Take a hat

Gastein Valley View A Sunday stroll. Sunny Sundays are busy on the slopes here. In addition to the holidaymakers staying in the village we get the locals, weekenders and day-skiers from Southern Germany. So we put the walking boots on today. It really is amazing the difference when you leave the main skiing area and take a winter wander path. Our walk today started at the middle station and we walked up alongside the piste for 10 minutes keeping a watchful eye out for any errant skiers or, more likely, snow boarders. On past the Aeroplanstube which at 11:30 was already surrounded by abandoned skiis and their owners nursing their coffees and beers. Then we turned off up a good track through the pines and it was like hitting the mute button, only our crunchy footfalls could be heard. Good views of the valley followed as we turned downhill back towards home about 2 hours away. After the forest, the walk took us past alpine huts, farms, then under the railway and into the village. Just ...

Oh, the joys of apartment living! What no washing machine in the appartment? It means a return to......... the Laundromat! But, not to worry, there is one in the building and its only downstairs in the basement. We share, with the other residents of our block, a washer, tumble dryer and drying room. Mind you, its not easy to understand the Austrian washing machine settings in the Waschkuche. The machine is probably a bit old and there are several dials on the front. The Korchwasche setting does not rate a dictionary entry but, when you say it out loud, it sounds very, very hot so we reckon thats the shrink and burn setting. Buntwasche sounds a lot friendlier and kinder so we go for that. We most definitely avoid Pflegeieichet as we don't want any spitting on our clothes! On the dryer, Mangelfeucht is, we are certain, a special setting to tangle up and ruin the clothes. Our taste is for Normaltrocken which makes the clothes a nice dry white, perhaps with a touch of acid...

TW in the groove At 1600m, Sportgastein guarantees good snow. On a crystal clear and sunny morning the network of cross-country routes are the place to be. It takes about an hour on the bus to get up here from home. Being a novice, the dilemma was what to wear. When I ski downhill I know how many layers are required. On cross-country you get hot pretty quickly so settled for just a couple of layers and left a jacket in the restaurant. It was about minus 12 but soon warmed up, puffing along behind TW in the thin air. We went on my first Black loop, only for experienced skiers! It was the first time she had done this loop as well and it has some significant downhill stretches. You see on the photos that we ski in prepared tracks so, when it gets steep, its like being a scalextric car. Imagine yourself, feet together, careering a down slope with a bend at the bottom coming up fast . Its just a bit hairy! Of course you would expect Jacqui, being the expert, to go down first. Not a ...

Smart corduroy Thursday 14 th January 2010 Wake up without an alarm as light starts to show through the Velux windows in the ceiling. Up at 7:15, get the kettle going then head for the shower. Porridge gulped down, then bread and honey washed down with Costa Rica. To the ski room, squeeze on the boots, pick up the ski's and head for the bus, must catch the 8:24 and it won't be late. Buses here are never late. Eight minutes by bus and foot to the first stage of the lift going to middle station, a funicular train that carries 100. Its pretty full this morning. Must be racing on the Haitzingalm piste as many lads riding up with back-packs and fast ski's. Get near the front to make sure I can get on the second stage, a cable car that only takes 80 and there could be other joiners. A display tells me I'm the 77 th to get on board. Phew, just made it! Tighten the boots and fit the planks at the top. On the piste by nine, the runs still dressed in fine corduroy aft...

 Cross-country My retirement gift was spent on boots and ski's for cross-country skiing. There are good deals to behad on little-used ex-rental equipment.TW is an expert so she took me to the Anger Valley for lessons. (Anger has nothing at all to do with being grumpy). The Angertal is a great area for Langlauf. There are several loops through the forest and its pretty quiet. We can jump on the free ski bus up to around 1300m. Picture the scene, a wooded walley with a track alongside a babbling stream and yours truly puffing along behind. Only fell over three times. The snow was soft though! I think I could enjoy this.

The streets of Bad Hofgastein hosted an amazing procession this week. It happens every four years. To be honest, I expected a very sombre and worthy religious style procession. Should have known better! The main body of the procession was made up of men with elaborate and mostly ornamental and flowery head dresses that weigh up to 50 Kilos. Its not every day you see a chap walking along with a goat on his head, or half a stag. It's quite a feat of endurance as they carry them right along the valley. Every few minutes they do a twirl and bow to the crowd. They each need an assistant, a traditionally dressed 'female' to help them lift the head display. Women are not allowed to be part of the procession so these ladies in waiting are not pretty! The procession has been passing this way since the 12th century and there are all sorts of characters from King Herod to Krampus. To give y ou a flavour, there was a chimney sweep who's task was to climb up on the roofs alongside...

  TW went along to the Snowboard World cup in Bad Gastein. Snowboarding is not something to be encouraged of course and the crowd was pretty small. It looked pretty spectacular though, four boarders racing together down a narrow course does take some bottle.