Workout Description

From Food & Wine (read full article):

An oft-referenced Chinese proverb says, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” On a snowy hiking excursion in the storybook village of Arosa, Switzerland, my journey of, maybe two kilometers, begins by slipping and sliding on the ice-covered driveway of Tschuggen Grand Hotel. The 48 hours leading up to this late Saturday afternoon have been cloudy and heavy with white powder; so much snow has fallen that skiing was canceled earlier in the day. There really is no joy in skiing when you can’t see what’s in front of you — and if you’re at risk of skiing right off the mountain.

But here we are now: I’m with a few other Tschuggen Grand guests led by two members of the hotel’s fitness team, trying to figure out how to remain upright with packed, slippery snow underneath my winter boots. Each step is less assured than the last. How will I survive the remaining 1.98 kilometers of this Alpine adventure? 

If you’re staying at the Tschuggen Grand and are booked into its “dine around” package, you get more options for where you can have your dinner beyond what’s in the hotel. A special partnership with the hilltop restaurant Alpenblick allows guests to take on a sunset hike to a wine-and-cheese tasting. It’s also an activity you can book separately. And that’s why, in head-to-toe ski wear minus the boots, I’m putting one foot in front of the other as I marvel at the stunning winter wonderland that Arosa transformed itself into in the last two days. Everywhere you look, white. (And I’m not talking about the people.) This tiny village, where the year-round population is just over 3,000, has been wholly blanketed with snow. By the looks of it, I’m guessing there are over two feet of fresh powder around us and stacked over the mansion-like chalets.

Gorgeous, pristine, and fairy tale-esque make for unforgettable views and photos, especially as the sun begins to descend, crowing Alpine peaks with a warm amber filter. But this is also when the hike starts to get a little tricky. Our guides hand us foot-long wands of wax. We’re gonna light them up; they’re our makeshift torches — their fiery glow will brighten our way when the sun disappears behind the mountains. As the wind picks up and visibility decreases, we start our ascent toward the restaurant. Everything up to this point has either been a flat walk or short, manageable inclines that quickly plateau. My quads are now feeling the pressure of a steadier pitch toward the sky, convincing me we’re reaching the more demanding chunk of our adventure.

I’m keeping my head down to protect it from the ice-cold tempest swirling around until I see the legs in front of me stop. We’ve reached a dead-end and are instructed to do an about-face. There are murmurs that perhaps the heavy snowfall blocked our path, so we’ll have to look for an alternative route. As we try to figure out what that is, we run into other people who are enjoying their own winter excursion as well as locals who’ve peeked out of their homes, no doubt curious as to why there are torch-wielding villagers marching outside their homes. We take pictures with a few of them.

We’re finally on the correct way up to Alpenblick, and we’re likely now 90 minutes into the hike. There’s so much fresh snow that unless I follow the exact footsteps of those ahead of me, I sink knee-deep into powder. And that’s when I finally stop to reflect: Am I doing too much for cheese? Is there an Uber Eats version of this, where I’m enjoying sharp savory fromage (or käse in German) in the warmth of my Tschuggen Grand refuge, where I’m not being pelted by ice-cold wind? Is this all worth it? There is no time to wallow; there’s now a snowcat high-beaming us to get off the road. So we haul ass for the final 10 minutes of the hike. And when we arrive in Alpenblick — a chalet-style operation — sweet salvation comes in the form of cups of steaming-hot bone broth.

“We were waiting for you,” celebrated Swiss chef Beat Caduff, a consultant here at Alpenblick, says to the lineup of defrosting mummies that stand before him. When we’ve been properly thawed, he shows us a fancy wine cave stuffed with expensive vintages from all over Europe, including special bottles from Switzerland, before ushering us back to the main dining room for the official start of the wine-and-cheese extravaganza.

I greedily stomp down on one of the chairs directly in front of the roaring fireplace, sit firmly at the table, and think happy thoughts. I’m still feeling a little wary that maybe all that waddling through ice and wind was too much for what is essentially a glorified Alpine happy hour. Then, Caduff starts patiently and thoughtfully introducing the list of cheese we’ll be sampling. “We are tasting only raw cheese. And this one is nicknamed separate-bedrooms cheese,” he says with a laugh. I’m at once scandalized and delighted. Knowing I’m sharing my Tschuggen Grand hotel room with no one tonight, I’m eager to try that one immediately. And that’s when my spirits begin to lift. Now, I’m certain that the trudge through the snow globe that has become Arosa is going to be worth it. 

Photos by STACEY LEASCA