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Sledding in St. Cergue December 2021 vs February 2023

February 12, 2023

The cool thing about where we live is that we are only 20mins away from the mountains. In winter this is great if we want to get some sun and also for winter activities like sledding & skiing.

One place that we go to if we want to go sledding is St. Cergue.

DRIVING UP TO ST. CERGUE

Before driving up to St. Cergue, it’s important to be prepared. The drive is super winding, with tons of hairpin turns. Going up mountains for sun & winter fun has a lot of benefits but one of the downsides is the winding roads with steep ravines on the sides.

  1. Excellent snow tires are a must – if you don’t have good ones and get into an accident, insurance might not cover you.
  2. If you suffer from motion sickness, like I do, you can
    • drink motion-sickness medicine at least 30mins beforehand
    • Use motion-sickness bands (where to buy: for kids & for adults)
    • Decide to drive so you won’t get dizzy
  3. Locals will drive fast, but don’t let this pressure you into driving faster than you are comfortable with. It’s better to be safe. If someone wants to go fast, let them overtake you when possible or go into a rest stop so they can go ahead.

READ MORE: 6 TIPS FOR DRIVING UP THE MOUNTAINS IN WINTER

WHAT TO WEAR WHEN SLEDDING

We didn’t have everything before, as you can see in the photos, but these days we are more prepared.

THEN
NOW
  1. SKI SUIT – Usually it’s a 2pc pants + jacket, but can also be a onesie. It’s water & wind proof to keep kids from getting wet when sledding & rolling in the snow.
  2. SKI GLOVES – This is important so his hands don’t get wet, cold or wounded while sledding
  3. SKI HELMET – This is not required many people sled with only a winter hat on, but collisions are totally possible & we went to keep his head from serious injury so I highly recommend wearing one. – especially for kids.
  4. WATERPROOF SNOW BOOTS with good grips. Avoid UGG boot-type of shoes that barely have any grip, because it’s a sure way to slide in the ice and get injured. One time I saw a woman in Chamonix using UGG type boots hurrying to her car & hitting her head so hard in the pavement she couldn’t get up. An ambulance had to be called because people can die after hitting their head so hard.

WHAT TO BRING FOR AFTER:

Usually after sledding, everything that had contact with the ice is pretty wet. So we remove the wet ski suit & gloves and he already has jogging pants and long sleeves underneath.

  1. We just put his UNIQLO UltraLight Down Jacket on him.
  2. Knitted gloves (optional)
  3. Knitted hat (optional)
  4. If his snow shoes are soaked we also have leather sneakers to change to.

WHAT SLED I RECOMMEND

As you can see last year we had more success with the cheap sled that we bought from DECATHLON. But the truth was it’s near impossible to control & has a tendency to roll over which isn’t safe. It doesn’t easily stear or break. We saw so many kids spill over on it in the sledding area of Col de la Faucille.

Decathlon Sled
Hamax Swiss-Bob

When we finally learned to use the Hamax Swiss-Bob in the correct direction, we realized it was so much easier to bring (very light & compact), easy to maneuver, super fast, and super fun! Now we won’t need to bring a bulky sled when we go up the mountains.

SLEDDING ST. CERGUE DECEMBER 2021

We arrived quite late in the afternoon so it was not very bright but what was nice was there was not many people sledding. The parking lot was super frozen so it’s important to be very careful getting out of the car. This is the type of slippery ice that you can really get injured on.

As you can see there is also a playground beside where people sled but it was super cold.

We walked around the school to find a way to safely sled.

There was an ice hockey rink too.

This is the spot we found to easily sled down… people with kids eat early here in Switzerland so there were barely any people.

DiploBaby and I had so much fun! At first we didn’t do so well with the Swiss Bob sled because we didn’t know we were using it wrong. LOL! This was heaven!

