Snowboarding in Appenzellerland

Over the weekend, my Dutch colleague Kim and I rented snowboards and explored the region in search of good slopes. We ended up in Appenzell, which is roughly the West Virginia of Switzerland: mountainous, rural, funny accent, and the occasional butt of jokes (though they really don't deserve it). Appenzell finally gave women the vote somewhere around 1989, and they still vote by raising their hands in assemby (perhaps partly because it's now a tourist attraction).

Anyway, it was a great way to practice German! Or at least Swiss-German. Not nearly so many Appenzellers speak English or French, so I was really forced to try the Deutsch, which I enjoyed. And I'm always surprised how much can be communicated when there's really no other way. On my snowboard, it was really hard to take the T-bar up the slopes, so I always ended up paired with a skiier. And that skier was always from Appenzell. Lots of great conversations.

The views were amazing, as you can see from these photos. The trails were mixed-use for skiing, snowboarding, hiking and tobogganing. And there were hangliders too! And in Switzerland, this isn't even considered a destination - just a local spot for locals. In fact the first day, we took our snowboards on the train at lunchtime (ate bread & cheese on our way), hit the slopes for a few hours, and were back in St. Gallen again at 5:30pm! Amazing how close it all is.

On Monday, I'm embarased to say, my muscles were sore... but not my legs. My arms. I believe this is some indication of how much energy went into picking myself up off the ground. My goal for next time is to get my legs sore instead. ;)