My Very First Ski Vacation

I know--it sounds so bizarre, but like I mentioned before, previous experiences in Colorado don't really count as VACATION. To me, vacation is travel, paying for food, mostly staying indoors, and you know, like, buying a lift ticket. We LIVED in Colorado. So we didn't go on vacation in Colorado....see the difference?

Ah well. So, for Christmas, to make it up to ourselves for surviving (with lots of complaining) two years without skiing, we gave ourselves a European ski VACATION, complete with meals in restaurants, staying inside in an actual bed, and buying lift tickets. Yes, it was expensive. But wow, we had a great time! So much so, we're seriously considering another ski vacation for our spring break.

We picked St. Anton in Austria. Why? Well, it's an easy train ride from Munich and we are able to fly direct to Munich fairly cheaply. And it's really German, isn't it? We figured it'd all be right up our alley and we were not disappointed. There are fascinating cultural differences between the European way of "doing" skiing or a ski resort and the American way. Consider us well-educated now.

Here's one thing the Europeans do, I don't know, maybe not better, but a helluva lot more entertainingly: Apres Ski. I guess St. Anton is known for the revelry that takes place once your ski day has ended. There are a few great bars on the bottom of the mountain--and by on, I mean, you still have about 400 meters left to ski down from these. They close at about 8 pm and it's quite the sight when these places empty out and everyone attempts to ski down. We did one night in the Austrian style and I'll post some videos a little later.

We began in this place with a couple huge beers and lots of German-table-stomping, bad-80s-covering, and stein-crashing:


Then we ended the evening at the Mooserwirt. Known only for it's crazy party and it was certainly going off:

Like I said, for what happened next, I'll just have to post some videos.

A couple of days were not clear, but this is usually what skiing looked like:


And we of course had to take breaks to buy bacon....

The Ice bar--seriously, made of ice. Like the hotels you hear about. It was, um, cold.


Our pretty little chalet. We LOVED this house and the sweet couple who ran the place. If we ever go back, we would immediately book the same spot.


We, um, survived the runs in the pic below. It was big and not well-maintained like the off-piste in-area skiing in the States.

Favorite mountain bar complete with mulled wine.

You may notice that we're skiing with packs. That's because having your avalanche gear with you is necessary unless you plan to ski the one-cat-track-wide piste going down the mountain. The groomed routes are the only things guaranteed to be patrolled and avy controlled. So you must be self sufficient, even in-bounds. This is a huge(!!!!!!) difference between how they do it in the Alps and how they do it in the States. In the States, ski resorts are measured in acreage and you do not need avy gear in-bounds. It's all controlled. In the Alps, if you have no beacon or avy knowledge, you are relegated to the one track winding down the mountain--the piste--which is why the Alps are measured in kilometers or miles of skiing.



Honestly, we have a LOT of shots of the mountains, us skiing, and us drinking German and Austrian beer. I'll make you a web album, Mom! It is every bit as incredible as I expected it to be. I think the Alps must be my archetype for "mountains."

Let me just close by asking that anyone who reads this, please, please, help me put it out there in the universe: I want to work in the Alps. Think, for me please: School in Switzerland. School in Switzerland.