Out & About in Switzerland: A chill for snowboarders

snowboarding Keystone

The Swiss ski and snowboard season is still a couple months away, but there is already plenty of action on many of the country's glaciers. Some of Switzerland's top snowboarders are heading to snowboard camps on the Titlis glacier.

The “Iceripper” snowboard club have set up the camps on the glacier at 3,000 metres above sea level, above the resort of Engelberg in central Switzerland. It includes a 100-metre “half pipe”, a “quarter pipe” and “kicker park”.

Among the coaches are Olympic gold medallist, Gian Simmen, and an international line-up from the World Cup circuit. The one-week camps, which run from October 8 to 14 and October 15 to 21, cost SFr790 ($456).

A visit to the glacier is an experience in itself, even for non-snowboarders or skiers. The journey begins in the resort of Engelberg at 1,000 metres above sea level and requires changing cable cars twice.

The final leg on the “Rotair” gondola – the first revolving aerial cable car in the world – offers spectacular views of glacier crevasses and ice falls. There’s a panorama restaurant at the Titlis summit and an ice cave, the “Glacier Grotto”.

The cave stretches 150 metres into the glacier. The inside temperature remains a constant minus one to minus 1.5 degrees celsius.

swissinfo

Out & About in Switzerland is updated regularly to keep you informed of upcoming events, which may provide a different insight into the country and its people.