March 25, 2007 Fellhorn Bavaria/Austria

OK, well I didn't plan to do any skiing this year but on a trip to Munich this past week a Bavarian friend asked me if I wanted to go.  Easy answer.  I have no gear, no gear besides some semi casual attire for business and the like.  So sure, of course, I'd love to go skiing.  Especially given the fresh, last days of winter dumps of snow the Alps just got.

My buddy Holger comes from a very, very Bavarian family and town, so scraping the gear together was a breeze for the most part... It was a little tough finding a guy with a 35 inch waist/30 inseam with a pair of pants to loan.  But it worked out (fellow strudel eater).  I rented skis at the Fellhorn ski resort and had them custom fit to my size by a computer aided system only to find the bindings set completely incorrectly to a point that they were unusable (set on 6 and with so much play in the boot/binding interface that I could release with the flex of the ankle)  It was nutty.  But I managed to find some tools and do the job myself.  That's right, just give me a one of those big-ass number 3 phillips headed thing-a-ma-drivers, leave the IT crap out of the equation and let me do it myself...   

I've skied in the Alps before but never at Fellhorn.  It is all beautiful, no doubt.  The run into the larger mountains through the foothills is very short, like 5 miles and boom, you're into 5000-6000 ft. peaks and ridges.
http://lh5.google.de/image/douglasod/Rggy5_-Ne5I/AAAAAAAABT8/B1GLiqFIzug/DSCN3482.JPG?imgmax=576

The was my first weekend resort skiing in couple of years and the masses of people out "relaxing" on a beatiful sunny Sunday reminded me why I trend heavily towards touring on weekends.  There is something very nice about ripping up over the slope on a high speed gondola though, then cruising down on fresh legs.  Truth be told I'm just trying to be positive here...the crowds are not for me.

I did have wonderful company and the scenery is amazing as one would expect in the Alps.  And I'd go again at the drop of a hat.  Afterall, skiing is very gooooood ;D

Here's why I don't drive in Germany.  I think this is saying that parking motorcycles on top of cars is recommended, but only if the underlying car is perpendicar to the motocycle and is parked next to a motorhome that is "20-8"... or 12 feet long.  And a bunch of other stuff too...
http://lh5.google.de/image/douglasod/Rgg0Y_-Ne6I/AAAAAAAABUE/bkgMB6aYW-o/DSCN3497.JPG?imgmax=512
We parked about ten feet from this little data depot and the car was still there at the end of the day.  Good local driver!

I hopped the ICE train home to Berlin from Munich today and snapped this pic of the driver waving to an oncoming ICE pilot.  See, Germans can too be friendly!
http://lh3.google.de/image/douglasod/Rgg51f-Ne7I/AAAAAAAABUM/SiMdgUHTAY4/DSCN3532.JPG?imgmax=576

My new TAY streak: 1

Jibber,
Couldn't get the pictures to open, just the usual red x. Glad to hear you are back on skis!

Hey Jibby, good work on der old country schuss, jah? Make sure you come back someday for the Cascades climb & carve.
I share your views on the lift thing. Tho I am tempted to buy a season's pass to Alpental for 07-08....

Hey Chris and Tmack thanks for checking in.

Chris, I'm using Google's Picassa to store my pics online, same as ronj, so if you've got a method to open his it should work on mine.

Mack, I've had an Alpetal pass for the past ten years or so and it's a great deal, assuming it's still $299.  I basically use it for night and mid-week skiing when the crowds are thinner.  It pays for itself pretty quickly and you can get a ton of skiing under your belt in 2-3 hours on a weeknight running laps on the high speed quad.  All an easy and relatively safe hour's drive from the big city.  Then just head out touring with the TAY gang on Sunday and Bob's your uncle.

Hey Chris and Tmack thanks for checking in.

Chris, I'm using Google's Picassa to store my pics online, same as ronj, so if you've got a method to open his it should work on mine.

Mack, I've had an Alpetal pass for the past ten years or so and it's a great deal, assuming it's still $299.  I basically use it for night and mid-week skiing when the crowds are thinner.  It pays for itself pretty quickly and you can get a ton of skiing under your belt in 2-3 hours on a weeknight running laps on the high speed quad.  All an easy and relatively safe hour's drive from the big city.  Then just head out touring with the TAY gang on Sunday and Bob's your uncle.

Will you be back next year, and are you buying a pass?

Mack,

It is very likely that we'll be coming back to Seattle either in the late summer or fall this year. But we are keeping or minds open to all options, including staying in Europe for awhile longer if the opportunity is there.

Assuming we're returning this year and assuming that passes are still $299, yes, I will be buying one again.

I think JW is a regular Aplental night skier. You may want to contact him for another opinion/insight.