The cost advantage has been true for some years. Today it is even more of a bargain. The dollar is so strong that it buys 15 Austrian schillings, more than two German marks, one and three quarters Swiss francs and 2,150 Italian lire. The euro, the common currency that was pegged higher than the dollar when first introduced, is now 13 cents below it. The Alps have many mountains with amazing descents of more than a mile, some with plunges of more than 7,000 feet, one with a 9,200 drop.
High verticals translate into long runs.
There are spectacular journeys in the Alps, such as the seven-mile run from the top of the Parsenn at Davos, Switzerland, on a groomed slope cut through billowing snowfields, down into the trees, into farm pastures and finally into the village of Kueblis. Skiers have a coffee in the station waiting for a train for the 45-minute ride back to Davos. Vast complexes of mountains and uphill conveyances allow skiers long journeys and the chance to soar from peak to stunning peak and cover more terrain than an eagle. The circuits stitch together adventures and unique experiences rarely possible in America. Wonderful conditions Admittedly, snow in Utah may often be softer than in the Alps, but seldom surer.