Austrian Alps 2: Electric Bugaloo

 This week, I am getting my second chance to enjoy Austrian skiing.  Two years ago, I had a good time at Zurs and Lech despite meh snow.  That trip was a short hop from where I was staying in Berlin.  Last year, I made a similar hop from Berlin to Zermatt in Switzerland. This year, I am joining my sister, her guy, his daughter, and some of their friends in two ski areas--Saalbach-Hinterglemm and Kitzbühel.  Today was moving day from the former to the latter.  

I am my sister's ski buddy since her boyfriend likes to go off-piste or hang on the black diamonds (although in Europe, that is simply black with blues being easy and red being intermediate).  So, the two of us did a pretty good job of exploring the place.  The lift system (more in a second) connects many peaks, so there is much terrain to cover.  The first day we did zones D and E by ourselves.   The second day we had a guide, who had to change things on the fly as some of the upper lifts were closed due to the winds, so we did some of C, B, D, and G.  The third day, we had a lunch planned far away, so we got to it by going up B, across A through I to L and then back via H, G, and D.  We mostly missed F and L.  So, I guess I need to come back to satisfy my FOMO/completion fixation.  We did red runs the first day, mostly blue the second, and more blues on the third.  The conditions tended to make all of this a bit more challenging with flat light much of the time, limited visibility some of the time, and very uneven snow.   

Overall, it was a blast.  The slopes tended to be quite wide so one can choose one's own adventure, which was handy as some of the spots had a heap of traffic.  Susan has gotten better so we skied pretty quickly.  I skied much better the third day--the snow at the top was fantastic and the visibility was great, so I could get into rhythm and keep a decent form.  The chalets all had very different designs but pretty similar Austrian food for the most part.  We took hot chocolate rest stops on days 1 and 3.  

The lifts, well, damn.  There were probably more gondolas than chairlifts, and nearly all of both had heated leather seats, and the chairs all had bubbles--plastic shields--to keep us out of the wind, snow, and, yes some rain.  This complex of trails had better signs than pretty much any other place I have ever skied and definitely better than my two previous Euro ski trips.

The surroundings were pretty, but didn't match Zermatt or Whistler, but much better than Zurs/Lech.  With the sun finally coming out yesterday afternoon, it was much easier to appreciate the area. 

Hinterglemm is a small town--with a string of towns along this valley.  It was easy to navigate, but there was not much there.  Short walks to the lifts on either side, which made the start and the end of the day great.  My sister's guy did excellent research and found excellent places to eat.  The places on the slopes were also good, but Austrian food would not finish in my top ten--too heavy.  However, the striudel was consistently terrific. 

The most important measure of a place is whether I want to come back, and I do.  I have two days to ski in Kitzbühel.  I am familiar with the name of this place due to its role in downhill skiing, but no other knowledge than that.  We will have a guide showing us the highlights tomorrow.  

Susan is the best ski buddy.  And, yes, I continue 
to wear the spikes so that she can follow me easily.
We did run into a woman who had a similar helmet
cover.