Ski-safari in the world
We invited the globetrotter to the ski-safari in Grindelwald and Wengen and learned exciting things about him and his adventures.
From an early age, Roger Gfrörer felt a deep connection to the mountains and skiing. Over the years, this bond has turned into a goal: to explore all the ski areas of the world. Since then, he has already visited 605 ski areas in 22 countries and ridden 5421 lifts.
"Where others hang their pictures, I decorate my apartment with maps of the world. Right next to my skis, because they don't belong in the basement."
The world maps are dotted with green and red pins. The green ones show the snow-covered areas of the earth that Roger Gfrörer has already seen. He still has to discover the red areas.
"I love the world when it's white. I love the mountains so much that they open up new horizons for me. Fortunately, there are many of them."
The sympathetic 40-year-old still remembers very well his big tears as a child when the skiing vacations were over. It is on the slopes of Leysin that the little Roger made his first steps as a skier. He still remembers very well the ski lift he took between his father's legs in 1975. Since then, the green pins on his world maps have increased considerably.
Australia
"In July 2009, I left for my first exotic skiing adventure in Australia. I left home in 30 degree weather with my skis under my arm. People looked at me strangely. Sometimes I wondered myself what I was doing there..."
But I soon realized that Australians love to ski. On the chairlifts, everyone talks to everyone else, and the globetrotter learned that Swiss ski resorts enjoy the highest reputation among Australians. Skiing with kangaroos: since some species also live in mountainous regions at an altitude of more than 2,100 meters, even during winter sports, you can see marsupials. Oh, and those who cross the snow border without snow chains pay a hefty fine. You can even rent them!
South America
But Roger Gfrörer also experienced moments of intense tension during his travels:
"Argentina is by far the poorest country I have ever visited. In every city, the police or the Argentine national security patrol with machine guns and control people and vehicles. It was a very uncomfortable situation for the tourist that I was!
But when he begins to approach the beautiful desert landscapes, volcanic areas and immense snow-capped mountains, he begins to be ecstatic. Despite the poverty, he discovered a popular tourist spot in Bariloche. But compared to Australia, Argentina seemed "deserted" to him.
Lifts of the other type
"I also see some new things in terms of infrastructure."
In Chile, for example, there are so-called "slingshot" lifts. These lifts have two long stirrups, which are equipped with plates for six to eight people: an ideal construction for the very steep slopes that are found there. In New Zealand, we mostly see "Rope tows", similar to the "Pony lifts" found on children's slopes in Switzerland. But unlike the latter, these are extremely fast and steep. To secure the rope, a sort of climbing harness with carabiners is used, which wraps around the rope and tightens. In North America, the adventurer also visited several ski areas that carry a label. For example, the "Green Label" for sustainable electricity production.
Hearing the word "sustainable", we ask Roger Gfrörer what kind of environmental awareness he has when he regularly sails around the world. He admits that he has no answer to this question. As far as possible, he tries to combine his business trips with his private interests. He also takes offsetting CO2 emissions very seriously.
After our two-day ski safari in the Bernese Oberland, we would like Roger Gfrörer to tell us what he thought of the ski areas of Grindelwald and Wengen:
