Spaghetti-Tour
A week before the HR-module started, we were told that the class would take place virtually due to Covid. We were all quite unhappy and organized ourselves. The module took place virtually, but the majority of the class met at the Feusi Education Center and watched the online lessons together. We were spoiled with food from the catering service.
On Thursday evening, we had dinner together at Bühner in Bern, which was great. Thanks to Bruno Zurlinden, we had the opportunity to visit the Wankdorf Stadium on Friday evening. But it wasn’t a classic guided tour, Bruno Zurlinden knew Hanspeter Kienberger, the CEO of BSC YB. So we arrived at the Wankdorf, were welcomed in the presidents’ lounge and all our names circulated on the LED wall between the stands along the pitch. Fascinating, thank you Bruno!
We learned from Hanspeter Kienberger that merchandising, for example, is much less important for YB than the very significant transfer of players. It was a great and interesting look behind the scenes. We were treated to excellent food and drink, and after several courses we had the opportunity to try the gin bar, which even had a cigar humidor, which we naturally made use of. The hours passed and the gin bottles emptied. The conversations became more profound and the contents of the humidor were coming to an end as I discussed mountain tours with Toni Bichsel (our fellow student with the most life experience and certainly the sportiest of them all).
He had already circumnavigated the entire world on a racing bike and had cycled to over 5,000 meters (in Nepal), but had never been on foot on a 4,000 meter peak. I told him about the Spaghetti Tour, a mountain tour in Valais near Zermatt that involves climbing several 4,000-metre peaks in a row. The tour is called that because you spend the night in Italy every day.
Toni was enthusiastic about the idea and shortly before 04:00 in the morning (we had lessons again on Saturday, of course), with a glass of gin in our hands, we agreed to do this tour next summer. No sooner said than done. I gave Toni the contact details of my mountain guide (Emanuel Julen from Zermatt) and he arranged a training day with him, the crampons etc. had to be tried out. Emanuel found Toni to be capable and we made the tour date.
The weather was phenomenal on those July days and on July 11, 2022, we set off on the Klein Matterhorn. After five tough but eventful days, we returned to Zermatt on July 15 with ten four-thousanders in our pockets.
It was a real experience, which we kept sharing with the whole class via the chat. Toni recently gave me a small photo album of the tour, which is sitting on my kitchen table at home.
Thank you Toni, thank you class 9!
Matthias Zurflüh, CAS Board of Directors Class 9