Day 31

Finally got up to the (crowded) resort for some boarding today (I've been on my skis all week). The first of February is tomorrow which means European schools go on holiday for the month and everyone heads to their homes in the ski resorts. It's a huge inconvenience to those of us who live here, and it can be such a bummer when you just want to enjoy the fresh powder. Poor Jamie broke her wrist while riding today... at least she's still in good spirits!

Day 30

Sunset over the Dents du Midi. Absolutely stunning view, the clouds parted for just a few hours. This never gets old.

Day 29

Karlos's birthday. He and I went for a ski tour out to Solalex, a little town in one of the alpine valleys that you can't get to by car during the winter. It snowed all day long during our walk, and I even skied powder for the first time on our way back (it was only my 3rd time on skis ever!). Solalex is one of those places that makes you feel smaller than you've ever felt in your life, and the views are amazing, so ski touring was a great way to see a bit of the area off the beaten path. The first photo is of some of the ice we saw along the way... it was a glacial blue color and absolutely stunning. And the second photo is of me on my kid's sized ski touring skis!

Day 28

The walk home from Barboleuse... it was puking snow, finally!! Just around the bend on this road (Rue de Villars) is the hostel, only a 15 minute walk from the pistes.

Day 27

Epic fail... no photo. I can't believe this happened in the first month!!

Day 26

AUSTRALIA DAY!! Me and my favorite ozzie roomie, Chris (aka the kid), at Charlie's bar in Villars. We pulled out all of our best Australian clothes (green and gold), lingo (get a dog up ya) and drank ozzie beers all night.

Day 25

Went for my first ski tour today!! I didn't take any pictures up on the mountain because of really poor visibility and the fact that I am actually REALLY out of shape... but I did take this picture of all of our gear in the back of the SUV (sorry, 2 days of photos of our gear-- but there is just so much that goes into these sports). Anyway, walking up the mountain is one of the hardest things I've ever done yet feels so rewarding and you can get fit quickly.

Day 24

From left to right... my ski touring skis (the yellow ones), my snowboard, and my skis. I have a bit of gear here, wouldn't you think? You've got to love winter in Switzerland. Tomorrow starts the ski touring, a new adventure!

Day 23

Today we went to the balloon festival in Chateau d'Oex, which is about an hour drive from Gryon. It was really neat to see, this town is famous for this festival alone (it goes on all week). We stuck around for a few hours to see some of the balloons take off, a stunt plane, and a stunt/army helicopter. This was my favorite balloon of them all-- we had a bet going trying to figure out what it would end up being by the time it was blown up. This guy lasted about 5 minutes blown up, they played some bagpipe music, and then brought him right back down. A bit of a waste in my opinion, but he was pretty cool. The rest of the balloons looked really neat along the backdrop of the mountains... it would be such an experience to be able to see the Swiss Alps from that perspective.

Day 22

Went for a ski today!! First time ever on skis... always been a boarding kind of gal. Tess took me up and was THE most patient teacher. Turns out, all of those years of skating have paid off-- I did awesome! Went down a few blue runs, the home run, fell off a poma, all of the good stuff. All while looking SO cool in my boarding gear. Had a beer mid-ski to calm the nerves a bit and then it came naturally... bring on the ski touring!

Day 21

POWDER DAY! First one I've gotten up for since I've been back and it was epic! The resort is empty and the off-piste was so much fun. I went off a wind lip without knowing it and landed in a pile of fluffy snow it just doesn't get any better than that. Got about 3 hours of boarding in and headed back to the hostel in time to go snow tubing with Elizabeth, Tessa and Gavin in Leysin (finally got over there!). It was such a blast. This is Tessa, Elizabeth and me in our snow tubes, pretty exhausted from all of the runs (sorry it's kind of blurry).

Day 20

Got up on the mountain today... rather cloudy day but it was a day off and we surely can't waste that around here. This is the map of the resort at the top of the telecabine in barboleuse. +2 degrees and most of the runs were open. Still haven't made it out of bretaye or to the glacier but it's early in the season.

Day 19

Today Elizabeth, Tessa, Gavin and I went to Chateau du Chillon in Montreaux. It's a castle built in the middle ages that served as a midway point from France to Italy for travellers and such. Lord Byron wrote the poem "The Prisoner of Chillon" about Francois de Bonivard who was imprisoned there for 6 years. It was neat because the castle sits right on Lac Leman (lake geneva) and you have a great view of the French Alps (Evian sits right on the other side of the lake). You get a few pictures because I can't decide on which one I like best.

Day 18

Another shot of the view-- I simply couldn't resist... it never gets old. It was such a beautiful day today sunny and -2 degrees (celcius). Perfect weather!

