2022 - 2023 Far West Skier's Guide - 74

CHARMING SKI
VILLAGES IN THE
CANTON OF VALAIS
In all of Europe, there is perhaps no
country that is more resistant to change than
Switzerland, and the rugged, mountainous
canton of Valais in the far western section of
the country is certainly typical of the country
at large. Some people might call the Swiss conservative,
inflexible and dogmatic, while a
more sympathetic point of view would describe
them as a people steeped in custom and
tradition, but it is certain that many things are
done here in a very similar fashion to the way
it all happened centuries ago.
Tatu Lehmuskalio, Jysky Lehto, and I
packed our boards and boots into my old Ford
Explorer and embarked on a short road trip
through Valais to learn more about this enigmatic
section of Switzerland. Of course, we
had all been here before, skiing in some of the
more famous resorts - Zermatt, Verbier, and
the Portes du Soleil - but we understood intuitively
that there are a number of deep, back
valleys, small mountain hamlets, ancient cable
cars and Poma lifts, and spectacular ski descents
that are tucked away into some hidden
crevasses of the geology here that rarely get
seen by foreign eyes.
The Swiss, after all, are extremely selfsufficient,
as they have always been, and don't
really need international tourism. They might
be happy to have a lot of foreign money resting
in their bank vaults, but they are just as
happy if the investors make their deposits and
withdrawals with a simple phone call from
abroad without transgressing the sanctity of
the local soil.
The Swiss attitude seems to be similar
when it comes to skiing. While the Austrians,
Italians, and French work diligently hand-inhand
with foreign travel agencies to promote
their indigenous ski and tourist industries, the
Swiss seem quite satisfied to keep many of
their best ski locations top secret.
They have stayed out of foreign wars for
a thousand years or so, letting their beloved
mountains protect them from invasion and intrusion,
and they are certainly better off for
their isolation.
Their cows still roam the alms in great
numbers, producing milk and cheese and keeping
food on everybody's table. Everyone in the
country has a precision Swiss-made timepiece
on their wrist to ensure that daily life will
function with the same efficiency and punctuality
that it always has. So why on Earth
would the Swiss citizens be interested in opening
their little paradise to a bunch of foreigners?
It
is quite understandable that they have
stayed out of the European Union - not wanting
a bunch of external politicians in Brussels
to decide over them, and it is equally clear to
me that they have for years kept some of the
world's best ski terrain clandestine from foreign
intervention. Tatu, Jysky, and I, however,
invaded the sanctity of Valais in an attempt to
uncover some of the stunning scenery, quaint
villages, and here-to-fore little-known freeride
terrain that has not yet been overrun and destroyed
by the masses.
Jysky Lehto gazes down at the Aletsch Glacier - an impressive, 23-kilometer-long river of ice. photos by Jimmy Petterson
74 Far West Skier's Guide 2O22 - 2O23
ttttt
2022 - 2023 Far West Skier's Guide

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of 2022 - 2023 Far West Skier's Guide
