Visit to PJ-boy in Gstaad

Where've you been, what did you do?
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CathS
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Visit to PJ-boy in Gstaad

Post by CathS »

I took a long weekend trip out to Gstaad in Switzerland last weekend to visit PJ. Here are my pics:

https://picasaweb.google.com/1022051001 ... directlink
Dave C
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Re: Visit to PJ-boy in Gstaad

Post by Dave C »

...the catering seemed to go downhill over the course of the weekend as well.
CathS
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Re: Visit to PJ-boy in Gstaad

Post by CathS »

Actually, there was a remarkable improvement in the catering over the course of the visit. After I discovered that there was NO BREAKFAST in PJ's flat on the first day, I had to make a hasty visit to a local deli and ended up eating a pot of bircher (fruit yoghurt muesli), rather messily using a croissant as a spoon whilst sitting on bench outside the lift station in sub-zero temperatures. Basically looking a bit like a vagrant in a place where everyone else distinctly doesn't look like a vagrant, and wondering whether this was the sort of behavior that would get me arrested in Switzerland...
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mark
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Re: Visit to PJ-boy in Gstaad

Post by mark »

After I discovered that there was NO BREAKFAST in PJ's flat
For the cheapest chalet accommodation in Gstaad what do you expect.

Could I suggest her for your next trip,

http://www.palace.ch/rooms-suites/suite ... use-suite/
CathS
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Re: Visit to PJ-boy in Gstaad

Post by CathS »

mark wrote:
Could I suggest her for your next trip,

http://www.palace.ch/rooms-suites/suite ... use-suite/
Ah, but they don't have gherkins on the menu...
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Kev
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Re: Visit to PJ-boy in Gstaad

Post by Kev »

Wow. It looks amazing
CathS
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Re: Visit to PJ-boy in Gstaad

Post by CathS »

The conditions were quite good considering how mild it has been in the Alps this month. Luckily there was a reasonable amount of snowfall the night after I arrived, which freshened everything up a bit, although the off-piste we attempted was a bit heavy (for me), other than on the glacier, which was great.

It's very different to skiing to the French mega-resorts. All a bit broken up (you really need a car to get between the different sectors, although the panoramic train was novel) and the pistes aren't very well marked (just coloured posts, no names or numbers). The lifts are a bit slow and dated too. I also had the pleasure of being stuck on a chairlift that stopped due to mechanical failure for 50 minutes on the first day :shock: , luckily on a mild, sunny day without too much wind, but even so, we started contemplating whether jumping off was feasible after 30 minutes with no sign of rescue when the shivering had set in...

The grading of the runs was a bit variable too. There were no really challenging runs (apart from the initial drop in to the black run off the Les Diablerets Glacier, down which I did the shuffle of shame...). The blacks were more like steep reds, but some of the blues could have been classed as steep reds too. I still don't think I would have fancied the Le Rosey initiation of the supposed steepest black run in the dark with a flaming brand and 200 school kids though!

It's all very, very pretty and scenic and a nice place to go for a relaxed short-break of skiing, although one of the priciest lift passes I've ever paid for. I liked Chateau d'Oex where Mark has been living, which is a quiet and fairly authentic Swiss mountain village, with a great little micro-brewery. Gstaad on the other hand was more like film set, with a high street of top brand designer shops (all with rustic facades) and bespoke street sculptures. All a bit surreal.

It was great to get out and see PJ in what has been his abode for the last 3 winters too 8)
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