Day 17

A view into the alpine valley just below gryon... the clouds were scattered all day and they were just about at our level it looked really neat.

Day 16

Happy Birthday Shannon!

(At Harambee in Barboleuse)

Day 15

This photo of me is for my mom... she'll be happy to know it was taken right after I stacked it on the mountain today. I suppose it's time to get a helmet?

Day 14

Today our friend Erik came into town for the season, so a few of us went up to Villars, our actual ski town, to do some grocery shopping and grab a beer. We ended up at this ice bar which is new to me, and it is actually a really neat apres ski place! You sit on ice blocks (with blankets) and the bar is also made from blocks of ice. Can't wait to stop by here at the end of the hometrail everyday.

Day 13

My life is beginning to revolve around food I'm noticing... today a group of us went up to Cookie for lunch as we don't often get to actually enjoy the restaurant as is considering we're all working there so much. We stuffed ourselves with appetizers, dinner sized meals, wine, dessert (homemade ice cream yum!), the whole nine yards. It snowed massive flakes all through out lunch and when we came out the girls had a bit of a laugh considering I thought I was going to have to be rolled to the car. SO FULL! This was the prep to be a girls pic but I seem to like this candid one of me, Shannon and Renee better...

Day 12

Went down to the valley today with my friend Tom to do a bit of birthday shopping for Shannon (and of course went a little crazy in H&M myself) and finished off the trip with a trip to McDonalds... fast food becomes a treat when you are up on the mountain and I swear American's would go insane if they had to pay 11chf every time they went to get a Big Mac meal. But as it goes, we'll pay it and it's delicious just the same... in the photo from L to R: Joel, Shannon, and Karl, first meal and Shan and Karl's new apartment :)

Day 11

Two photos for day 11 only because it was a beautiful day up on the mountain, and because our Australian friends Renee and Joel got engaged! The first photo is of the view from the Petite Chamossaire's chairlift (toward the Lac Noir lift) around the end of the day and the second photo is of Renee's new ring (to which we all toasted champagne and celebrated).

Day 10

My other place of work... at the hostel. This is reception at Chalet Martin still sort of decorated for the holidays. Today was my 16th day of work in a row and I'm really looking forward to a whole day off tomorrow!

Day 9

It's been threatening to snow around here for the last 3 days and we've been stuck in a cloud which is a big bummer... but the air is so cold that the mist from the clouds has begun to crystalize on all of the trees/lamp posts/railings/etc. It looks really neat! This is a picture on the path leaving the hostel.

Day 8

The boss man, DJ, in the bar at Cookie-- we're all going a bit nutty given we're almost at day 16 straight of work :)

Day 7

My bed is turning into my closet, my desk, my storage unit, etc... not sure how long it will be before I no longer fit?

Day 6

From left-- Karl, Shannon, Elizabeth, and me playing Mata around the hostel... all you Chalet Martin people that know this card game, enjoy.

Day 5

Finally went up for a good ski today! Visibility was good up top, but not so much down in gryon... there was a bit of powder still left over, most was tracked out. We didn't mind! Got this picture from the Barboleuse telecabine... you can't see down to the valley because of the clouds.

Day 4

I got a slip in the mail the other day from the post office saying a package had arrived... unfortunately they've been closed for the holidays for basically the last week. So today I finally got down there to pick up my package from my parents and it was full of American goodies! Kraft mac n cheese, kettle corn, trashy magazines... can't get any of it here. Now if only we could get some jello... :)

Day 3

Simply where I've spent the last 2 weeks every night behind the bar. Our friends DJ and Anna own the restaurant which has become the hot spot here in town. We've been so busy with the holidays!

Restaurant Cookie, Barboleuse, Switzerland.

Day 2

Woke up today and it was puking snow!! It might be a day late, but I'd say it's a bit of a new years gift... can't complain. Finally had a decent day up on the mountain despite the fact that it was a bit cloudy and such. Caught up with a friend at the telecabine and did some shopping. Have to pick a favorite photo for the day so here it is- the view from the hostel in the direction of Solalex. I live in a snowglobe :).

Day 1

So, I decided last New Years that I was going to start making resolutions for myself that were actually attainable and fun. Considering I am away from home at the moment and don't have big plans to head back across the pond any time soon, I thought a photo a day might keep friends and family in the loop, and would be a nice diary of sorts for the future.

So here I give you 2010... a photo a day. A challenge but also a collection of memories. A way to remind myself where I've been and what I've been so lucky to see. And a chance for the little, insignificant details in life to become vastly important.

Enjoy and Happy New Year!


This is Elizabeth and I right around midnight-- bartending at Cookie in Barboleuse, Switzerland.