Valais

This golf tournament is not held on a normal golf course, but in the open mountain countryside without fairways or greens in the Gornergrat area between Rotenboden and Riffelberg, at 2800 - 2500 m above sea-level. 
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Meet the wine producers this week in Sierre and taste the many wines of the Valais. In addition to the well established classics – whites Fendant (light, fruity, dry) and Johannisberg (ample, flowery and smooth); and reds Dôle (ample, full-bodied and well-balanced) and the powerful Pinot noir, there are exquisite grape varieties that only grow in the Valais, such as the Petite Arvine, Amigne and Humagne blanche. 
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Every year on the second weekend of August, Zermatt is overrun by Swiss Foklore groups from all over the country. The highlight of the Folklore Festival is the main parade through town with 50 different folklore groups with more than 1200 dancers, yoddlers and musicians. After the parade the folklore groups perform at the fairgrounds and at the church square. Food and drinks as well as entertainment for the children is provided. Spend an unforgettable day at the foot of the Matterhorn with music, dance and lots of good fun! 
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The farmers arrive throughout the morning with their sheep and keep them back until the "Gläck" - a mixture of bran and salt - is scattered. It is a special delicacy for the sheep. The animals rush down the steep slopes in a frenzy. The shepherd festival is also an opportunity for shepherds and farmers to meet in a friendly atmosphere. Although they live only a few kilometres apart, they are also separated by high mountains and inaccessible terrain. Keeping the friendship alive between the neighbours from the Valais and the Bernese Oberland beyond the Gemmi pass is the ultimate goal of this meeting. That is the way it has been since 1957: original, friendly, spectacular and still a new experience every time. 
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Allalin ice pavilion – the secrets of the glacier are vented for visitors within the permanent ice. 
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Music is in the air! Also in 2010 the emphasis of this festival is on folk music true to the motto: "Folk music for and by folk musicians". This year there will be dancing and entertainment evenings, as for example a "Big folk music evening" as well as different performances on the village square. And like in the years before the entire village of Saas-Fee becomes a stage: from Friday to Sunday different Swiss folk music bands will perform outside a number of restaurants. 
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At the Gornergrat, discover a natural alpine paradise, amid aromatic stone pine and larch forests. Across vastalpine meadows in summer full of flowers, and in winter covered with deeply snow-capped glaciers, lies the famous Gornergrat. Giving all a perfect view of the highest point in Switzerland, The Dufour-Spitze, this idyllic mountain village is one of the biggest resorts in Switzerland. 
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The event that by now has already become tradition, enthuses young and old likewise. Thereby not only tradition will be cultivated but you can also find a huge range of culinary specialties. Dressed with the skirts of your grandmother or the trousers of your great-grandfather the mile of pleasure will let you be a part of the times long ago. In the village there will be a long table where the hoteliers and restaurateurs of Saas-Fee/Saastal will serve you menus of the old times and special vines of the region. Festive activities take place in the marquee at the village square until late in the evening. 
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Just as much as the spectators, the players appreciate the September rendez-vous; for them, going to the Valais means something authentic, alpine, almost bucolic, something quite different from other destinations. Although fully concentrating on their game, the professionals none the less display a certain relaxed style which cannot be discerned in them during the rest of the season. Golf at an altitude of 1'500 metres is a whiff of air, both liteally and figuratively! Certainly one of the most beautiful places in the world! 
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During this week, ice-climbing and ski-touring freaks from across the globe will once again flock to Saas-Fee. Again «Ice on Tour» will take place in the glacier village, a week-long programme of action-packed sporting events and legendary ice-climbing parties in the multi-storey car park. The action starts in earnest on the Friday and Saturday, when the spectacular ice-climbing competitions get underway on the 30-metre ice wall in Saas-Fee's multi-storey car park – with up to 3,000 spectators. Afterwards, if previous years are anything to go by, there'll be no time for resting as the hugely popular ice climbing parties are known to continue until morning! 
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The longest downhill glacier race in the world is one of the four events in the "Super Vier", Switzerlands top amateur downhill series. The race will take place for the 31th time on 12th and 13th April. 
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The Patrouille des Glaciers (PDG) is an international ski mountaineering race organised by the Swiss Armed Forces in which military and civilian teams compete. The race routes leading from Zermatt to Verbier (course Z) or from Arolla to Verbier (course A) must be completed in one single stage. This unique competition is characterised by its length, the challenges of the alpine environment, the altitude and the course profile.  
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