We just returned from 3 days of skiing in the heart of the Austrian Alps! It's so awesome that we can be transported to this amazing snow covered wonderland in just four hours! We rented a fully furnished apartment in town at the base of the glacier, that way we could do most of the cooking ourselves -and nothing is better than coming off the slopes and being greeted by a nice hot shower and warm fuzzy PJs!
A view from our apartment!
The top of the glacier
This time of year is still considered "Pre-season"; therefore, there was no snow in the valley and the only area you can ski is the glacier. We checked the weather report in advance and there was a possible chance of snow flurries one day on the glacier, but in the valley very moderate temperatures. When we woke up on Monday to our surprise we had a dumping of 8" of snow! Great for the ski conditions but what about driving up that glacier pass? We were told that we needed snow chains by some but noticed many other traveling without them. What did we do? Of course, we had to try it ourselves! Climbing the 15% grade in our 4-cylinder, 5-speed, diesel, we finally made it to the top only skating on our wheels a few times as we had a great view over the edge due to there being no guardrails!
Notice the small tunnel - this is where you drive out of the mountain! Crazy!
A wonderful view of the mountains behind the kiddos as
they take the first gondola of the day!
Here, Madeline and Jack take a rest in their "snow loungers"
while Daddy took in a few wild runs out of their league!
The first day proved to be a bit of a challange with the "white-out" conditions. Never fail, the kids did great! Even though at times you could only see a few feet in front of you and the snow pelting your face kept you from seeing well the day was a success.
The 1/2 mile ski tunnel that takes you from one side of the glacier to
the other - what a neat experience!
A view from the bottom.
A view from the top!
Time for another break to stretch their legs!
Days 2 and 3 promised better weather. The trip of the glacier road was much easier and the views amazing! Here you can see some of the fun we had during these days!
2 thumbs up from Jack - loving the powder!
Gotta love this view! Notice the peaks above the clouds!
Unmarked territory - this is where you'd find my brother and his wife!
Madeline and Jack have become quite the dare devils when it comes to skiing - this they get from their father! Following like ducks in a row, Brad finds the jumps first and the kids are close to follow. I was finally convinced to follow suit - yep, I was the only one who crashed and burned. Perhaps I should stick with my daytime job - taking photos - or as the kids call me "Mammarazzi"!
With all the new snow the snow cats were out in full effect!
This is one of my favorite snapshots! Taking a break for lunch.
Gotta love that smile!
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