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After talking with people who were in Europe for a semester last year, I knew I had to go skiing somewhere in the Swiss Alps. They all said it was an unforgettable experience, despite the high cost. Six of my friends and I decided to go to Interlaken, Switzerland for a weekend through a student trip company called Bus2Alps. Interlaken (German for “between lakes”) is a nice little town at the base of the Alps, a twelve hour bus ride from Rome.

In addition to excellent skiing, the area is known for it’s extreme sports scene. When I saw “canyon jumping” on the trip website, I knew I had to do it. After arriving early Friday morning, six of us went on the jump trip. The crew drove us deep into the mountains to a canyon with platforms set up for all of the adrenaline junkies who like to jump off of things. Biff, the jump expert, and Grizzy, the photographer, are ski bums who clearly get a kick out of helping people jump off of a cliff. After a hike up to the top and a brief setup, the jumping began. Fourth in line, I was both scared and excited to jump. I never do things like this but figured if there’s any place to do it it should be Interlaken. Biff tied my harness up and pushed me to the edge of the platform where my toes hung over the edge of an 85 meter (279 foot!) drop to a river below. A quick five second countdown and I was airborne. After the brief thrill of jumping, my head quickly turned down. The rush of wind and gravity scared me to death. I thought for a brief second that I was literally going to die. The free fall is probably only three or four seconds but it feels like the rope should catch after only one or two, creating the panic. If only you could see my face. Just as quickly as I fell, the rope caught me and I swung to the other end of the canyon. I can’t describe the feeling of flying through the air like that. It was the most thrilling few seconds I’ve ever had. I let out yells and screams and was on an incredible adrenaline high. After a minute or two more of swinging, another crew member hauled me in and untied me. For hours afterward I relived that fall. To the average person it may not seem like a big deal but for someone like me, who never does crazy stunts, it was an incredible experience.

After a post-jump beer (Rugenbrau) and a dinner at Hooter’s we went out to a hostel bar and ate late night bratwurst. The next morning we all woke up early and headed over to the ski shop to rent gear and get the day going. Although Interlaken is very close to the mountains, it takes quite a trek to get to the actual mountain top. The bus, two trains and a gondolla took well over an hour but we finally made it to the top of the mountain. The views were indescribable.

After four or five years of no snowboarding, I was a bit rusty. On my first run I participated in a high speed, face first crash into the ground. It was quite painful. After a few hours I got the hang of it and had a wonderful time on the mountain. The weather was sunny and warm, perfect skiing conditions. After my friend Brittany and I fell off the T-bar lift, we got seperated from the group and spent the rest of the day being burried in fresh powder. At the end of the day we met the rest of the group and made the long trip home.

Although I wanted to eat fondue, one of the most famous Swiss dishes, we couldn’t afford any of the restaurants in the area. Instead, we found a great Thai place called Sirinya’s Thai. Our small group of seven was all alone in the restaurant with the waiter and the chef. It was an amazing and memorable dinner. During my first trip to Italy eight years ago, my family ate a wonderful, many-course meal at a small restaurant in Montepulciano. We still talk about how great that was. I have a feeling I will remember this meal and night just the same. The chef could not have been nicer, the food could not have been better, and most of all I could not have had a better time with my friends.

The next morning we awoke early for a quick walk to a lake and then boarded the bus for the long ride home. The trip was unforgettable. Despite the large expense, I would do it again ten times over. I don’t know if I’ll ever get back, but I sure hope I can.