Hospental Hospitality

Morning Sun over Hospental, Tuesday 

Lord and Lady of the manor Al and Francesca are installed in Hospental's priory/ weigh station while work is done on their new house overlooking Andermatt.  Al has the architectural ambitions of an Egyptian pharoah... His study window will catch the dawn's light on the face of his favourite mountain slope. But architectural ambition is more than counterbalanced by our hosts' generosity and hospitality. Alongside Sasha & Liz, I was made to feel very much at home in this archetypical Alpine outpost. Of course, there's a wonderful improvised feel to it (as you'd expect with Mr Breach!): whisky, wine and gear in abundance. Not to mention an excellent library and outsanding DVD collection. Collected works of Werner Herzog and Season One of The Wire came in handy during the whiteout. My kind of abode... 




Meanwhile, the Kochevrins were just down the road - 30secs by toboggan - at Josef's St. Gotthard Gasthaus, where Russian General Suvorov stayed in 1799 passing through on his Italian Campaign with his met. You can relate to the sense of vertigo in the famous depiction of the crossing... Steep terrain in this valley. 

Suvorov going off-piste

Snowed in

Aside from being picturesque, Hospental and Andermatt have a really good vibe, unostentatious, unpretentious and laid back. Dare I say it very friendly for a Swiss town. There's a Swiss Olympic champion who lives in town, who wandered over to say hello to Al over dinner (and not the other way around), the shop owners are all interested to learn where you're from, etc. Also interesting that while around our place in Albinen the flavour is very much Valais, here there is a pronounced Ticino influence, with many people speaking Italian, and some great Italian Alpine food. The Fegato, Tagliatelle al Cighiale and Froglegs at Baeren in town were outstanding. The slopeside restos are basic, but we had a terrific thin crust pizza - with yak meat! Otherwise it was the communal kitchen at Al & Francesca's place, or Aurora, where Carolina and Ausra were astounded to encounter a fellow Lithuanian. 

Lord & Lady of the Manor?

So far as Andermatt is concerned, hopefully the Orascom project will move things along in a good direction. When I met Sawiris three years ago I was impressed by his vision and business model. It may yet lead to good things. For now, Andermatt feels a bit like a American frontier town in the early settler days. Simple and unspoiled, charming but not excessively manicured. And with great potential to become a major Alpine destination without succumbing to the metropolis feel of a Zermatt or Chamonix. Being in the big city is not why you come to the mountains after all. On this, we can all agree. 

Hospental under a deep blanket of snow

Thanks Al & Francesca for your hospitality. It was a magical five days. Wish you'd been able to be there for more of it, but I'm sure we'll all be back in the mountains together again before too long. We're already scheming for future Alpine excursions. Ski touring from Andermatt to Albinen in 2013 anyone? 

Good luck with the preparations for your big day in June!