Last weekend we once again went skiing. I found out this weekend in a brochure at the hotel that 97% of austrians ski. Isnt that cool? I suppose, however, its just like swimming in Australia. You would e hard pressed finding a person at home that has grown up in Australia and cant swim. But that aside, this was a really good fun weekend.
This is the third week i had had skiing and i have to say skiing is possibly the only sport in the world that you can spend a week doing and you almost double how good you are. If anyone wants to test this, look at the runs you are doing at the beginning and end of a week of skiing. I had a week of really intense lessons in the Arlberg and then a bit of of piste skiing in Schladming, and coming to Bad Gastein, just outside Salzburg, i was a much better skier than i was when i came to Austria. My skiing has got to a level where none of the groomed runs bother me, and its only the off piste, ungroomed snow that i faulter in, or when i try to be really smart and pull some huge jump, haha, they werent made for landing them anyway! But ive got to a point where i can appreciate different conditions, different types of snow, and when my skis need tuning or whether im on the right skis. This was pointed out when i was put on completely the wrong skis this weekend. This wasnt helped by the fact i had a little injury as well. I should explain this. The first night we got there us boys went out to check out the nightlife, upon returning home, i had an unfortunate collision between me and the end of my bed just as i was climbing in. The result was that the next morning, even before skiing, i had the bluest and most swollen little pinky toe you have ever seen. Now putting a pair of ski boots on with a broken toe rates as one of the most painful experiences in my life! But that was nothing, turning on skis was yet to come, and putting on the boots was a dream compared to this!
That weekend was Me, Konnie, Ulrike, Max and our friend Richie, who is at a different school to us. We were staying and skiing with the local rotary club from Graz, Graz - Schlo�berg. There was also member from an Italian club near Brescia, who joined us, it was a really good opportunity to practice my german, and meet the rotarians in my club a bit more. The skiing was good fun, and the snow was absolutely ideal, there was snow every night, which meant the days snow was the most perfect snow you can have - fresh and compact, with powder off the runs. But i think the coolest thing all weekend was the hotel. It was a nice hotel, but the coup-de-gras was the pool! The pool started inside, and had a section outside as well, the main street ran right up beside it. This was hilarious, not just for an aussie! People carrying there skis in their boots and suits, were walking next to the edge of the pool, whilst we were in boardies. Haha, one day it was snowing and the pool had this mist on top, it was wicked, we went swimming in the morning after lunch and then again when we got back from skiing. Good fun. But all in all it was a great weekend. It was good to get away, and to go skiing!!! And even despite the fact i was a wounded (haha self inflicted) soldier, and my skis felt like i was skiing on sponge cake, i had a great time. I mean, what time isnt good when you skiing!
Paz