Thursday 10 January 2013

Austria: New boots

After a leisurely start, we took the bus to Hochgergl. We skied for most of the morning before Mrs M complained of the cold which forced a return to base camp. At the hotel, she added more layers of clothing, a balaclava, foot-warmers, hand-warmers and then refuelled on a fried ham and cheese toastie as if this would in some way help.

Back on the slopes, the temperature dropped dramatically in the afternoon and flakes of snow fell from heavy clouds that filled the valley. On one run, we spotted a number of spectators watching a skier who had ended up in a huge snow bowl after travelling a staggering distance off piste. There was no way out for the poor chap. On a later run, we noticed that the skier had been winched up the slope to safety. Nonetheless, an impressive story for his mates in the bar.

With rosy chilled cheeks, we finished for the day as the wind blew snow across the piste and the poor light reduced any definition in the snow. While Mrs M returned to the hotel to warm up, I went back to the ski shop to have my boots adjusted. The technicians were superb, but I noticed that some new customers buying boots were provided with glasses of Schnapps.  Where was my glass yesterday?

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