeep of the roads. you notice a huge difference entering into Switzerland. You travel over the Maloja pass and the road up the mountain is steep and curvy. I can't imagine it, in a blizzard. At night, we were able to see the headlights of cars higher up the pass as they traveled up the mountain. Once we reached Silvaplana, near the Corvatsch where Ezio was staying we took a break to have dinner at the restaurant in his hotel. It was about 930 by now, and we were all pretty hungry. Afterwards he dropped us off at our hotel in Celerina called Zur Alte Braurei, which means something like old brewery in Swiss German.

Saturday we awoke rather early, knowing that we had a lot to figure out in the Engadin Valley. They are nine different mountains and we were planning on skiing at the Corvatsch the first day. Ezio's hotel was at the bottom of this mountain and then my friend Lindsay, who works for Reef in Lugano, was also going to be there. We were staying in Celerina and Lindsay's boyfriend Chris lives in Samedan. They are all really close towns surrounding the St.Moritz area. We had perfect timing and ended up on the same bus as Lindsay and her friend Bernie from Celerina to the Corvatsch. Her boyfriend Chris is a snowboard instructor there, but unfortunately hurt his back badly and is out of commission.

Some of the other mountains in the area (9 total I've heard) include Corvatsch, Corviglia (where we were in Celerina there is a lift/gondola), Diavolezza (where they have moonlight skiing), Zuoz, and Furtschellas. It's definitely an amazing area with endless terrain. I think the highest elevation of the ski areas is the top of the Corvatsch, which is 3,303 meters. Saturday we skied at the Corvatsch and Sunday we skied at Corviglia. There are so many options and both of those are huge mountains. Both mountains are filled with great restaurants and tons of ski huts. On Sunday, we went to a great restaurant called Trutz, but it only had a complete view of the Alps...:) We had a hard time leaving the view behind for our last run of the day. Here is some information about the area, just in case you are curious...

With 88 downhills – from easy to difficult – and 35 mountain restaurants, you are sure to have a good time. Located on the south side of the Alps and with an altitude of around 1,800 metres, the ENGADINE St. Moritz holiday area is situated on the "roof of Europe." There is a uniqueness and harmony about ENGADINE St. Moritz that have made it a world famous location. The valley enjoys over 320 days of sunshine each year. The Piz Bernina is the only mountain over 4,000 metres in the Eastern Alps (4,049 metres), and Piz Palü, Piz Corvatsch, Corviglia and Diavolezza are well-known mountains and ideal skiing areas.

Needless to say it was an awesome weekend, filled with great skiing, fun friends, and beautiful landscapes! I can't wait to someday return to the area. I'm thinking of possibly going for the end of my spring break when I have a weekend free. Supposedly, the Corvastch stays open until the end of May. To get home on Sunday, we got a ride with my friend Lindsay since she also lives in Lugano. The drive back was breathtaking, since the first part consists of beautiful, snow covered mountains, and then the last hour is all along Lake Como. It was our chance to see the whole area in daylight. By the time, we were in Italy again our appetites were growing and we stopped at a cute little town along Lake Como called Domaso. This adorable little Italian couple waited on us at their picture perfect restaurant called Enoteca del Porto. The funniest part was when the 300 lb, town drunk noticed us walk by the bar and then 5 minutes later he was having a drink in the restaurant with us. They quickly made him exit! We arrived back in Lugano pretty late, but it was well worth the trip! This weekend I am heading to a mountain called Andermatt, for possibly my last ski weekend! Boo hoo...