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Alps
Mar 28, 2014 5:06:34 GMT -7
via mobile
Post by ToddW on Mar 28, 2014 5:06:34 GMT -7
Just arrived in Hintertux (local time 11 AM) from NYC after a two hour drive south through the Alps. I'd forgotten how stunningly beautiful this part of the world is. It's all I can do to restrain myself from skiing this afternoon. But I'm tired and I need to pace myself. Better to ski tomorrow with friends than this afternoon solo and tired.
Did I mention that the Austrian Alps are beautiful? I was in the Rockies 3 weeks ago, and there's no comparison IMO.
I took a look around the hotel ski storage room and saw nothing over 72mm underfoot. Tonight with the arrival of the weekend crowd that may change.
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Alps
Mar 28, 2014 9:06:17 GMT -7
Post by superbman on Mar 28, 2014 9:06:17 GMT -7
I took a look around the hotel ski storage room and saw nothing over 72mm underfoot. Tonight with the arrival of the weekend crowd that may change. You must be staying at the Euro-Gaper hotel Just joking. About 6 years ago I spent two weeks skiing in the French alps with a good friend. I had heard that except for a true intrepid souls, most european resort skiers had a real aversion to skiing off-piste (and hence the continued popularity of Front side, narrow skis in the Euro-Market). I thought it was mostly a myth, but I have to admit, in two weeks of skiing multiple French resort areas, we ran into very, very few people off of the groomers-and most of the people we met in the bigger terrain were Americans and Australians! I was skiing on the old Head Monster 88 back then and every lift/ funicular/ tram ride people commented of the 'massive size' of my skis. We did run into a few high-octane French crews of back side rippers, but it was noticeably smaller and more contained than what you get at any American resort. I remember one morning grabbing something to eat in the town bakery in Courchivel listening to people complain about the 'conditions' (it had snowed about 8 inches the night before) and wondering when the slopes would be fixed and skiable (i.e. groomed). I suppose I should celebrate that it wasn't the usually rush of American powder piranhas and that we enjoyed soft unbroken snow all day--but still, the ski culture difference was striking. I have no idea if the culture is the same in Austria as in France (friends who have skied there tell me it is, but that's only hearsay). But I get a hotel full of sub-70mm skis in Europe! Exact opposite of skiing the PNW last week, I had lift line envy with skis that were 110mm (One guy on some Liberty Genomes poked fun at me and asked if those were my carving skis).
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Alps
Mar 28, 2014 9:14:16 GMT -7
via mobile
Post by JimRatliff on Mar 28, 2014 9:14:16 GMT -7
A different aspect of the same mindset. When we found Lynn's MYA7 at Pepi's we were amazed at their selection of narrow performance skis in addition to the usual fatties. We asked the sales rep, who explained that Pepi's draws a large number of European visitors, and they make sure to have appropriate demo and rental skis to satisfy the expectations of this customer base.
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Alps
Mar 28, 2014 11:11:31 GMT -7
via mobile
Post by ToddW on Mar 28, 2014 11:11:31 GMT -7
Off piste is a different game here. Last year, I watched a guy getting some freshies about 20 meters to the side of a well-maintained groomer. If he had turned a half meter tighter, he would have fallen 15 meters vertically into a gaping crevasse that was almost invisible from above.
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Alps
Mar 28, 2014 11:24:23 GMT -7
Post by livingproof on Mar 28, 2014 11:24:23 GMT -7
Remember Michael Schumacher, European groomers and not like those in the US.
Todd, have a great experience, I'm jealous. Life must be pretty good there for you to do it again and again. HH posted on facebook showing a glass of beer...sometimes he does have his priorities alligned (pardon the pun)
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Alps
Mar 28, 2014 11:24:44 GMT -7
Post by livingproof on Mar 28, 2014 11:24:44 GMT -7
double post, sorry
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Alps
Mar 28, 2014 11:24:39 GMT -7
Post by livingproof on Mar 28, 2014 11:24:39 GMT -7
triple post, w/o having too much beer! Is it 5 o'clock somewhere?
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Alps
Mar 28, 2014 12:21:05 GMT -7
Post by JimRatliff on Mar 28, 2014 12:21:05 GMT -7
It is!!!! In Hintertux!!
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Alps
Apr 8, 2014 11:48:54 GMT -7
Post by lynn on Apr 8, 2014 11:48:54 GMT -7
Yo Todd ! Where is the trip report? You are being VERY parsimonious with sharing your adventures.
L.
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Alps
Apr 9, 2014 7:53:11 GMT -7
Post by ToddW on Apr 9, 2014 7:53:11 GMT -7
Sun. Snow. Beer, wine, food ... all good. Superb company. Beautiful mountains. Tight, short turns. Big tipping angles. Few snowboarders. Few morbidly obese skis on the hill. Ditto for rockered sticks. No straightliners; everyone attempts to make turns back and forth across the hill (not always successfully.) One knuckle dragger with a ginormous speaker bolted to his board and audio cables draping down from his left jacket sleeve.
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