Day 0: Hands up who had to rush back from one holiday to get on the bus in time for the next one? One FSCer emailed the TCs to know what time the bus departed as he had to arrange his work schedule for the 31st Dec. He managed to put in an appearance and left early. His colleague, who shall remain nameless, called in sick… We love such dedication to FSC trips. We also had phone calls from Roberta in Canada about a last minute sign-up from Eric in Strassbourg. And Cormac from Ireland was stunned to find out that Montreux is near Geneva, as he had his flight booked to Zurich. Unfortunately, our Apres Ski Queen, aka TC Julie, got written off sick before we even started. I hogged the microphone for most of the bus ride down, assuring all that we had to be on time as I would make sure the bus departed in a timely manner without counting who was on board. Then I panicked, thinking I´d forgotten Ben. Even called his mobile (voicemail) only to find him sitting two rows behind me, beside (Irish-looking) Katie.

New Year´s Eve: Such glamour, such glitz, such razzamatazz! Our FSCers were unrecognisable in their evening wear. We even had James Bond (the Daniel Craig edition), aka Norman, at our table, shaken, not stirred. Vamp award went to our Memberships Director Pat for the red feather boa. Sean Connery award to Kelvin, for the distinguished beard and bowtie combination. Glamourous mentions to several of the girls and some of their shoes! The pyrotechnician crew, aka Glenn, Jonathan and John, lit up the shores of Lake Geneva with our very own FSC fireworks show at midnight and we drank champagne, shaken, not stirred.

P.S. Alain, was that you I saw in the blond wig, heading out at 2am to Harry´s Bar???

Day 1 (Villars): The rain we had the day before in Montreux fell as snow in the mountains. There was fresh powder everywhere and very little competition from other holidaymakers to carve it up (they were obviously nursing their New Year´s Day hangovers elsewhere). Renters got their skis/boards, beginners found their ski instructors and we enjoyed sunshine and perfect conditions. TC Liz nominated herself for the brain dead award after opening her ski bag to discover that her poles were still in the FSC hotel in Obertauern after her last trip. We sort of hiked to a lunch place which took 30 mins to get to, only to be greeted with “did you make a reservation?”. Luckily, we managed to squeeze 8 of us onto the only available 4-person table.

We flew home that evening to Montreux on Pam Ann Airlines...

We heard the news of the skiing accident in which a prominent German politician was badly injured but whose life was saved by wearing a helmet. The person he crashed with was not wearing helmet and did not survive. While helmets are not a guarantee for complete safety, they do make a difference. FSC strongly encourages all members to wear helmets when skiing and boarding. If you need to buy one, avail of the negotiated FSC discounts at shops in Frankfurt like Skimax.

Date 2 (Verbier): The early start got us here in grand time to get up the cable car at le Chable and on up to the vast area of Verbier. Needless to say, we didn´t bump into any of our gang all day and spent a fair amount of time phoning and texting (Cormac and Maja!) just to keep our group of 7 together. The Mont Fort at the very top (the Jumbo lift was inaugurated by Diana Ross in the 70´s) took us down an icy steep mogul field which was an excellent warm-up! I am thrilled to say I´ve done it (but I don´t need to prove anything more to myself in Verbier). The itineraries, which are marked routes that are not pisted, were in perfect condition, i.e. there was plenty of soft fluffy snow every time (EVERY TIME) one of us fell. It was so good, we did it again! Hajo and Caroline got caught in the queues for the cable car down from Medran (apparently the trick is to get in at the top, so as not to have to wait in the middle station) and kindly sponsored rounds of “thank you for waiting for us” drinks for all on the bus.

Katie T. and Kathy checked out the local sauna that day in Lavey les Bains. Unforutnately, so did the rest of Montreux at the same time so it wasn´t quite as relaxing as they were hoping. Nothing that a quiet evening at Harry´s Bar with live saxophone playing couldn´t smooth out, thankfully.

