23 - 29 March 2009

A fit of competitive enthusiasm resulted in Justine, Caspar and Simon signing up for a langlauf race on Sunday, having been persuaded it was 'only for fun' and it 'didn't matter at all' that Justine had never tried it before and Simon only once. When Simon was otherwise detained, Kate drew the short straw and stepped in to find herself at the starting line with 20 lycra clad muscle-men. She then embarked on a torturous lap of extreme physical pain, endurance and humiliation. The humiliation part got progressively worse until Tom, who raced third in the relay-team, found himself some considerable distance behind the second to last competitor, cheered on with hup, hup, hups from well-meaning supporters. Each team bearing an English competitor came most definitely last. So we know better now, even though they say it is just for fun, the Austrian's take langlauf quite seriously, which explains their very distinctive body shape - enormous thighs and buttocks. And where was Simon? Teaching a private ski lesson in the pouring rain in Russian. Infinitely preferable.

16 - 22 March 2009

This time last year Justine took part in the Hausfrau Rennen. One year on and it seems that all the practice put in, knocking back schnapps, knocking in nails, slalom racing and kissing old men, paid off and she came third! Fellow racer Jan achieved a very respectable last place, having put her skis on for the first time this year. The icing on the cake was a stupendous tombola win for Justine - 80 rolls of toilet roll!

9 - 15 March 2009

Do you find you do everything wrong when skiing? Is your weight on the uphill ski not the downhill, do you swing your body when you turn, are your arms all over the place, is your upper body too upright, your weight too far back? Then Telemark is for you - just do the complete opposite of everything that you've been taught in skiing and you can achieve that graceful, balletic style that draws gasps of wonder from chair-lift audiences. Invite 6 ski instructors, who are twice weekly subjected to ski brain-washing training sessions, to have a go, and they get very confused, go into melt-down and prance around the piste before retiring, not at all gracefully, into the Almhütte to drink, and talk about how they really felt they were starting to get the hang of it.

2 - 8 March 2009

'Fasching Dienstag' is Mardi Gras/Shrove Tuesday. This festive time is celebrated in the usual fashion (beer, music, sauerkraut) but with the added bonus of everyone dressing up in anything slightly more ridiculous than lederhosen, and eating Krapfen (doughnuts). It is followed by the Lent period of fasting, restraint and contemplation...not too much in evidence around here if we're totally honest!

23 February - 1 March 2008

Ziachschlitternfahrn is the unpronouncable Maria Alm equivalent of a steam rally (Simon's kind of scene). Vintage sledges of such variety of style and purpose are annually dusted off, proudly displayed, very nearly completely trashed when raced at break-neck speeds down the Jufen rodelbahn, and judged for their authenticity, condition and load. Great care is taken over every detail; a 'going to church on a Sunday' sledge must carry the whole family all appropriately dressed with a suitable snack in the hamper, a 'kebab van' sledge carries everything from the kitchen, including the kitchen sink, and plenty of steaming sauerkraut, an 'ambulance' sledge has a double bed, furs, blankets and knives (presumably for emergency amputations), the carpenters sledge has a complete compliment of tools all lovingly sharpened and oiled. The event takes the usual formula - drink beer, play music, eat food, do something very dangerous.