Earlier this year at an event hosted by swissnex San Francisco, local alumni of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH Zurich) met for the first time to discuss founding a regional network. On a recent retreat to the mountains, they took action.

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 Over President’s Day weekend, a total of eight alumni plus swissnex San Francisco intern Sarah Preiswerk—a current ETH Zurich student—ventured to wintery Lake Tahoe, in California’s Sierra Nevada mountain range, to ski, network, and brainstorm.

They were met by perfect powder and sunny skies, and although they spent the days skiing and bonding, in the evenings they got down to business gathering ideas and shaping what the local alumni network should look like. The alumni, three of whom had flown in from Seattle, evaluated the shape, services, and activities the ETH Zurich Alumni Bay Area Chapter could and should offer. Once founded, it will be part of a global network that includes more than 43,000 members in over 100 countries worldwide.