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A post shared by Ayessa | UnDiplomaticWife (@undiplomaticwife)

It was such a beautiful night out without many people so we weren’t so scared of colliding or hitting anyone. If it’s crowded I recommend wearing a helmet for snow.

BUVETTE DE SPORTS

The in-laws got a bit too cold so they went to this small Buvette. Unfortunately because it was a Sunday they only had drinks to serve. No hot food. That’s the way it is in Europe… we were even lucky they were open on a Sunday & serving hot cocoa.

The in-laws appreciated the blankets. Poor DiploDog was freezing despite his fur LOL!

All in all it was a fun time with the family, making memories!

As DiploBaby was talking to this snowman, he fell on the stairs.

Good thing it wasn’t a bad fall. Snow looks really nice but when it melts it turns to ice which is super slippery.

DiploBaby loved this lit-up pine tree. It’s really like a winter wonderland here in Switzerland.

Time to go and find some food for dinner!

SLEDDING ST. CERGUE FEBRUARY 2023

This winter season, we only got to St. Cergue in February and I have to say it was a huge difference from when we went last Winter in December 2021.

I only went a few times on the sled and only had my hat on. But ideally, I should have my skiing helmet on. it was just such a warm day for it!

It looks good in the photos here, but in reality the snow was brown & sinking coz it was melting.

You can see that it was a bit muddy in this video, but we still had loads of fun!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ayessa | UnDiplomaticWife (@undiplomaticwife)

WATCH OUT FOR SLIPPERY ICE

Here we are trying to get up to the parking. It was a bit tricky because the snow was slushy. TD had to be really careful not to slip because it took him a year to learn to walk again after his limb-saving bone graft surgery. Stairs with melted snow are very slipper so we hung on to the banister for dear life, just to get up.

How lucky are we that we can just drive up 20mins and be able to enjoy some snow fun? We are just about 17mins away from Geneva, so if you are there in winter, this is a fun activity to do with your kids.

OTHER IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW:

WHERE TO PARK IN ST. CERGUE
6 TIPS FOR DRIVING UP THE MOUNTAINS IN WINTER
WHERE TO EAT IN ST. CERGUE
MY GOOGLE REVIEW OF MAISON DE VILLE

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Welcome

Hello! I’m Ayessa, trailing spouse to a diplomat, mama to DiploBaby and DiploDog and founder of Declutter MNL. I love talking about how to achieve a minimaluxe lifestyle one step at a time.

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I am an Amazon affiliate, but all opinions are my own. The content of all my blog and social media posts are products and experiences that I truly enjoy and I only work with brands that fit my life and style.

GOOD TO KNOW GUIDE

FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM @UNDIPLOMATICWIFE

I love Halloween because it’s super fun for @dip I love Halloween because it’s super fun for @diplobaby. I love how his eyes light up. Before I was a parent, there was no reason to decorate.

Glad there is now a @gifi.ch near us with affordable HALLOWEEN DECOR & COSTUMES. 🧛‍♂️ 

I hope you enjoy seeing what they have in this short video! 👻 

It’s not lost on me how much plastic is used during Halloween, from the polyester costumes to the decor elements. 

ECO TIPS:

🎃 I usually slowly built up my Halloween decor. I buy 2-4 pieces each year

🎃 I take good care of them & store properly so I can reuse for years to come. It’s never singe use!

🎃 I also don’t throw away as much as possible. If there is damage, I repair.

🎃 If i dont use something anymore, I pass them on to others by selling it for a fraction of the price on Marketplace.

🎃 If it doesn’t sell, I pass them on the Pay it Forward Nyon group or place them in the donation pile in our dechetterie where others can take them.

🎃 if it’s not repairable, I take it apart so that the materials can be recycled.

🍭 As for TREATS, I hate the PLASTIC wrapped candy 🍬 so we usually give PAPER wrapped mini chocolate bars.