Friday night was also casino night – ask John about “smoke on the water” which we all sang on the way there… Frederik did his best “Blues Brothers” impression by wearing his ski glasses to feign a poker face at the roulette tables. The only problem was he couldn´t see the colours of the chips to know which ones were his. Jennie and Heather managed to get free champagne from a gentleman called “Tiger” who actually invited Xavier to help him with his Moet. James Bond was surrounded by the ladies, shaken not stirred.

Day 3 (Portes du Soleil): Welcome to another glorious day in paradise! Despite the cloud cover in Montreux, we were above it all in Champery. Thanks to scouts Gabi and Magda, we were able to arrange an après ski meeting place at Le Gruehli and give everyone time to get back for a late 6pm return that day. We skied all the way to France, after 2 ski lifts , saw the horse-drawn sleighs in Avoriaz, had crepes in a slope-side café, screamed down the “super blacks” (les super-noires) and managed to ski about one tenth of this resort´s 268 pistes in the day. Not to mention a 1 ½ hour stop for lunch and Irish coffees. Some of our beginners took a day off, Cormac switched alliances and found his off-piste messiah (aka Kelvin) and Glen chased “Captain Slow” – NOT – Kim.

Back in Montreux, we celebrated Birthday Girl Silke in style with Sekt for everyone and a birthday cake with fireworks on it.

Day 4 (back to Villars): Despite my dire predictions that the slopes would be packed, there was only us and Club Med ski school groups on the slopes that I skied on. Some of us went tobogganing, which was a fantastic thrill, while others were chaperoned on the red slopes by a FSCer disguised as Mother Hen. We had a cruising stop at the reggae bar, yes, the one with the plastic palm trees, already in the early morning, and enjoyed more glorious sunshine.

The ”take the biscuit” award, also called the ”catch me if you can” award, goes to Heather, Xavier, Christina, Ben and Katie, for a misunderstanding at an internationally renowned hotel in Villars which saw them enjoy the sauna facilities there for the whole day free of charge, while runners-up Pat and John enjoyed the tea and coffee facilities in the reading room.

A nominee for the Fuccowee award, Corinna had difficulty locating where we were in Villars. It would have been easier if she hadn´t been using the Verbier piste map at the time!

The good sport award goes to Eric who while returning to Strassbourg went via Verbier to pick up bus driver Thomas´ gloves where were left there accidentally on day 2. Julia L. gets the Assistant Bus Driver award nomination and Julia S. is now a qualified tour guide for Villars by day

The ultimate compliment to a FSC trip is that Cormac, who´s been member of the club for three seasons now, but who´s never been to Frankfurt before, was having such a great time that he cancelled his return flight from Zurich to ski the last day with us and to return to Frankfurt on the bus (or “the mobile bar” as he called it) that evening where as a crowning glory it snowed overnight and turned this city into a winter wonderland that Cormac envies us all.

We had a fantastic time, not to mention the best FSC trip of 2009 so far Thanks very much to Trainee TC Danielle who´s keen to host a great trip to Disentis. Let´s see those photos from Montreux please everyone and hope to ski/party with you again soon!

TC Liz

P.S. Another brain dead nomination to my name: left the interior light on in my car over the weekend so the battery was dead as a dodo when I tried to start it on Sunday night and I´d to take a taxi home. That was probably just as well as I wouldn´t really have fitted the extra skis and boots (Pat and Dagmar) into the little Smartie!

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Snippets of Information

Prices of ski passes for some of the nearby ski resorts are attached below.

We have the choice of going to various different resorts and where we go will depend on the snow reports, road conditions, and lift queues. We may go to Villars, Verbier, Portes du Soleil (x2). That depends on the variables mentioned. Get ready for adventure, as I'll be exploring as we go along too.

Check out the websites of the various resorts (listed on the trip fact sheet) and if you find somewhere you particularly want to go, check out the public transportation options. Montreux is well connected by train and bus to all of these places, but some of the connections are slow, i.e. 2 hours one way. See it as a sight-seeing journey through one of the most romantic parts of the Swiss Alps!

