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By Angela Wibking

It’s a long way down—though, luckily, I don’t know exactly how far.

Then, as our helicopter swings past the jagged tooth that is the famous mountain called the Matterhorn, it seems as if we are almost approaching the altitude of that 14,685-foot peak.

The flight from the rustic resort town of Saas-Fee (pronounced “sahs-fay”) in southwestern Switzerland, over the Alps and into the tiny 13th century village of Grimentz takes just 15 minutes and the views are spectacular. Our flight took us through a summer blue sky, past mountains whose snowy tops peeked through the cottony clouds. Below--far below--we glimpsed tiny villages, a miniature river and lake, and switch-backing roads traversing the Alps. To our left and right, vast fields of ice and snow reminded us that we were in a region created by glaciers.

Just an hour before, in fact, we had actually been inside the Fee glacier, when we toured the Ice Pavilion, a walk-through entertainment and education attraction high atop the Alps. To reach the pavilion and the skiing opportunities nearby, one starts in the little town of Saas-Fee, which lies in a valley carved out millions of years ago by the Fee glacier.

One arrives in Saas-Fee, in a German-speaking region of Switzerland, by car or bus--but the parking lot next to the town is as far as visitors go on gas-powered wheels. One must either walk or take an electric mini-car, such as the one sent from our hotel to ferry us and our luggage a few blocks to our accommodations.

We stayed the night in Saas-Fee at the sparkling clean, comfortable and quiet Hotel Schweizerhof, whose look is typical Swiss chalet. The rooms are modern and there is swimming pool and a restaurant on site. At the restaurant, guests can enjoy a full breakfast buffet, complete with an omelet station, each morning.

For dinner, visitors to Saas-Fee should make advance plans to have dinner at the Fletschhorn, a romantic restaurant and country inn where chef Irma Dutsch works her magic in the kitchen.

Dutsch is a star in a profession still very much dominated by men so her designation as Switzerland’s “Cook of the Year” by Gault Millau in 1994 is quite an achievement. You’ll understand the honor once you taste her creations.

Our meal began with an appetizer of lovely, light pumpkin soup, accompanied by a sliver of savory pumpkin tart, and progressed to a walnut-sized sphere of impossibly rich foie gras. Next came a specialty of the house, chicken roasted in straw.

The cheese course that followed the meal posed some difficult choices, though every Gruyere, Appenzeller or Brie selected was superb and a favorite at our table was a young, truffle-flavored chevre. Swiss wines, carefully chosen and presented by Dutsch’s husband of 30 years and Fletschhorn’s manager, Hansjorg, complemented the meal.

The only thing that rivals the food is the restaurant’s setting. It perches above Saas-Fee on a thickly wooded hillside and the terrace offers wonderful views of the valley below and the surrounding Alps. The hotel rooms here are also beautifully decorated and boast the same scenic views. Spending the night here after one of Dutsch’s fabulous meals, rather than journeying back down the mountain, just might be the ultimate treat for traveling gourmets.

The next morning we were up early to get on the cableway to the top of the mountains.
For most of the way, the cable car follows a traditional path, suspended high above the valley below. But about five minutes or so of the trip is through the inside of the mountains, aboard the Metro Alpine, the highest underground cableway in the world.

Once at the top, there are skiing opportunities galore, a revolving restaurant and the Ice Pavilion. The pavilion involves some moderate stair-climbing, which at this altitude can be taxing, but the reward is a chilly tour filled with information on glacier formation and preservation, as well as colorful, kid-targeted displays of glow-in-the-dark fish and stars adorning the icy caverns and cubbyholes.

Skiing in Saas-Fee is a year-round sport. In winter there are ski slopes for every level of skier (50% red, 25% blue and 25% black runs), plus funboxes for snowboarders. Carving, cross-country, telemark skiing, tobogganing and skating are also enjoyed here.

During the summer months, average to very good skiers can take to the highest glacier runs from 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m. (until noon in high summer) or try the facilities at the Swatch Snow Park Allalin. Hiking, mountain biking, tennis and mini-golf are other outdoor options in summer.

After leaving the Ice Pavilion and skipping over the Alps via helicopter, we began our tour of Grimentz, located in a French-speaking area of Switzerland known as Val d’Anniviers.

In the traffic-free Old Town section of the village, every turn of the cobblestone street reveals another photo-worthy chalet with gingerbread trim, overflowing flower boxes and carved wooden balconies. Amazingly, these 700-year-old structures are all in excellent condition—and all still in use, as we discovered when we toured the salle bourgeoisiale, a sort of village meeting house.

After our walk through Grimentz’ Old Town, we drove to a nearby camping and picnic area for a cookout, Swiss-style. The menu included a rice salad similar to our pasta salads, marinated tomato slices, bread and an assortment of grilled meats--lamb and pork chops and veal sausages flavored with curry and other herbs and spices. Our outdoor feast was washed down with more good Swiss wine and capped off with a dessert of fresh fruit salad, coffee and chocolates.

Later that same day, after traveling down the winding roads to the city of Sion, we sampled the traditional Swiss meal called raclette. This meal is usually enjoyed during the cold weather months and consists of melted cheese on a plate, accompanied by a small roasted potato and some savory side dishes like pickles and marinated onion salad.

The region that includes Sion, Saas-Fee and Grimentz is located in a southwestern corner of Switzerland called the Valais, which means “valley.” Recently, however, the Valais has begun to market itself to American tourists as the “Matterhorn Sate,” after the area’s most famous landmark.

For more information on visiting the area, check out the Matterhorn State/Valais tourism office’s website (http://www.valaistourism.ch).

First photo by Angela Wibking. Second photo courtesy of The Ice Pavilion.

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