Technically, it is on the "forbidden" list, but ...

Here's the deal: everyone here skis. Unlike in the US, where skiing is (rightly) seen as an effete, elitist pastime for the aristocracy, skiing in Switzerland is part of the national identity and thus enjoyed by everyone. By the time they can walk, most Swiss are expert skiers (see previous posts on this topic) and it isn't uncommon for people to go skiing nearly every weekend from December to March. This year, we've had an exceptionally heavy snowfall, so conditions are excellent.

The incredible popularity of skiing here has a number of both positive and negative consequences. First, it means that going skiing is not very expensive; by Swiss standards, it is downright cheap. Although there are some big name resorts (Verbier, Zermatt, Gstaad) that cater to Russian petro-billionaires, the vast majority are small, family-friendly, and affordable. Second, the skiing is very close by. From my apartment, I could be on the piste in less than 2 hours, using only public transportation. In a lot of places, narrow-gauge trains run virtually to the top of the slope. Finally, there are tons of options. If you were to go for only a single day, you could probably choose from a half dozen places. If you were willing to make a longer trip and stay a night, you could choose from dozens. There is no end to the variety.

The only major negative consequence of skiing's popularity is that people who don't know how to ski (like me) will find themselves lonely and bored all winter long.

As mentioned in a previous post, my mother has great concerns about me going skiing. Most of this is due to typical, unfounded, maternal worrying, but there is a real grain of truth here, as well. As many of you, my dear readers, know, I have on one other occasion (before my arrival here in Switzerland) attempted to go skiing. It wasn't a great experience. There was crashing, bruising, broken bindings, getting lost, wandering down the wrong mountain, waiting for hours for a bus that didn't come, finally borrowing money to get on a bus that actually did come, and well, in summary, I did not exactly bathe myself in glory. Thus, it was with great hesitation that I decided to go against my dear mother's wishes and once again throw myself on the mercy of the pistes. I figure, if I can't learn to safely and enjoyable ski in Switzerland, where can I learn?

The biggest hurdle to learning how to ski is equipment. Renting gets expensive very quickly, and it just doesn't make sense to shell out hundreds of dollars for equipment that you may not use more than a couple times. Of course, there is a third option ...

The Arsenal in Morges -- a half-hour down the lakefront from Lausanne -- was some sort of castle or fort back in the day, but is now the home of the Army Liq Shop, your one-stop spot for all your Swiss Army surplus gear. In addition to tents, tables, crates, gunny sacks, and clothing, you can also purchase slightly used skis. As the army uses these for mountain training, they are configured for ski de randonée (off-trail, uphill skiing) and thus come with fancy bindings and a set of peaux de phoque. The kit includes the skis, ski poles, bindings, and peaux de phoque for the ridiculously low price of 30 CHF. That's like $27 for pretty much everything you need to ski, minus the boots.

Fig. 1: Swiss Army skis and poles. No, the skis and poles do not fold up and fit in your pocket.

As you can see from the picture, the skis are in good shape. The bindings are a little bit worn, but mechanically, everything is great. Stylistically, well, the skis are a bit unusual. They are heavier and thicker than most downhill skis and they aren't curved like newer skis, which means that if I can learn to ski on these, any other skis would be a breeze. The boots were the cheapest pair I could find that came in my size at the local sporting good store. Even still, they are a huge improvement over the rental pair I had for the trip to Grand St. Bernard, which I guess tells you the importance of a comfortable fit. As for the poles (or batons as they are called here), well, let's just say that they drew a lot of attention on the pistes.

Fig. 2: Modern ski poles are made out of advanced carbon fiber polymers and titanium. These are made out of 100% SEXY.

This style of ski pole hasn't been popular for downhill skiers in 30 years, which means that I am either way behind the times or way ahead of them. A lot of people gave them kinda funny looks and a couple of the employees at the ski resort asked questions about them, so they were clearly the star of the show. Based on all the attention, you can mark my words now: these will be the batons to have next ski season.

Gear purchased, a few of us headed to Lelex in France (very near CERN and Geneva) for an afternoon of skiing on Saturday. Although at first, I started on the bunny hill (technically, I think it was a "ducky hill" as there was a giant inflatable duck at the bottom), by the end of the afternoon, I had skied a small green piste numerous times and I had even taken the ski lift to the top and skied down a long green piste to the main area. I definitely made huge improvements and am looking forward to going again and working on my speed and technique and not just "not falling and hurting myself."