pinto
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Well, I covered most of it as a ski review here, but I'll add a bit.
We got to Austria a few days before (flew into Munich, spent a few nights in Salzburg and Innsbruck), and drove to Lech on Sat 1 Mar. It was pouring rain. The lower-level ski areas were just slushed out. I knew we were going to a higher place, but it was still a bit disconcerting.
Anyway, it did rain the first day, and it was kinda crappy, but not as bad as I would have thought. They have lots of covered lifts there at the bottom of Lech, maybe that's why. Anyway, we still were SOAKED, but I'd like to report that everything (Arc'teryx jacket and Cloudveil pants) was solidly waterproof.
Funny story: since there wasn't much to ski, the guide put on his instructor hat and told us we were going to work on technique. "Okay, you stay right here, and I ski, and zen you vill ski down just like me. One at a time. Zen I vill tell you vat you did wrong." Could we get anymore stereotypical?
And here I am on these 94mm, 177cm skis with a 20-something-meter turn radius. Instructor does his dozen little turns and stops. I am laughing -- I would probably normally make two turns in that space. So, I made about six nice round medium-radius turns. I got down and he barked, "More turns!"
So the next time, I made tons of turns. He said, "Finish your turns!" and of course I'm thinking, If I finish them, then I will make fewer turns, and on and on. But it was okay. After that he stopped with it and we just skied. I did practice bending the ski into a shorter-radius turn ... probably helped during race day to come.
(One of the group instructors was dismissed on the second day because he was literally yelling at his "students." It's always kinda funny when stereotypes play out.)
Random observations ...
---I didn't see ANY big skis there until the very last day, when we went off piste. But even then, nothing like the US. I knew this would the case, but I was surprised at how few I actually did see. It was the polar opposite of my day at Alta.
---The dollar sucks. I already knew that, too, but jeepers. We were in what I gather is the poshest ski store at Austria's poshest resort (Strolz ... think Gorsuch and then some), and I found some Arc'teryx pants that I've been looking for. They retail for about $380 here. Well, they were 499 Euro there. OMG. That's SEVEN HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS.
---Austrian apres ski really IS a blast. Lech isn't St Anton, which is of course the classic, but we went to Schneggarai and had a rollicking good time on Tuesday. I guess the Austrians clench it too tightly on the slopes and have to let it all down afterwards. I prefer the other way around, I think. Anyway, we did run into our guides at a couple of the apres skis, and they were more relaxed every day. Great guys, after all! ;-)
---The bad part was that it was snowing when we had to leave. Not only that, but it HAD been snowing. And was STILL snowing. And not just snowing. PUKING. We cleaned at least 18 inches off the car on Wednesday. But we had to check out ... plus, DH was skiing on an injured knee and after the tour on Tuesday, he was shot (probably an ACL tear incurred right before the trip ... doctor drained it, gave him a brace, and said get the MRI after you return -- what a guy, obviously a skier), and I was getting bronchitis again. Damn European smokers. Anyway, it made my heart hurt to drive off like that.
All in all a great trip ... and here are a few more photos (no action shots -- those guides won't wait for you. I even became separated from my group taking one of these!):
We got to Austria a few days before (flew into Munich, spent a few nights in Salzburg and Innsbruck), and drove to Lech on Sat 1 Mar. It was pouring rain. The lower-level ski areas were just slushed out. I knew we were going to a higher place, but it was still a bit disconcerting.
Anyway, it did rain the first day, and it was kinda crappy, but not as bad as I would have thought. They have lots of covered lifts there at the bottom of Lech, maybe that's why. Anyway, we still were SOAKED, but I'd like to report that everything (Arc'teryx jacket and Cloudveil pants) was solidly waterproof.
Funny story: since there wasn't much to ski, the guide put on his instructor hat and told us we were going to work on technique. "Okay, you stay right here, and I ski, and zen you vill ski down just like me. One at a time. Zen I vill tell you vat you did wrong." Could we get anymore stereotypical?
And here I am on these 94mm, 177cm skis with a 20-something-meter turn radius. Instructor does his dozen little turns and stops. I am laughing -- I would probably normally make two turns in that space. So, I made about six nice round medium-radius turns. I got down and he barked, "More turns!"
So the next time, I made tons of turns. He said, "Finish your turns!" and of course I'm thinking, If I finish them, then I will make fewer turns, and on and on. But it was okay. After that he stopped with it and we just skied. I did practice bending the ski into a shorter-radius turn ... probably helped during race day to come.
(One of the group instructors was dismissed on the second day because he was literally yelling at his "students." It's always kinda funny when stereotypes play out.)
Random observations ...
---I didn't see ANY big skis there until the very last day, when we went off piste. But even then, nothing like the US. I knew this would the case, but I was surprised at how few I actually did see. It was the polar opposite of my day at Alta.
---The dollar sucks. I already knew that, too, but jeepers. We were in what I gather is the poshest ski store at Austria's poshest resort (Strolz ... think Gorsuch and then some), and I found some Arc'teryx pants that I've been looking for. They retail for about $380 here. Well, they were 499 Euro there. OMG. That's SEVEN HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS.
---Austrian apres ski really IS a blast. Lech isn't St Anton, which is of course the classic, but we went to Schneggarai and had a rollicking good time on Tuesday. I guess the Austrians clench it too tightly on the slopes and have to let it all down afterwards. I prefer the other way around, I think. Anyway, we did run into our guides at a couple of the apres skis, and they were more relaxed every day. Great guys, after all! ;-)
---The bad part was that it was snowing when we had to leave. Not only that, but it HAD been snowing. And was STILL snowing. And not just snowing. PUKING. We cleaned at least 18 inches off the car on Wednesday. But we had to check out ... plus, DH was skiing on an injured knee and after the tour on Tuesday, he was shot (probably an ACL tear incurred right before the trip ... doctor drained it, gave him a brace, and said get the MRI after you return -- what a guy, obviously a skier), and I was getting bronchitis again. Damn European smokers. Anyway, it made my heart hurt to drive off like that.
All in all a great trip ... and here are a few more photos (no action shots -- those guides won't wait for you. I even became separated from my group taking one of these!):
Lots going on here. Some good, some not.
