Switzerland is known as the land of chocolate, cheese, mountains, lakes, watches and finance.
For Wales rugby players in recent times, the stunning scenery of the Swiss Alps has become more synonymous with pain and punishment.
Wales’ class of 2023 head back to Fiesch on Monday for a two-week training camp as the next stage of their preparations for the World Cup in France this autumn.
Forty-four of the 47 players are scheduled to be on the flight with new Scarlets signing Taine Plumtree in line to join them.
Number eight Taulupe Faletau is expected to link up in the second week as he recovers from a calf injury, while wing Alex Cuthbert and fly-half Owen Williams will miss out for what has been described as personal reasons.
Wales will also travel to Turkey later this month before warm-up games against England and South Africa. Gatland’s side open the World Cup campaign against Fiji on 10 September.
‘Live high, train low’
Fiesch is a quaint Alpine village with a population of less than 1,000 and its altitude has brought Wales there ahead of the last two World Cup campaigns.
Their mantra is ‘Live high, train low’, with the squad based at the top of a cable-car ride, 2,300m above sea level, but training 1,000m lower. Even at their lowest levels, the players are training at the equivalent height of Wales’ highest mountain.
The majority of these players have been on mini-camps over the last six weeks where they have already been put through their paces.
Training has even included an army-style fitness camp in Taff’s Well, known as the ‘Green Mile’ that featured physical challenges as well as psychological tests designed to take players out of their comfort zones.
Players were placed in hoods, had water tipped over them unexpectedly, were not allowed to talk to one another for an hour and subjected to the sound of babies crying to test their mental resolve.
The preparations will be ramped up even more over the next 14 days as Gatland makes no apology in pushing players ‘to the limit’.
Previous images of players dripping with sweat and flopping to the floor in sheer exhaustion after completing demanding tasks like flipping tyres are set to be replicated during the next two weeks.
‘Beautiful and brutal’
Scarlets scrum-half Gareth Davies is one of the veterans of Switzerland as he prepares for a third trip to the Alps.
“In a way I am looking forward to it and there’s a part of me that really enjoys putting in the hard work and seeing the benefits,” said Davies.
“It’s my third time and I know what’s coming. I remember the two previous times and initially it’s difficult.
“After two tough days we normally have a day off to recover but not in Switzerland. You have to get up and go again on the third day which is also mentally and physically different.
“It’s a tough place to go with the altitude. Training for the last four or five weeks has been hard and people are thinking how much harder can it get?
“The altitude will test us and after two weeks out there hopefully we will come back and we will feel even better.”
Some of the new faces have been asking what the experience is going to be like. One of those players is Davies’ Scarlets half-back partner Sam Costelow.
“There has been a little bit of that,” he said.
“You ask some of the senior players about it but it’s all positive. Gar (Davies) said you’ll come out of it in a real good place. If you keep looking at the positives, it can be a real good thing.”
And it will not be all work and no play.
“I know it’s going to be tough but it’s good we get to spend some quality time together in the evenings and we will have some days off with some hikes,” said Davies.
“It’s a beautiful place as well and we will enjoy that side of things.”
Beauty after being beasted. Wales will deserve their down time.
Wales squad travelling to Switzerland: Corey Domachowski, Kemsley Mathias, Nicky Smith, Gareth Thomas, Elliot Dee, Ryan Elias, Dewi Lake, Sam Parry, Keiron Assiratti, Tomas Francis, Dillon Lewis, Henry Thomas, Adam Beard, Ben Carter, Rhys Davies, Dafydd Jenkins, Will Rowlands, Christ Tshiunza, Teddy Williams, Taine Basham, Dan Lydiate, Jac Morgan, Tommy Reffell, Aaron Wainwright, Taulupe Faletau*, Gareth Davies, Kieran Hardy, Tomos Williams, Gareth Anscombe, Dan Biggar, Sam Costelow, Mason Grady, Max Llewellyn, George North, Joe Roberts, Nick Tompkins, Johnny Williams, Keiran Williams, Josh Adams, Rio Dyer, Cai Evans, Leigh Halfpenny, Louis Rees-Zammit, Tom Rogers, Liam Williams.
*Will link up with squad in second week
Not travelling to Switzerland: Owen Williams, Alex Cuthbert.