Global warming bites

I'm sad to report that global warming put a real damper on our ski week in Grindelwald last week. The slopes of Grindelwald, a resort town in the heart of the Swiss Alps, offered three kinds of skiing terrain while we were there: ice, muddy ice and grassy mud. Not too appealing, which is why we cut the week short and returned home two days early.

We were hopeful that a snow storm the previous week would improve conditions, but the new snow either melted under all the sunshine or never reached Grindelwald. I felt especially sorry for the skiiers who travelled from Asia, Canada and other far off places to be there. I found myself dreaming of the vast slopes of Lake Tahoe and the view of sparkling blue water from its run. Ahhh, California.

The week was not a total loss though. In addition to a day or two of skiing, I discovered the thrills and spills of sledding. I'd never been sledding before. It was fantastic once I learned, well semi-learned, to steer and brake. I only flew off my sled a couple times! The Swiss take sledding more seriously than we do in the US. There are sled runs as long as ski runs, and you can take the lifts to get to the top. There's still a bit of trekking required, but all in all a very good time.

The other thing that saved the week was the company. Lots of good times playing cards, Uno and Set, watching MTV and cooking up a storm.