As soon as I saw the mountains, I wanted them to be mine. I wanted to stand on top of the highest peak and look down at the world beneath me; feel the wind with no barriers and know that I would never be closer to the sun. This feeling I had surprised me. In response to the question: beach or mountains? I always answered beach. Never in my life had I wanted to be surrounded by snow and ice, yet here I was longing to freeze.
I couldn’t take my eyes off of these giants looming over the town. They felt like guardians holding the people of Switzerland in the palms of their hands. The town itself was quaint with houses perched on hills and narrow winding roads. I loved it immediately. It was quiet, but not in the way a suburb is. Interlaken is quiet because all the action is higher up. So higher up I went. We took a train to 1600 meters, the other 500 we climbed ourselves. We—25,000 of us to be exact—scrambled up the side of the mountain to carve a place in the snow for the annual Lauberhorn Ski Race. As people began to pile in, the once crisp, snow-covered mountainside was transformed. Brightly colored coats and hats and Switzerland flags consumed the slope. We were facing the biggest jump of the course where we would watch the contestants sail so effortlessly over the sea of snow. I had never felt so much energy from a group of people—especially a group that was half frozen. People drank hot wine and stirred fondue standing around tables made of ice. For each Swiss contestant that came down the course, we screamed and waved our flags until they disappeared around the next bend. Nothing in the United States could have convinced me to stand outside in sub-zero weather, covered in snow for 12 hours. But I felt different here. It felt right to be standing there with numb fingers and toes under the clear, sunny Alpine sky.
We talk about moving mountains like it would be an accomplishment. But what about when the mountains move you? Being there made me feel different; I felt comforted and alive and curious and amazed all at once. It saw a version of myself that was brave and observant. I was happy to slow down and take in every detail and I was happy to have snow blown into my face as I sled full-speed down an icy slope. There is not enough time in the world to soak in all of beauty. After three days in Switzerland, I knew I would be coming back. Maybe next time I’ll climb even closer to the sun.
Comments