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Hoch-Ybrig, Switzerland

Panorama from Klein Sternen
Located about 2 hours from the Zurich Main station, Hoch-Ybrig ski area offers a pretty well rounded menu of all mountain sports. Whether preferences lean toward free skiing, groomed piste running, ski-cross, big air kickers, or jibbing Hoch-Ybrig has it all within reach without long traverses or bus rides across the valley. 
StringGirl poses with Druesberg and Forstberg in the background
A right bargain at a mere 53 CHF for an adult lift pass and a whopping 88 CHF for the Snow'n'Rail which includes your transit from Zurich to the mountain (65 CHF if you have a "halbtax" card). 
Shot with my new GoPro HERO
The weather this day was pretty poor in the city, but according to weather reports the snow ceiling was at 1100 meters. And Hoch-Ybrig was posting a sunny day forecast. So why not take a two hour ride from Zurich to the mountains.
Sun rising to our backs with this ahead of us, lower cloud ceiling at 1500 m. Just obscuring the lift stations
Hoch-Ybrig
The view to the south from atop the traverse from Sternen toward Spirstock
Having arrived at 9:00 AM for early tracks on the mountain, by 11:30 we were famished. Leaving the Zurich station at 7:00 AM makes for short or no breakfasts. and unlike the typical Swiss I failed to pack my meals of meat and cheese to take with me. So I had to resort to dining at one of the many on-mountain restaurants at Hoch-Ybrig. I count 14 on the trail map, and yes they even have a few"Alpine-Huttes" well off-piste for on mountain dining.
Inside "Das Alps Restaurant Staefel"
On mountain dining in Switzerland is nothing like eating at an American Ski hill. No it is not that the prices are any better, generally dining in Switzerland is three to four times what you might pay for similar food in the US and maybe double the costs in Germany or France or Italy.

However, ski areas are usually one of the areas where expensive bad food is universal. This is where Switzerland far exceeds the offerings of any American Ski area we've been to. No $20 grease wheels, burger pucks, or "treadmill dogs". Instead, you can get white cloth napkin service. Proper entrees and food that tastes pretty good for not much more than that meal would cost in the city--No mountain premium.
Rösti!
At Hoch-Ybrig we stopped for lunch at Staefel Alps Restaurant. Dining options went between things like Steak with potatoes, Cordon-Bleu with fries, Schnitzels, and my choice of the Alps Rosti. Which was essentially a plate of cheesy bacon and ham hash browns with fried eggs on top. For a lowly $18 was better than any on mountain meal I've had in Michigan, Colorado, Nevada, or California while skiing.

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