Kitzbühel Photo Diary
When I conjure up thoughts of Winter in Sydney I think it’s pretty miserable since I am through and through a Summer girl. So when K suggested we go on a snow trip and learn to snowboard together I wasn’t exactly running to pack my suitcase of winter woolies. Sydney’s Winters are very mild, and consequently I am thin-skinned. So the thought of going to the snow and experiencing a Winter blizzard and temperatures averaging on minus 5 and below wasn’t the most appealing. Nevertheless I believe you should try everything once, and I do have a love affair with the sweeping views of mountains, so I thought the photos I would take would be worth it in the least. Mountain selfies anyone?
A two hour train ride from Munich will take you to Kitzbühel, a small medieval snow town in Tyrol, Austria. Any misconceptions I had about the snow went out the window when I saw how charming the little gingerbread houses were and how beautiful everything looks when it’s covered in a blanket of fresh white snow.
One of the biggest advantages in staying at an Austrian ski resort is that the accomodation is on the slopes, there is no need to drive for half an hour back and forth every day. The other added bonus with staying right by the mountains is that you can lay in bed every morning and watch the sun rise and cast a pastel shade of pink across the snow fields.
Morning walks in the snow were probably my favourite time of day (well probably after après ski time), the calming sound of my snow boots crunching across the snow and gravel complimented the frost delicately encasing the twigs and foliage.
You don’t usually go in to something knowing you’re going to fail, but once you embrace the fact that learning to do anything requires the commitment to just follow through regardless of falling on your face over and over again, you just start to have fun! I have skateboarded and surfed in the past, but there was something slightly more daunting about having your feet strapped to a plank of wood and knowing if you hit an edge you’re going to go flying face first in to the snow. Despite how fluffy and inviting the snow may look in these pictures, I assure you, it hurts when you fall. Ouch!
After two days on the bunny slope learning to snowboard with the help of Youtube tutorials, I was ready to go up the gondola and try out the slopes on top of the mountains. The Hahnenkamm gondola’s elevation reaches a summit of 1,712 metres above sea level. Whilst riding up I always felt an onset of nausea, I later learnt this was altitude sickness.
Look that’s me! snowboarding in the navy jacket and turquoise pants!… I fell shortly after this shot.
Snowboarding certainly makes you use muscles you never knew you had, and there was no doubt I was sore all over after a day on the slopes. However you were always rewarded at 3:30pm for après ski which translates to after ski where you were greeted with hot tea, cake and snacks, did I mention this was my favourite time of the day?
The last day of my Europe trip had come all too soon, before my 23 hour flight home I decided to make one last trip up to the top of the mountain to take in the views, it never gets old. I can say I have a new found appreciation for Winter, there is something so lovely about the crisp air prickling your cheeks, and the comfort of returning inside to be welcomed by a hot cup of tea and a good book. Until next time,auf wiedersehen!
