Austria in December 2013 - nothing but blue skies in Bad Hofgastein

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. Once up the top there is plenty of space on the pistes and no need to queue. With sunshine and no new snowfalls for a week the pistes are starting to get hard-packed and we are relying on the piste-bashers to do a good job overnight. 

Some of us struggle to get their ski's on snow though! They have changed the ski buses this year and this confused TW initially. I got a call from her the other day to say that she was at the Railway Station? Not sure how she was going to ski from Platform 1. Fortunately my morning bus, at 08:34, has not changed so I am normally on the ski's by 9am.
The hillside hostelries are now mostly open so we have been making our way around our favourites. Today, a plate of Spaghetti at the Haitzingalm was on the menu and TW just had to have a Strudel, it would be rude not to. We sat inside and watched the ski races but quite a few people were sitting outside working on their December suntans. It cools down pretty rapidly once the sun goes behind the mountains so we are normally heading home by around 3pm.

In Bad Hofgastein at the Advent Market

How about heading for the Advent Market for some Gluwein and Roast Chestnuts?

Bad Hofgastein Church