I went snowboarding today and so I've got it on the brain right now. It's one of my passions. But besides the actual act of riding down the mountain on a flexible board, there's something much more about the sport to me.

First, I love the small villages that develop — ideally organically — at the base of ski mountains. Here's a neat video of Zermatt, Switzerland that makes it look like a "miniature" town. Click here if you can't see it below.

And second, I love the vistas that you get. I don't know exactly how to describe it, but I find that they really pull you away from your everyday life. Here's a stunning time-lapse video called the Mountains of Valais (Valais is the Swiss canton that Zermatt is located in). You need to watch it. Click here if you can't see it below.

The town of Zermatt is almost completely surrounded by high mountains and is home to Switzerland's highest peak at 15,203 feet above sea level. I think it's time I added it to my bucket list.