Ski hire is easiest in Frankfurt but you can probably find somewhere in Montreux too to hire your gear (F., if you find a place could you please post it here? Tnx). Just remember, you loose a bit of time at the beginning and end of your skiing time to hire and return the gear if you rent there. If you would like to rent gear there, it's a good idea to reserve it via email in advance. You don't want to get there only to find out that they've already rented out all of their size 41 ski boots already and you've got the choice of size 40 or size 42, do you?

If you'd like to do lessons, please contact the ski schools in the places we might go to to find out what time their lessons start Then we can see if we can get you there on time. A note for beginners: a "day" of lessons anywhere in the Alps consists of two 2-hour sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. It's a wonderful opportunity to learn how to ski/board or improve your techniques. The vast quantities of snow that we have everywhere in the Alps this year means that it's SOFT when you fall and there's less ice, and more lifts are open so there's more terrain to take the holidaymakers around (fewer bottlenecks).

Glamour and glitz is de rigeur at Swiss gala dinners. Bring your fancy threads and ring in the new year in style. Our event is in the hotel with all of the other guests, so no need to put on your ski jacket and mitts over your ball gowns, ladies. Gents, we expect to see James Bond-style suaveness around us, please!

And I'm delighted to report that we've got Thomas driving us there and back, hurray!@

Dear Mrs President, Please find attached my alternative Trip report.
Fans of an Irish entertainer called Christy Moore may recognise the format.
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As we set off to Switzerland, this fine cold new years eve,
We soon saw more than our fair share of snow I do believe.
And just before the border Thomas managed not to crash
As we learned that in the past these guys get treated to a flash

Sadly as it turned out, this event was not to pass
We didn't even get a glimpse of someone's hairy ass
So we pressed on to the next rasthof where sustenance was had
and we nearly left poor Katy in the bathroom feeling sad.

The rest of our Swiss journey was eventful in one way
The traffic and the snow down there really made us pay
With a fine control and patience Thomas' driving skills were great
But we had to tell the gala dinner chef that we'd be late

Then as we turned the corner on the street of our hotel
We all looked at our watches and we said "oh bloody hell..
We have to check in, unpack, wash and make ourselves look great
and all that in an hour" we would certainly be too late

But even as we realized how small a lift can be
and we transported all our ski gear in ones and twos and three
The gents got their tuxedos on the ladies did their hair
And we managed to be freshened up and down with time to spare

As we gathered in the foyer, having failed to find the bar
We noticed we were all well dressed and handsome beyond par
One thing we noticed that was wrong were very soon made plain
The waiters and the FSC'ers were dressed up just the same

What happened then that evening is part of history
We all have flashbacks now and then which are a mystery
All I can tell you now is the food and drink and dance
combined with all the fireworks and ended in romance

And as we counted down the year and sang "to auld Lang syn"
Our thoughts they turned to Skiing as the bubbly sect was flyin'
But the night would still not end there as we searched both near and far
for another watering music hole, what we found was Harry's bar

Now Harry's place is very nice and so it did conspire
that on the subsequent evenings we gathered at the fire
and listened to the saxaphone and eighties tunes galore
And got slightly more intoxicated than we did the night before

But my friends I really haven't had the time to tell it all
about the fabulous skiing and the journey to the wall
and Verbier and Villars and the lovely port Soleil
And how I skied the moguls (naah that's just pie in the sky)

There were chancers in a sauna and mother hen and mother goose
Lost sticks, wrong maps and lovely crepes and tobogganing to boot
There were James bond impersonators and Bond girls and bow ties
There was pink champagne confusion from a man with wonky eyes.

There are stories from that trip my friends that may never be retold
Or at least you will not hear them until I'm very old
But as you can imagine a great time was had by all
and in the bus ride back to Frankfurt some people had a ball

We had a human curtain and some topsey turvey drinks
The ladies and the gents on board got up to some hijinks
and Cormac after all the fun decided to come back
all the way to Frankfurt and see what was the crack

And that is where the story ends as the snow on Frankfurt fell
and Cormac stayed another day and the others went home, well
Of course its not that simple cos James Bond was overheard
say how the trip had shaken him or maybe he was stirred