Zermatt - Ski Season Begins!

Ski season is officially upon us in Switzerland. Last weekend, we went to the ski village of Zermatt, located at the base of the most recognized mountain peak in the world - the Matterhorn. We joined a group of my co-workers, one of whom has been going to Zermatt with a large group the first weekend in November for the last 9 years. The whole group totalled about 30 people, and we basically filled a small hotel that opened that weekend just for our group.
You can only reach Zermatt by train, as no cars are allowed in the village. We arrived late Friday night, under a perfectly clear sky lit by a full moon. With the moonlight, the Matterhorn was visible and the balcony of our hotel room looked directly at it. We had prepared Mason that he was going to see the Matterhorn by showing him pictures, so when he stepped onto the balcony, he immediately pointed and exclaimed - "Mattercorn!" The rest of the weekend was filled with him asking every ten minutes, "See it? See it? Mattercorn?" I guess he was as impressed with it as we were.
After dropping Mason off at a daycare on Saturday morning, Nicole and I headed off to the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise to get our first taste of skiing in the Alps. The skiing was not bad for early November, but Nicole and I both had a rude reminder of how out of shape we both are. I think we will need a little training if we plan to ski most weekends this winter. Besides the skiing, the weekend was the most clear weather we have had in the 3 months we have spent in Switzerland, so we had the best views of the Alps yet. After skiing, we dragged Mason kicking and screaming from the daycare, where he apparantly wanted to spend the rest of his life. A group fondue dinner capped off the evening in Swiss fashion, before we collapsed from exahustion until the morning when we were awoken by the familiar ring of "See it? Mattercorn?"