⛑️ HEALTH TIP:

If a piece of decor or costume SMELLS STRONGLY OF PLASTIC, DO NOT BUY IT! That’s toxic VOCs leaching into the air. It’s not good for you!

What about you? How do you try to have a sustainable Healthy-ish Halloween?🤪

I usually go in the same costume every year. Change is overrated lol. What about you? Do you know what your wearing this year?

#UDWinGeneva #udwholidays #udwhalloween
HOW NEAR IS @geneveaeroport? We are very lucky th HOW NEAR IS @geneveaeroport?

We are very lucky that the Geneva Airport is very near because it is located 4 km northwest of the city centre. It takes us less than 15mins by car & is easier to get to than airports outside the city.

BUT also means that many of the Geneva residents suffer from AIRCRAFT NOISE POLLUTION. 

In some parts of Geneva, like Vernier, Meyrin, Bellevue, Versoix, etc will have the airplane pass on top of you or very near you. This is something to consider when you are MOVING TO GENEVA & looking for a home.

When we were in @bioparcgeneve recently, it felt like airplane after airplane was going overhead every few mins. The poor animals were screaming each time.

A  report by the European Environment Agency(EEA) in 2017 said that 12% or 73,500 Geneva residents have their hearing disturbed by aircraft noise. Probably the figures have risen with the natural increase population & travel?

“The EEA describes noise as a pervasive pollutant that directly affects the health and well-being of humans and wildlife. Populations exposed to high noise levels can exhibit stress reactions, sleep-stage changes, and clinical symptoms like hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. All of these can contribute to premature mortality. The World Health Organization (WHO) reckons that humans exposed to noise levels above 40 decibels at night experience adverse health effects.

Across Europe it is estimated that noise contributed to at least 900,000 additional cases of hypertension in 2011.” - @le_news_ch 

DID YOU KNOW that owners of homes affected by the noise can request for soundproofing to be paid for by GVA? 

Check if your home meets the conditions for FREE SOUNDPROOFING c/o Genève Aéroport here:

https://www.gva.ch/en/Site/Geneve-Aeroport/Questions-Reponses-FAQ/Bruit#

SAVE or SHARE this now with someone you know who might be moving to Geneva or is already suffering from aircraft #noisepollution. 

#UDWinGeneva #UDWgenevagoodtoknow #expatingeneva #diplofamily #expatlife #genevaswitzerland #expatingeneva #filipinoingeneva #pinoyingeneva #movingtogeneva #movingtoswitzerland #movingtogeneva #genevaexpats #switzerlandexpatlife #geneva #genevaswitzerland
MERCADONA HAUL Whenever we go to Spain, we love t MERCADONA HAUL

Whenever we go to Spain, we love to go to @mercadona. It might be small but has a good affordable selection. It’s my thrifty Spanish MIL’s favorite.

We were so lucky that we had a @mercadona right beside our hotel Marina Badalona. Very convenient.
Our favorite things to bring home are:

☕️ frozen porras (bigger than churros)

🐑 baby lamb chops (the only lamb I eat coz it’s not malangsa & all you need to do is fry till crispy in olive oil with S&P) it’s called Chuletas Cabrito but TD calls it lechal 

🐽 chicharon or crispy pork rinds

🥔 Homemade potato chips. The best potato chips for me are from Spain. I don’t know how it’s so much yummier! The olive oil???

🎣 canned Sardines & tuna for me and Yaya B

TIPS:

🧊 For frozen items, we usually ask the hotel before we buy if they can put it in their freezer until we fly.

✍️ I usually bring different sizes ZIPLOCK BAGS, MASKING TAPE & MARKER when we travel so we can put everything in, label with our name and room number.

📸 then I take a photo so we can just show it to the staff and they can easily find it in their freezer.

✈️ When it’s time to pack, I placed our beach towels around the frozen packages coz I know they will SWEAT & I don’t want our other things to get wet 💦 

What  grocery do you usually like to shop for when in Spain? Where do you buy them?

