Welcome to the Heart of Europe

"Friday night I mount the skis on my car and then I see that I get to Stubai Valley, Zell at the Lake or so, for up in the mountains they've got extremely cool snow -
Am Freitag auf d'Nacht montiere ich die Schi auf mein Auto und dann begib ich mi in's Stubai-Tal oder nach Zell am See,
weil dort auf die Berg' oben haben's immer einen leiwanden Schnee!"
(Wolfgang Ambros, 1976, Schifoan - Skiing)

On the Ski Slope

Skiing can be so much fun, if you forget that it is bitter cold, crowded and dangerous, especially in case you overestimate your own skills. For us it really became a topic again before the kids would start with ski weeks at school. Thanks to the talent training of our aunt and uncle, they could enjoy the most popular Alpine winter sports and slide down slope after slope. In a way, it revived our interest in outdoor sports, as our focus in the cold season had been mostly on indoor activities with minimal fat burning results, including chess- and Rummy card- marathons. Of course, Wii fitness has been another step into the right direction, although it could not compete with that skiing outing... by far.

The Olympians during assembly and warm up training. Luckily they didn't inherit their parent's sports enthusiasm and talent.

Following initial training, the afternoon saw them using the T-bar lift uphill and skiing downhill in graceful snow plough posture.

Anyway, it is incredible how steep a learning curve can be, if you receive individual coaching. As we made the magic mountain Semmering tremble, it was good overhearing an advice, passed out among a nearby group of snow boarders: "If you fall down and need some additional motivation, just take a good look around. Most of the others aren't doing much better, really." In the following year the ski resort of Annhill (Annaberg) would become our target, which is not to be confused with anthill by the way...

Fans of the cold season should go to the next page called Fan of Snowman.