Ötztal Tales

 Ötz Valley, home of Ötzi

 Greetings, Ladies & Gentlemen!
This is a tale of Alpine skiing vacation. Last autumn my colleague Mr. Tribelet started to organize an Alpine holyday, and inquiered if I wanted to join him & his friends for some fresh air & hot fondue. As an avid alpine-skier and Glühwine connoseur, I naturally accepted the offer. Thus we found ourselves one fine Saturday morning at the Zeppelin-port of Helsinki, heading towards Innsbruck, Australia. Some time later, we rode into the town of Sölden, close to the Italian border, and checked into our guesthouse...

 Views from the Valley

The first day was just to acclimatize to the 1300+ m height, nearly mile high. We checked some shops and restaurants, then retired to the Hotel for some card-games, local weissbier, and of course some shut-eye for the next day's travails...

 View from the balcony

Nice, sunny morning views from the balcony

Next morning, after a hearty German-style breakfast, we headed to the ski-shoppes ( I had to rent me some skis and boots), and then started our long ascend to 3300 metres! It took about four different skilifts & gondolas, but finally we got there!

Halfway there, at Rothcogljoch (or somesuch), the final destination just off the upper left corner.

 The view from Schwarzcogl (?). I like the layers of weather and climate made possible by some 2000 vertical metres, something I am not accustomed to in the southern finnish flatlands!

 Mr. Lochhead, Ms. Hippie, and Mr. Tribelet

somewhere up there, where eagles do not dare.

 

The photo on the left is looking down over the glacier's edge, towards a gondola's lower station. Most of the days we were able to find nice powder over here. Some of the other peaks were icier or rockier.

My stunt-double, Mr. Tribelet. The tracks on the right are mine.

Taken at the upper red arrow in the above picture.

Well, we immediately settled to our routine: brekky at 07:30 am, head out by 08:30, ski until 15-16:00 PM, convene at a piste-bar for a refresher, shoot down the rest of the narrow, bumpy, bottle-neck of a piste/transfer route to the village for apres-ski & dinner, with games & cocktails at the HQ. Rinse & repeat the next day.

The village itself was nothing special. A fairly modern & touristy version of an alpine village. Not ugly-modern, but nowhere near quaint-cute either.

 Olde and moderne architectural details in the village.

Really nice woodwork, one must say!

 Koala at Tiefenbachkogl.

Mr. Lochhead taking a photographikcs.

For those about to rock, I salute you!

 Top of the World, Mum!

 Ski, eat, drink. Such a basic holiday, but it is a concept that works well, and draws in a lot of crowds every winter to these sun and snow bleached peaks! Overall a very good hollyday with pleasant people. And only one collarbone and one thumb damaged, but that is only par for the course! (Or as the colonials like to say, 'No pain, no game!'). I learnt some powder skills, but still have a lot more to learn. That will be a goal for next winter's holiday, which I am already looking forward to!!

Until next time, keep on exploring! Ta ta!
Paddlewick, Esq. / Society Powder Research Team