There’s no denying that summer snowboarding isn’t what it used to be. Camps are closing, glaciers are crumbling, and kids are spending more time staring at screens than riding their boards. But it’s important to appreciate that we’re still lucky to be able to ride year round in Switzerland… at least, for now. With that in mind, we caught up with a few of our favorite Laax locals to hear why they think that getting up to the glacier is always worth it.
James Niederberger and Sevi Van Der Meer spent the weekend camping and cruising in Saas Fee. Considering that the glacier is practically in Levi Luggen’s backyard, it was only natural for him to join the fun. They documented their adventure in a series of analogue photos and audio clips. The results got us so excited to get back on our boards that we couldn’t wait to share them with you…
"What a hell of a weekend..." - Sevi Van Der Meer
Travel Tip:
The best way to get to Saas Fee is by train. Get a Spaarticket from The SBB website since it will be cheaper than getting one from the machine. Because the second class trains are always full, go in to the restaurant wagon and buy a beer. It’s cosy and you can play cards.
"If conditions are right, summer snowboarding can be a real treat." - James Niederberger
"...we forgot our insulation matts... rookie move." - James Niederberger
What to Bring:
Besides the usual snowboard gear, you might want to pack some extra goodies, especially if you want to try camping. We’d recommend a gas cooker, knife, headlamp, water bottle, sun cream, hammock, sleeping bag, some food for the grill and an insulation matt (which we forgot). And don’t forget chocolate! Here’s why we think that buying fair trade is important.
"I wonder how many more summers we can still ride on the glacier..." - Levi Luggen
Big thanks to James for the photos and the whole crew for keeping the dream of the endless winter alive. Give some love to your local glacier and let’s do our best to preserve those beautiful blocks of ice for future generations to enjoy.
Great read, this sounds like a helluva good weekend trip! No doubt, you dudes are lucky to have this so close to home – I hope the glaciers will be healthy for many more decades.
I want to know what you do with boards on the trains though? I got a train from the airport to Zermatt once and it was so over crowded that we couldn’t leave our board bags anywere so had to stand by the doors holding them for 2 hours!
Oh man… I think you just got super unlucky on that one! Trains are rarely so crowded here, but it can happen. The good news is that it’s pretty rare for heavy stuff like that to get stolen, so in your case, I might’ve just left the boardbag by the door and gone and sat down. In the rare chance that someone decided to try to take it, I don’t think they’d get very far if your bag is as heavy as mine… haha.