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From Basel, Harry and his family took an express train called "Cisalpino".
At Visp, they transferred to a Postbus which directly goes to Saas-Fee.
Never forget to get off the train at Visp.
Or you will end up in Milan, Italy!
People can go to Saas-Fee by car, but only up to the entrance of the village.
No car is allowed to enter the village.
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Harry's family thinks Saas-Fee is the best of all the Swiss winter resorts.
Saas-Fee is a small and down-to-earth Alpine ski area.
It has an absolutely beautiful glacier and lots of light snow.
The Saas Valley is lying just next to Zermatt, which is at the northern
base of Matterhorn. Saas-Fee may not be as famous as Zermatt,
but that's mostly because it has no direct train access to the village.
That's it!
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As soon as he arrived at the hotel, Harry went out for toilet and excercise.
In Saas-Fee, most people stay at a traditiononal Swiss-style chalet
with halfboard (that is, with breakfast and dinner).
When Harry's family goes on holiday,
they always ask for a quiet room that's far from stairs or elevators.
So Harry can stay at the room alone in peace.
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After a good 10-minute excercise, Harry started packing.
The following is a list of what Harry brings to the snow mountain.
Poop bags (Never forget to pick up after a dog even in the mountain!),
a martingale collar-lead, dry food (in case of getting lost in the snow),
self-heating body warmers (kept in the pockets of the backpack),
a hand-towel (to wipe Harry's wet feet).
When it is around 0°C, Harry brings just one body warmer.
When it is around -10°C, he brings two of them. When it is around -20°C,
Harry stays at the hotel room and sleeps.
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It was -19°C (but it felt like -33°C) on the day Harry arrived.
Harry's master was wondering if it was too cold for Harry.
Then the lady at the reception told Harry's master that it would be
a lot wamer in Saas-Almagell which is situated lower than Saas-Fee.
So Harry and his family all headed off to the Ski slopes in Saas-Almagell.
There was nobody else there. Only the ski lifts were quietly working.
It was probably because not many foreign skiers know about that place.
Or it may be just because it was a weekday.
Whatever the reason, Harry and his family felt so lucky to be there.
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Harry accompanies his master to the snow mountain in this backpack.
This backpack is specially made for a small dog like Harry.
The top and the sides are made of a mesh for ventilation and visibility.
It has a stable padded bottom so that Harry can curl up small
and sleep comfortably.
First Harry was trying to watch outside for a while, but soon he fell
asleep while his master was enjoying skiing.
(NB: Harry does not wear any collar or anything hard in the backpack)
The product information of Outward Hound's Backpack is here!
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The day before departing Basel, the weather forcast suddenly changed
and said that it would be very cold in Saas-Fee.
So Harry's master decided to make Harry's ski-wear
out of her old fleece jacket's sleeves.
Go to Easy Dog Fleece Jackets!
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Let's get back to the story of Saas-Almagell.
No one but Harry and his family were there.
It was almost like a private ski resort.
So Harry got out of the backpack and ran on the snow.
Harry's master once saw a snow rescue dog was trained to run
behind the handler in Vermont. It is an extremely important
training in order to protect a dog from the ski's sharp edges.
So Harry started practicing a new command "Back out!"
When that command is given, Harry has to run behind his master.
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There came two big Rottweilers who accompanied his masters to
the mountain.
They walked up the mountain through a trekking route.
In Switzerland, many people take their dogs to holidays,
even when they go to cold snowy mountains.
Most hotels and chalets accept dogs in the Saas-Valley.
Dry dog food can be purchased at a supermarket.
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If there is a clear blue sky like this in the morning, it means
everybody has to get prepared as promptly as possible.
Harry rushed outside to finish his business and played with a ball
for 10 minutes. After that, Harry's family had a very fast breakfast
and they were all ready to go!
The climate of the mountain can change very quickly.
One should not waste such a beautiful weather.
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The easiest way up the mountain is by the "Alpine Express",
first by a cablecar and the last bit by an underground railway.
Harry went up to the Mittelallalin by this cable car.
The air gets thinner as the cablecar goes up higher.
Besides skiers, there were also regular tourists and trekkers.
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The view from the Mittelallalin.
Harry could see the glacier covered by fine snow.
This place is already over 3500M high.
Harry has never come this close to the sky.
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From Mittelallalin, Harry and his master skied down a little to
a small drag lift. Then they reached the highest station.
From there, the only way upward is by foot.
So Harry's master started to climb up the glacier.
But the air was so thin and the backpack was so heavy
that she could not continue for long.
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The beautiful view was not only in the upward direction.
The view downwards from the Mittelallalin was also amazing.
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It took almost an hour from the village to the Mittelallalin.
But it did not take long at all to go down the mountain.
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Yet, Harry and his master sometimes had to stop on the way to
have a break in a warm restaurant.
While his master was eating soup, Harry was quietly sitting
in his backpack.
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Then they skied down again.
Now the village looks a lot closer.
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As they went down the slope, the air got warmer.
Then Harry could get out of the backpack, do some excercise,
and the most important of all, finish his business.
After he had played enough, Harry went back into the backpack
and took the cable car again to the Mittelallalin.
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Saas-Fee is a beautiful village.
It is not as commercialised as Zermatt or St. Moritz.
People can just enjoy skiing and relax in the glacier.
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Saas-Fee can be a fun place for those who do not ski too.
A quiet slow stroll in the village or easy hiking in the snow moutain
are great options for non-skiers.
The photo shows Saas-Fee's famous stable where they store food for the animals.
They are standing on poles and pieces of granite to keep the rodents away.
They cannot climb overhanging rocks.
There are always fun things to discover in Saas-Fee.
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Saas-Fee, Switzerland 
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