In the Alps

Nestled in a valley surrounded by towering mountains, Innsbruck is a smaller city than Munich and perhaps not as picturesque, but similar in architecture and possibly more Catholic than its Bavarian neighbor.   Crucifixes and religious murals dotted most buildings.  Our hotel was conveniently located near the Old Town, and we walked around the colorful historic plaza last Friday scouting out places to eat and shop before our friends arrived from Kuwait.  What was apparent to us was how clean and orderly it was, which was not really surprising.  Nor were the boutiques and specialty shops - one selling hats and gloves, another just different types of speck, another health foods.  Rarely did we come across a department store.  When Sara, Grant, and Aaron did get there on Saturday, we all walked around some more and settled down in a bierhalle where we found that all the good beer is from Munich anyway.  It was good to catch up with them.

We chose Innsbruck as our ski destination from a childhood fantasy Russ had watching Franz Klamer ski in the 1976 Olympics.  Austrians are mad about skiing that might rival some countries’ obsession with soccer or rugby.  Skiing is a part of the school curriculum.  There were three winter sports channels on for most of the week - one showing Nordic skiing and jumping, one showing downhill and slalom, and yet another showing skeleton, jumping, and bobsled.    Riding on the public buses was free for anyone wearing ski clothes, and it seemed as though we skied with mostly Austrians. 

The package included a five-day ski pass to a nine-resort area, the furthest being over ninety minutes away.  We rented skis from a nearby shop and the bus came right to the hotel, although dropped us off at the train station on the return, which was a fifteen-minute walk in ski boots with all of our gear.  One thing all the resorts had in common was that there was no lodge or common space.  People just arrived and started skiing.We learned this the hard way as on the first day we brought all kinds of stuff with us.  By the end of the week, we were much more efficient.

Sunday – We set out for Axumer Lizum (7697 feet), one of the Olympic sites in 1964 and 1976, and still one of the more advertised resorts in Innsbruck.  It has snowed overnight, giving us a foot of new powder.  It was still snowing when we got there so the visibility was not very good.  The bus had to put snow chains on halfway up the mountain.  We still skied for most of the day, even taking a few runs on the Women’s Downhill course.  Being the weekend, it was quite crowded.  Aaron, by far is the best skier, and he took off on his own, meeting up with us for lunch at the top of the mountain.

Monday – We went to the far reaches of the immediate ski area to the Kuhtai Glacier (8036 feet).  This was my favorite place to ski, and it was the start of our “Spring Skiing Week” with sunny skies and increasingly warm temperatures.  The snow conditions were very good on this day.  Aaron scouted out backcountry runs, and Sara and Grant practiced on the smaller hills.  Russ and I did a little bit of both.  There were some very steep runs and areas that reminded us of the ski club, only on a larger scale.  The highlight was sking to a restaurant halfway down the mountain where we sat outside for a while in the middle of the day with some beers and food.  The downside was that we took the wrong bus late in the day which brought us twice as far away.  Fortunately, we landed in a town with a train depot that brought us back to Innsbruck

Tuesday – This was a rest day for all of us.  Having skied exceptionally hard the day before, Aaron stayed behind and the rest of us went to Mutterseralm (5900 feet), which was the closest place to the city.  We took it easy on the gentle slopes (still a two mile run) and made it a short day.

Wednesday – While Grant and Sara stayed behind, the Aaron, Russ, and I returned to the Kuhtai.    Russ and Aaron traded their downhill skis for backcountry ones and spent the entire day off the track.  Becaus of the rising temperatures, the avalanche season will be starting soon, but they took great care and it was not a worry.  This type of skiing was relatively new for Russ but he enjoyed the time with Aaron immensely, and described walking in the solitude of the high country as almost a religious experience.  I went skiing on my own and it was my best day as I skied on familiar terrain and tried new slopes.  The weather was sunny and very warm.

Thursday – Aaron went back to Kuhtai and the rest of us traded our skis in for toboggans.  Because we were able to take the gondola up at Mutterseralm, we enjoyed  the three-mile run that we took several  times.  It was a very fast track and we were surprised at how tired we were by the middle of the afternoon. 

Every day ended with Apres Ski in the Old Town.  We had Thai, Indian, Italian food as well as German/Austrian fare (three times).  Nearby supermarkets provided us with plenty of snacks. 

It's always a little sad to say goodbye.  It was a great ski holiday.  While our friends head back to Kuwait today, we will take the train to  Venice, again enjoying the journey through the Alps and Dolomites.