Verbs

Along with virtually everyone else in the country, we headed to the mountains for the recent “sportferien” school break. Our destination: Verbier, Switzerland, or “Verbs” as the young regulars call it. At an altitude of 1500-3300 meters, Verbier is part of the Four Valees ski area in the southwest, French-speaking part of the Swiss alps. We met up with our Princeton friends, Jess and Jeff Davidson, for seven days of alpine fun.

We rented an apartment in Chalet L’Argousier, right on the edge of the village and within walking distance to all of the shops, restaurants and bars. The apartment was small but cozy, and allowed us to eat most of our meals at home, including relaxing adult dinners after the boys went to bed at night. (After two nights of cheese fondue and one night of chocolate fondue, the pot is now officially in hibernation until next winter!)

Eli and Ethan spent five of the mornings at the Altitude ski school, perfecting the “pizza slice” and having fun with their instructors, both named James, at the Les Esserts and Savoleyres beginner areas of the resort. Both boys made a lot of progress and seem to really enjoy skiing.

With the boys only in ski school until noon, Ben’s and my hours up on the mountain were limited. We did spend a few mornings and one afternoon skiing with Jess and Jeff, and one day we were joined by an old high school friend, Zoe Hart, who is now an accredited climbing and ski guide in Chamonix, France. She helped us navigate the challenging off-piste areas of the mountain, freaking us out with avalanche warnings and fatal crevace stories along the way. Sore and exhausted, I was relieved to make it back down to the base that afternoon and decided to spend the next morning curled up in front of the fire with my book and a latte—that is my idea of vacation!

We also did our best to experience the highly-rated “apres” scene in Verbier. We got a babysitter one afternoon so we could join Jess and Jeff on the mountain for beers and amazing views at Mont Fort Pub and Chez Dany. In town, our favorite spot was the Farinet Lounge, where the boys could color and we could enjoy drinks and nachos by the fire.

After birthday milkshakes for Ethan at the Milk Bar, we returned to Basel fatter, poorer and more relaxed…until Ben announced he forgot his ski boots in Verbier. How inconvenient…or convenient, as far as he is concerned. Guess who’s trying to head back?!