Postcard from Sportgastein

Sportgastein is the highest ski area. Its about 40 minutes on the ski bus from home. It can be quite a harsh environment when the wind's up and the snow's falling. A gondola lifts you to about 2700m and there are some good runs, particularly late season when the prettier parts of the Gastein valley have lost snow cover. On this, day the gondola was swinging in the wind and a fierce icey blast was coming off the Tauern Mountains so did not stay too long. There's good cross-country skiing up here and its a popular area for walking biking in the summer with the obligatory huts for refreshment. Think I'll come back when its sunny.