Winter excursion with the whole family – off to Feldis

Meeting point: Feldis. The Zollinger family start the second day of their mini winter break with a delay. Father Andy sends us a message from a traffic jam. But who cares about the short wait? The weather is glorious and in the idyllic village of Feldis we are tempted by the walk toward Bähnli. That means I have a little time with Sarah and Andri on the way there, before the action starts with arrival of the five-strong Zollinger family. The anticipation builds. New meeting point: Bähnli Feldis AG.

And we are:

Curdin: Works for us in IT, supports projects and is committed to preserving the Romansh language in his free time. 
Sarah: Is into fitness, unknowingly photogenic and can easily keep up with her two energetic boys.
Andri: The second little bundle of energy in the squad. He now knows that he would rather play ice hockey than play with those funny stocks.
Andy: He works for us as a sales consultant; he’s known for his trademark hat and, in addition to his knowledge of the outdoors, his expertise on the subject of fancy schnapps is extensive.
Eliza: A real mama bear, with a romantic side and nerves of steel.
Savannah: Is always either too hot or too cold and is a cool, helpful older sister.
Maverick: Wherever you can jump in the snow, he jumps. #yolo 
Edena: Known as Idi. Nobody can stop this girl, this whirlwind … But a few healthy gummy bears can go a little way to taming her wild spirit.

The Alps are calling

Fortunately, the traffic jam eases up and the Zollingers find us a little later at the Feldis AG station. Not only do we all have our winter outfits with us, but we also have pyjamas and spare clothes in our packs. Tonight we all – parents and children – will be spending the night in the dormitory of the Feldis ski cabin. We’ve stayed in this wonderful, cosy cabin before, but it’s a first for the Zollingers. It’s worth checking out. Everyone’s excitement is palpable. The children all hit it off straight away. Edena and Andri, the youngest in the group, are like peas in a pod from the very first second. The combination of these two will keep us on our toes. But first, we need to pack the sledges and take the chairlift up into the great outdoors.

Bavarian curling with a view

At the top, the snow crunches under our boots. The first short walk to the ice field at Alp Raguta feels like a real winter hike for some of the children. But they’re super motivated: ‘Daddy, can we go snowboarding?’ Andri can hardly wait and is already looking forward to getting out on the ice with the family. As soon as the ice rink comes into view, they start running along the path. We parents can hardly keep up. We’re all given a short introduction, then we try it out for ourselves at 1,950 metres above sea level in the most beautiful location with breathtaking views. We’re getting to know each other; some of us are more ambitious, others are more cautious, just like the first time we went ice skating – including all the laughter.

Snake bread and cabin magic

In high spirits after the Bavarian curling, we enjoy a fun round of building snow women and making snow angels. We then make our way to the ski cabin with our packs, sledges and kids. It’s a small, modest but beautiful wooden building, very cosy and run with a lot of love. We receive a warm welcome, hot chocolate and a bowl of dough for Schlangenbrot (‘snake bread’ or campfire bread). Having regained some of our strength, we take lumps of dough and wood along a winter hiking trail to a snow field. The children lend a helping hand, sledges always in tow. Andy gives us tips for making a fire in the snow. The sky slowly takes on a dramatic colour at dusk and the damned snake bread snack requires a little patience. It’s always the same: either it doesn’t bake all the way through or it turns black over the fire. But no – the effort is worth it. And a delicious, lovingly prepared dinner awaits us back at the cabin. The children’s clothes hang around the stove and the warmth makes us all sleepy. The sleeping bags are calling. The plan for tomorrow includes a winter hike and a sledge ride. We count the snow angels until we drift off to sleep.