#udwinbarcelona #udwinbadalona #udwtraveldiaries #udwtraveltips #udwtraveltip #diplofamily #filipinotravelblogger #pinayblogger #diplowife #diplomatswife #filipinoabroad #tdwtraveldiaries #takekidseverywhere #travelblogger #travelvlogger #travelvloggerph #filipinoblogger #filipinablogger #filipinavlogger #filipinoineurope #welltraveledkids #expatwoman #pinayblogger #familytravelblog
FREE GEAR RENTAL @boxup.app + OUTDOOR GYM at ISW C FREE GEAR RENTAL @boxup.app + OUTDOOR GYM at ISW Calisthenics Park 

📍Chem. des Tuileries 140, 1293 Bellevue

After the lovely BIOPARC we headed across to this chill park with ample PARKING that had so many things for kids & anyone who wants to move & work out:

⚽️ The kids wanted to kick around a football so we borrowed a ball from @boxup.app (they also have pumps, 🏓, 🏐, 🏀, etc) just download the app & turn on your Bluetooth & follow instructions! Return after 3hrs.

👟 Outdoor gym - this was a huge hit with the kids

⚽️ football - this too!

🏀 basketball court

🏓 Ping-pong 

🏐 Beach volleyball court

🤸🏻 Monkey bars

🛝 small playground

Thanks for the wonderful afternoon guys @lidia_otilia_botezatu! 
How lucky are we to have these beautiful, clean open spaces. And the free rental gear is AMAZING! so convenient.

This is in Geneva, about 15mins drive from where we live.

SAVE THIS on your list of PARKS to visit!

⚠️ WARNING

it’s in the airplane path so there will be loud noise from that. It’s not as close as the bioparc but bring earplugs/earphones if you are sensitive.

#udwingeneva #genevaswitzerland #genevaforkids #diplobaby #diplofamily #filipinotravelblogger #pinayblogger #diplowife #diplomatswife #filipinoabroad #tdwtraveldiaries #takekidseverywhere #travelblogger #travelvlogger #travelvloggerph #filipinoblogger #filipinablogger #filipinavlogger #filipinoineurope #welltraveledkids #expatwoman #pinayblogger #familytravelblog
BIOPARC GENÈVE Yesterday was a holiday in Switze BIOPARC GENÈVE

Yesterday was a holiday in Switzerland (except for Geneva). It was raining & miserable so I wanted to take @diplobaby out for a few hours. Thankfully midafternoon it stopped raining.

We met with our friends @lidia_otilia_botezatu in @bioparcgeneve and had a lovely time in this volunteer run zoo.

TIPS💡

🆓 It’s free for families on your FIRST visit!

🦢 you walk inside animal enclosures so wear shoes that you don’t mind getting dirty/stepping on poop. We wore boots & happy we did

🅿️ there’s parking inside on wood chips, if it’s full there’s another pavement parking (free up to 4hrs) across the roundabout 

🦔 Do not feed or touch the animals no matter how cute they are

🗺️ There are 2 routes (purple & blue) and 1-1.5hrs #diplshould be enough 

❎ Park closes at 4pm

SAVE THIS NOW if your looking for a fun & not too you can do in well und2hrs. It’s nice that you can go inside unlike most zoos so it’s quite unique.

⚠️ WARNING

it’s in the airplane path so there will be loud noise from that. @diplobaby who is super noise sensitive did not mind as much as I thought he would because he was so entertained by the animals.

#udwingeneva #genevaswitzerland #genevaforkids #diplobaby #diplofamily #filipinotravelblogger #pinayblogger #diplowife #diplomatswife #filipinoabroad #tdwtraveldiaries #takekidseverywhere #travelblogger #travelvlogger #travelvloggerph #filipinoblogger #filipinablogger #filipinavlogger #filipinoineurope #welltraveledkids #expatwoman #pinayblogger #familytravelblog
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