Yes. They are, indeed, slippery at this time of year.
We flew in late Friday evening and upon arriving in Salzburg, found ourselves in a winter wonderland. SO MUCH SNOW, everywhere. We had a great time catching up with our friends. And the best part is that one of our friends is also a beginner (she grew up in Australia…had never seen such snow before). So while G and most of the others ventured off down the slopes, Clare (the Aussie) and I ventured to ski school.
After two days and two lessons, I was able to consistently stand on skis without falling, climb slopes (slowly) with my skis on, push off on a fairly steep slope and maneuver around a string of ten toddlers as I made my way down the slope. I’ve found that my signature move is the ‘snowplow’…and I was/am the unofficial queen of the bunny slope. Mainly because I dwarfed my three year old peers…and provided the entertainment as I animatedly flew at full speed into snow banks.
We had an incredible time. And I can’t wait to go back! The powder was deep, the views were incredible and the company was perfect.
I’ve now attempted tennis (I’m rubbish), golf, ice skating, roller skating and skiing as an adult…all the while being laughed at by children. Not to mention languages, art, etc. Someday, I hope to reach the level or worldliness of those privileged three to six year-old peers racing alongside me on the Alpine bunny slope. Someday…
Click here to see additional photos from our extended weekend in Maurach, Austria.
I think you missed the London snow
I’m in awe of your bravery; three-year-olds are pretty harsh critics!
True, true J
She had, in fact, seen the bit of snow in London. But that was nothing compared to Austria. WOW!
And you’re right Nickole, 3 year olds can be down right CRUEL…Laughing hard as they fly right past. Though to be fair, I guess seeing a 30 year old fly at full speed into a snow bank is pretty funny from where they’re standing
I think you are REALLY brave Kim!!!
Hmmm…brave or stupid, jury’s still out
I would normally have been much braver, but decided to be cautious. Our friend’s sister (whose family has the house there) was skiing with the family a few weeks in advance of our visit. She’s an expert snowboarder and has been going there since she was old enough to ski. But, she had an off moment and fell off the slope. She dropped 10 meters down hitting trees along the way before coming to rest.
In the end, she broke 14 ribs (9 in the front and 5 in the back, I think), punctured a lung, her liver was broken to pieces and her kidney was damaged with lots of internal bleeding. She’s lucky to be alive.
With this in mind, I decided it was best to do things slowly and safely. Hence the protected snowbanks. They were soft and cushy and completely safe.
The stakes are high! And SO ARE THE MOUNTAINS! Goodness. I still can’t believe I learned to ski in the Alps (okay…right…the bunny slope in the Alps
).