In Switzerland... on skis

The first of the spring long weekends — what to do? On reflection, we could take advantage of the last snow of the season, but......it'll be too warm, the slopes will still be skiable and....won't we end up water-skiing? That said, our only thought was to go high, as high as possible, so as not to spend 3 days with the skis in the car. Off we go, destination Cervinia, one of the most complete and varied ski areas in the whole Alps, but above all with one particular feature: the chance to ski on the glacier, in the shadow of the Matterhorn, between 3,500 and 4,000 metres.

This resort had been one of the last ski weeks with my parents; time has passed but I've always remembered the very wide slopes, the endless lifts and the interminable runs down to the valley. What I didn't remember was the chance to reach Switzerland and its glaciers on skis; we couldn't have asked for better when, getting up on Sunday morning, Paolo, Tolli and I found ourselves under a totally clear sky and with a view of the surrounding mountains that took your breath away. After Saturday in the middle of a snowstorm,,,,we needed nothing more to recharge our batteries....today we're going to Switzerland!!!

Having bought the ski pass, we reached the highest point from Cervinia, the Plateau Rosà at 3,500 m, exactly on the border between Italy and our neighbours across the Alps; from here we decided to climb even higher, skirting 4,000 m on the Paradiso glacier and, after realising we really were on the roof of Europe, from here we began our endless descent towards Zermatt, a Swiss resort on the slopes of the Matterhorn.

Well, what can I say: some memorable runs will remind us of this April snow, the clean air regenerated us and the high sun, besides sending us home striped with tan, gave us some picture-postcard views.