Take a hat

Making our way back Christmas and New Year bring a temporary halt to Ski 'operations'. We do not drive all the way home of course. Our transport of choice could be classed as 'many and varied'. The day starts with the usual panicked departure from the Apartment. Our paying New Year guests will expect the place to be tidy and not littered with the debris created by our 17 day ski trip. Everything has to be Austria clean before we make for the bus, and the bus leaves just after 8am! Once out of the door its a 5 minute walk to the Bus Stop. Wolfgang was our driver for the 15 minute ride through town to the Train Station. After mutual wishing of 'Frohe Weihnachten' and Happy New Year we were last in the queue for the ticket machine. There is something about ticket machines that put people into a state of pure panic and confusion. Perhaps its the fact that people know there is a queue of punters behind them and that a train is due any moment. It is not really a

Checking out the slopes in Gastein Shadows lengthen in Bad Hofgastein Skiline - One day's fun in the sun and snow A week of sunny weather has meant we have had no excuse to take a crafty day off. An extra incentive to get out early, and stay out, is Skiline, a website that tracks every lift that you take and keeps a count of vertical metres. My average is about 10,000 metres a day which is higher than Everest and means I am currently 61st on the website. Sorry, have to go..... The Aeroplan comes into morning view - time to stop? Haitzingalm - Infinity Bar The Kleine Scharte view Meanwhile, the numbers of skiers on the slopes has started to increase and the week-enders have boosted numbers. There is a more urgency to the heavy clomp of ski boots climbing the steps when the local Austrian Saturday morning skiers make their way to the lift. Their approach is extremely purposeful. Certainly do not recommend getting in their way, even before they get on snow.

A Dream Start A Giant Leap - From the Stubnerkogel to Bad Hofgastein H4 to Bad Hofgastein A view to the Schlossalm and the Bad Hofgastein Ski Area Looking North in Gasteinertal On the Weitmoser sixer lift on December 3rd They brought forward the lift opening by one week to November 31st  to take advantage of this years early season snow. We had pre-booked to fly here on the 3rd December so we could only watch on the webcams as the first skiers headed off on the newly groomed pistes. Not sure I would have been fit enough anyway as a windy day tangle with a falling beech tree had left me a bit bruised. However, we were up on the Schlossalm on the 4th December to kick of our season with what they call over here a 'Traumtag' or Dream Day. We bumped into some familiar people, not literally, and it was great to be back on snow. Taking a breather on H1  Sunday Lunch View from the Aeroplan Ski Guides move off - its not always sunny here! New s