We drove into Adelboden, Switzerland on a mid-December afternoon. As the light faded in the mountain passes, the snow began to fall in earnest. All those dreams of frolicking in a winter wonderland were literally falling into place.
When we plan winter trips, we try to remain flexible and allow enough days for the weather to cooperate. On this occasion, the night brought visions of morning snow angels in white fluffy snow. In the morning, we awoke to over a foot of fresh powder covering this picturesque Swiss mountain town.
Being raised in Florida, we are not skiers nor particularly adept at winter sports, but we were looking forward to enjoying the snow however we could. Our group decided that snowshoeing would be a moderately easy winter activity that would allow everyone in our group to get out and enjoy the wonders of winter in Switzerland.
Private Guide and Tour
We contacted a local guide – Alpinschule Adelboden – to arrange our outfitting and a private guided tour. Our guide Marco picked us up from our hotel in Adelboden – The Cambrian. After a 20 minute ride we arrived at a stunning countryside corner of the Adelboden mountain valley. The day was spectacular with a bright piercing sun and vivid blue sky.
Marco immediately began fitting all our snowshoes and trekking poles. His attention to detail and friendliness was noteworthy. Soon we snowshoeing like veterans – or so we imagined – into the local countryside. The entire landscape was covered in in virgin snowfall and the scenery was surreal.
Stunning Views
We marched single file visiting some of the local farms and huts that dotted the landscape. We met a few furred locals along the way which just added to the quaint ambiance of the town. Our trek took us all around and into the tree line. Every rise over a hill or out from the forest presented us with ever more stunning views that begged to be photographed.
For us, the hike was visually and physically exhilarating. As previously mentioned, most in our group are not particularly athletic nor accustomed to winter mountain scapes. Our mountain guide on the other hand was obviously physically gifted and adept at all winter sports. To his great credit, the guide was ever mindful to maintain a pace everyone was comfortable with. The trip was truly tailored to our capabilities and for this we were thankful. I would wholeheartedly recommend our guide.
In all we spent almost 3 hours trekking through the snowy countryside. After our hike he recommended a local restaurant where we settled in for a hearty meal and immediately reminisced on what everyone knew was one of the most stunning days of our vacation.
