Zermatt, Switzerland from $3,269 per person
Enjoy a luxurious Christmas and New Year?s holiday in the shadow of the famed Matterhorn. Zermatt is a scenic, car-free village with a medieval center and provides a great base for some of the best skiing in the Alps. Three main ski areas, the Sunnegga, the Gornergrat, and the Klein Matterhorn, offer world-class excitement for every level of skier.

This trip includes:

• Round-trip airfare on Swiss International Airlines from New York/JFK to Geneva, Switzerland (Other departure airports are available for an additional fee).
• Ten nights at the 4-star Hotel Schweizerhof
• Christmas and New Year?s Day in Zermatt
• Breakfast daily (at the hotel)
• Choice of four restaurants for dinner during the holidays
• Transfers by Swiss Rail (second class)
• Local taxes and service charges in Europe

Travel dates: December 22, 2006 - January 2, 2007

For more information:
http://www.ski-europe.com/vac/vac.php?id=31&vac=54808

Prices are based on double occupancy.

Looking for more holiday trip ideas? Check out our holiday page with more great Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s vacations.
http://www.ski-europe.com/deals/holiday.html

For more information about other European destinations:
http://www.ski-europe.com/rfp/ser.html

Or, call our reservation center toll free for more information about other European destinations: 800-333-5533.

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Hotels in Saas-Fee and the Saas Valley will be looking back on 125 years of tourism; a good reason to celebrate this anniversary with their guests. In September, various nostalgic events will be taking place. Guests will even receive free rail and Post Bus passes.

Those involved in the tourist industry in the Saas Valley are getting together and looking back over the past 125 years. This was the time when, in 1881, with the opening of the first hotel, tourism arrived in the glacier village. Susanne Voide-Dillitzer, Head of Marketing in the Saas-Fee Tourist Office: ?We want to give something back to the guests. Therefore, September has been declared the anniversary month.?

September, or Herbschtmanund, as it is called in the Saas dialect, will be dedicated to looking back on the good old times. For instance, how about going up to Saas-Fee on mule back, as in the old days, before the road through the Saas Valley was built. ?The goal,? according to Susanne Voide-Dillitzer, ?is that the service providers all join in so that guests will have a good time.?

Fun does not have to cost a lot of money. Saas-Fee and the Saas Valley want to make an attractive offer with the Saas Valley Card. This was initiated at the instigation of the Saas-Fee Tourist Office, the organization of holiday apartment operators and the cable car systems. Any person lodging with any of the participants (hotels or holiday apartments) will receive the Saas Valley Card. Armed with this pass, valid for rail and Post Bus travel, guests during September will not pay one penny. The only exception is the ride up to the Allalin revolving restaurant in the Metro. This will not be free of charge, but the Saas Valley Card will give the holder the right to a discounted price for the ride up to 3,500 meters (11,375 feet). Included in this price is the entrance to the Ice Pavilion and to the Mike Horn adventure exhibition.

September, the Herbschtmanund in the Saas Valley, is, as the proverb says, worth its weight in gold, not only because of the golden larch trees, the blue sky and the white peaks. A stay in the Saas Valley stirs the senses. And makes you want to get active. Apart from the nostalgic events, guests will also be able to enjoy all the comforts of the modern tourist industry: infrastructure of the highest level, unlimited freedom, multi-pack activities for every age and lively hospitality.

Article provided by the Saas-Fee/Saastal Tourist Office.

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In winter, around one million guests scale Saanenland?s peaks, comfortably, in one of the 62 lifts of Gstaad Mountain Rides. On the trail or on a sled run, in the snow-park, on the hiking path or in one of the numerous mountain restaurants, what reigns is pleasure, as light as the powder snow. However, behind the scenes people are working around the clock. Behind the seven mountains near Gstaad, neither the seven dwarfs nor the ginger bread man are at work, but the 360 employees as well as the committed personnel of many local businesses.

One of these 360 employees is Oswald von Gr?nigen, Deputy Manager of the Rellerli cable car. He?s not just any man, as you may notice, since, as the oldest employee just before his 35-year anniversary with Gstaad Mountain Rides, he knows, like no other, what is most important to demanding holiday guests: perfect trails, comfortable transport to the top of the mountain, and culinary delights - simply the few extras that Gstaad has to offer.

Trails that are perfectly prepared all the time are standard in the region of Gstaad Mountain Rides. Thirty-one grooming machines work around the clock, guaranteeing a smooth and steady run down. Around 80 employees are responsible for the preparation and safety of the trails and if need be, for keeping them well-covered with artificial snow. However, in the evening when the lifts close, the real challenge begins. The 250 kilometers (156 miles) of trails have to be loosened, packed down, and smoothened. With an average trail width of 20 meters (65 feet) the total area to be groomed is the equivalent of 5,000 ice-hockey fields. Despite the availability of the most modern equipment, this work on the steepest of slopes continues right into the morning hours and when there is fresh snow-fall, even longer.

The working day of the machinists begins hours before the first ski-guests catch the lift up the white mountains. Step by step, the ski lifts and cable cars are brought back to life. The cable cars that have been parked overnight in the garage-halls are hooked onto the cable, safety checks are carried out and all the important functions are tested. Apart from this morning routine, the machinists also do regular maintenance work. Every screw and every clamp is checked, the door-automatics are tested and worn windows and benches are replaced. The monthly check of all the ropes ensures maximum safety. When required, a magnetic inductive test is carried through ? that means, an ?x-ray? is taken of the rope piece. Depending on the result, the rope is repaired or replaced, so that the utmost safety of our passengers is guaranteed.

Article provided by Gstaad Saanenland Tourismus.

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