What do you think of when you’re imagining your perfect snowboard dream trip? I bet it involves traveling to some far-off place filled with the promise of deep, steep & dry snow. You probably envision spectacular mountain peaks and alpine scenery. Does it conjure up images of your best friends and family sharing the experience with you? For Fredi Kalbermatten, his snowboard dream trip is exactly like that, except it usually starts and ends in his own bed in the alpine Shangri-La of Saas-Fee, Switzerland. -Saas Fee Dream Trip gallery and story by Tim Zimmerman
When you arrive in Saas Fee the first thing you see are the small barn-like storage structures, raised off the ground to keep away rodents and the elements. It’s immediately apparent you’re in a place with a long history.
This is the Dorfblick: a guesthouse run by Fredi’s brother and sister-in-law. Fredi lives here with his wife Nicole and their two young sons. Just out of frame to the left is the Alpin Express gondola.
Fredi and his oldest son Johan Talini.
When our crew arrived in Saas-Fee, Fredi had a surprise for us: a pre-sunrise pass to the top of the Metro-Alpin. We got to watch the sun rise over the Stellihorn peak, looking East into Italy.
The sun rises on Allalin, the 2nd highest peak in the Saastal Valley.
Fredi takes in the sunrise with his Leica, which he’s almost never without.
Last season saw a below average snowpack in the Swiss Alps, which meant Saas-Fee needed to farm snow from higher elevations in order to maintain the cat tracks and piste runs. Fredi made good use of the runnels left over from the snow farming and sent the gap.
The low-snowpack meant that Fredi’s usual stomping grounds in the ice were especially dangerous, since the snow bridges weren’t deep enough to hold a rider’s weight. We stayed farm from the ice and close to the piste’s solidity. Fredi hammers a turn with the Alphubel glacier hanging in the background.
Storms started stacking up near Saas-Fee and we found ourselves in a cloud layer that came the whole way into town early this morning.
Fredi gets his gear dialed on our way up the Alpin-Express.
It started dumping snow, reducing visibility to almost zero and made getting a good photo or video clip almost impossible. Fredi didn’t help matters by diving this deep into the white room.
By law, 40% of structures built in Saas-Fee must be made of wood to help maintain the town’s character. It’s the quintessential Swiss village.
Fredi walks through the tunnel leading to the Metro-Alpin funicular tram.
Fredi walks through the tunnel leading to the Metro-Alpin funicular tram.
The Metro-Alpin is a funicular lift that travels through a cave ascending to 3500 meters, just a little less than 600 meters below the peak of Allalin. Yes, it’s an underground tram that takes you to the top of a mountain.
Fredi’s weapon of choice: the Swiss Knife with Bent Metal Binding Works Solutions.
The clouds cleared just enough for us to get another view of the Stellihorn.
There’s a huge difference between ducking a rope in the US and ducking a rope in Switzerland. Both might not be a good idea, but in Saas-Fee you might be heading towards a glacier and deep crevasses. The ice chunks sticking out like massive shark fins are a good indication you’re in the danger zone.
Fredi finds the fresh and lets it fly.
All day long, the snow was stacking up. The powder stashes we were finding were getting deeper and the plume from Fredi’s turns was hanging in the air, like a dream.
The Swiss love butter and the butter they spread is high quality.
Our crew was feeling the Saas-Fee dream, but the storms were about to hit another zone so we made the decision to go visit Nicolas Müller in Laax.
One of the best things about traveling through Switzerland is using easy public transportation. We were able to take a bus/train/bus combo directly from Saas-Fee to Laax in just a few hours. Fredi waits for our train in Visp.
One of the best things about traveling through Switzerland is using easy public transportation. We were able to take a bus/train/bus combo directly from Saas-Fee to Laax in just a few hours. Fredi waits for our train in Visp.
Nicolas Müller was holding the Sudden Rush Banked Slalom in Laax and our crew signed up. Fredi pins on his number for the race.
When you’re a photographer waiting around for a race to start you might get bored and start looking for patterns to shoot. Here’s one I found in some plastic fencing.
The Sudden Rush course was intense: steep & tight, then fast as hell. Fredi pins the throttle in one of the more open berm sections.
Fredi gears up at Nico’s house. Nico doesn’t live as close as Fredi to a lift but it sure isn’t far either.
Long time friends, Fredi Kalbermatten and Nicolas Müller are the kings of their respective domains: Saas-Fee and Laax.
When we arrived in Laax the conditions were a little grim. It hadn’t snowed in a long time and it was almost impossible to ride from the top to the very bottom. In just one night the entire situation changed, with almost a meter of snow covering the previously dry landscape.
All of the sudden the forest was open to us. Nicolas took us on his favorite runs and we poked around looking for features to shred.
Fredi took full advantage of the new snow and Nico’s local knowledge of the terrain and graced us with a proper method.
On the last day of the trip the sun made a very brief but welcome appearance. Fredi checks on …mmmedia filmer Sean Lucey’s shot. “I land kind of flat, but so stompy.”
A windswept field leads into the mountain range surrounding Laax.
Fredi punts from a perfect diving board takeoff into a small landing just off the top of the main tram at Laax.
Not one to waste a takeoff, Fredi ollies off the very next roller.
Nicolas lead us to a classic jump at Laax, just below the rime covered treeline.
I don’t remember if the jump had a name, but if I got to pick it’d be called “Perfect.” Fredi Kalbermatten: backside 540 nose grab.
Fredi’s style, as seen from above. Dreamy, right?
The end of any trip is never the best part, but we rolled out of Switzerland with a good taste of Fredi’s real life dream. We hope you get to go on yours. Or, if you’re lucky enough live one of your own.
The towering Dom and Allalinhorn mountains flow down the Saastal Valley. Their massive glaciers end halfway through the resort, moraines finally reaching their end in the village of Saas-Fee. Fredi grew up here, just a few steps away from the Gondola. The resort is massive and complete. It offers alpine steeps, low elevation pillows, tight tree lines, perfectly manicured parks and features in the glacial ice available only to the knowledgeable and confident.
When our crew arrived in Saas-Fee, Fredi had a surprise for us: a pre-sunrise pass to the top of the Metro-Alpin. We got to watch the sun rise over the Stellihorn peak, looking East into Italy.
Fredi took full advantage of his surroundings from a young age and still reveres them, with no sign of the jadedness that might come from being so familiar with a place for so long. As the glaciers shift and flow, new terrain opens up every season. As his mountaineering skills progress, new peaks become attainable objectives. All the while, Fredi never loses touch with the most important parts of life: family, community.
The groomer runs at Saas-Fee are incredible: wide, perfectly maintained and some very steep. This is not one of them. Kapow!
Even after a full career of traveling to dream destinations like Alaska and the Himalayas, Fredi’s excitement for Saas-Fee remains. If you’re lucky enough to stay with Fredi & family during a storm cycle you’ll feel the stoke like electricity in the air. It’ll be apparent that you’re about to have a dream day. And, while you may have traveled to share it, this dream trip is the Kalbermatten’s every day life.
I don’t remember if the jump had a name, but if I got to pick it’d be called “Perfect.” Fredi Kalbermatten: backside 540 nose grab.
