Life on the Piste - The Swiss Traveller's Guide.

Andermatt, found in Canton Uri is a fast growing ski resort with plenty of reasons to visit. With a ski area of 120km and an abundance of off piste skiing available, there is plenty to keep you entertained for any length of time. Not only that, but developments (130 million Francs worth!) are in progress and a much larger ski area is promised to be open by the 2017/18 season. There is currently 5 different ski areas in the area, all covered by the same ski pass and each with something different to offer. Andermatt-Gemsstock is an experienced skier's heaven. Sitting at nearly 3000m it has been known by and popular with freeriders from all over the world for years. It is also home to what is described by skiing legend Bernhard Russi as one of the finest downhill runs in the Alps. Combine the above with an awesome freestyle park then there is more than enough to satisfy those in search of an adrenaline rush. A view of Andermatt and the Gemsstock Mountain Next is the Andermat...

The World's Largest Half-Pipe opens in LAAX At 200 metres in length and 6.90 metres in height, the half pipe is of Olympic standard and unique worldwide. The half pipe is open to all guests since January - whether beginners or pros - with a passion for sport on the snow.     LAAX is well known asbeing a magnet for snowboarders, whether beginners or extreme and the resort has a very relaxed feel about it.     Europe's premier freestyle resort - The snowpark in LAAX just gets better and better: Since 2013/2014, the new Pro-kicker-line in Olympic size in Snowpark Curnius, the new Superpipe at the NoName Park, which from winter 2014/2015 will at 200 metres in length be the longest continuous Halfpipe in the world, more than 90 obstacles spread over four snowparks,    This confirms once again that LAAX is not only Europe's leading and most comprehensive freestyle resort, but also a magnet for a host of international professional riders. ...

The Swatch Skiers Cup returns to Zermatt! After an intense selection process, the team captains for Europe and the Americas have unveiled the eight elite skiers they will bring to Zermatt, Switzerland for the unique intercontinental team battle in anticipation of the 5th edition of the Swatch Skiers Cup which will be held from February 21-27, 2015. - See more at: http://freerideworldtour.com/news/swatch-skiers-cup-2015-teaser#sthash.p7opJXj3.dpuf After an intense selection process, the team captains for Europe and the Americas have unveiled the eight elite skiers they will bring to Zermatt, Switzerland for the unique intercontinental team battle in anticipation of the 5th edition of the Swatch Skiers Cup which will be held from February 21-27, 2015.  Team America Captain Seth Morrison (Dom Daher Photo)  Team Europe Captain Julien Regnier (Dom Daher Photo) The fifth edition of the Swatch Skiers Cup will be marked by the loss of one of skiings most remark...

Still looking to book your last minute Swiss skiing holiday? Look no further than the week of the 7th to the 14th of March in the Nendaz ski area. The 220kms of pistes become host to both the International Ski Federation (FIS) World Cup qualifier for the men's, women's and team Snowboard Cross event and the annual Freeride World Qualifier in Nendaz. FIS Snowboard Cross (SBX) Involving big table-top jumps, wu-tangs, step-ups, step-downs, rollers and banked turns, the course provides a varied race for some of the world's top riders.  The event takes place between the 13th and 15th of March, and with the Veysonnaz course (easily accessible with the Printze ski pass from Nendaz) considered one of the best in the world, it could be your perfect opportunity to watch Olympic athletes, world champion snowboarders and national teams compete in the only competitive tour of it's kind. Combine that with some excellent skiing conditions for yourself and the Nendaz...

Taking place every January in the picturesque Jungfrau region is the 4 day event known as The Inferno down hill race. First starting in 1928, it has rapidly become one of the most exciting down hill races to watch, as well as being considered the largest amateur ski race in the world! This nerve-wracking race requires participants to set off out of the starting gates and to hurtle down the piste over several lips and into a series of S-bends at high speed. Boasting a large 15.8km stretch, The Inferno starts at the top of the Schilthorn (where you can also find the revolving restaurant  Piz Gloria ) 2,970m up from the finish in Lauterbrunnen. The course is compiled of mainly black runs and is suited more to the all round skier. This is because there are different sections which require varied skill sets. For example, the upper section requires downhill turning with optimal lines and the middle section requires downhill speed and fast gliding. Each c...

As the more pleasant weather approaches we’re given the opportunity to take a look away from the covered cities and the mountains with their gradually receding snowlines, and one of my favourite fairer weather attractions has to be the Rhine falls at Schaffhausen. Lying in one of the Northern most parts of the country, an hours train ride from Zurich, the falls are located on the High Rheine between Germany and Lake Constance and are believed to have been formed in the last ice age, approximately 14,000 to 17,000 years ago. One of the most intriguing aspects is the formation of the falls themselves, during the Wurm Glaciation, the Rhein was pushed to a channel far south of its existing course, and the previous courses of the river, now filled with gravel, can still be seen. As well as being accessible from Zurich by train, if you have the time for it, there is the fantastic river cruise along the Rhein you can take afterwards, either the full 5 hours to Kreuzlingen on the sho...

This year Pilatus is 125yrs old! The railway that goes to the top of Mount Pilatus is one of the main attractions in the Lucerne region and central Switzerland. This year it is 125 years old. swissinfo.ch got aboard to discover the secrets of the steepest rack railway in the world.  The train makes its ascent from the station at Alpnachstad, on Lake Lucerne. It’s a steep climb at a brisk pace that takes the visitor up one of the most spectacular mountains in Switzerland – and also one of the most mysterious. For centuries, Mount Pilatus was shunned and feared as a haunt of ghosts, gnomes and dragons. It is still the stuff of fairy tales for children. A particularly forbidding presence that discouraged climbers was Pontius Pilate himself, after whom the mountain is named. According to legend, the soul of the Roman governor who condemned Christ to be crucified haunted one of the lakes in the area. In 1387, fear of the ghost – which was thought capable of causing violent stor...