Austria - Bad Hofgastein in March 2012 -

Slaloms and Cycle rides

On the pylon run

Pole Plants - ski's getting buried outside the Cafe

With snow and sunshine in equal measures its been a great month so far. Apart from one day, when wet snow and poor visibility caused abandonment of an FIS Giant Slalom on the Schlossalm and our more modest efforts, it has been go go go.
The Slalom Ladies all sheltered in my favourite coffee stop, the Haitzingalm. Not sure how they found their ski's afterwards?

Out of the gate

Down the course

Birds eye view

They did get  the race under-way the next day. It was a really high quality field and very good to watch, particularly from the lift above. I nearly dropped my pole whist taking pics from the chair lift.- would have been highly embarrassing. They take a lot of pride in putting on professional races here so I would probably have been banned from the Valley.

Always summit to do in March

Morning meeting - ready for the off!

We have had some lovely clear days in March with fantastic panoramas. The group above couldn't decide where to start?

The clocks jumped forward this weekend meaning an extra hour of skiing! A High Pressure system has brought warm temperatures so an early start is essential. Advancing the timepieces gives us an extra hour on  icy pistes. A lot of the visitors have opted to stick with winter time so the pistes are empty! By lunchtime  we are skiing in sorbet so its time to head home for lunch.

Corduroy Magic Carpet

Morning uplift on the hoodie

After a good lunch a snooze in the sun is essential but there is still time to head uphill on the bike to a favourite viewpoint on the sunny side of the valley above the Annen Cafe.

Pedalling in the afternoon

View to the South and the Hohe Tauern

A favourite vista just below the Annen Cafe. I forgot my wallet so could not make a refreshment stop but it is all downhill from here to our little place.

Welcome to the Olympic 2012 Velodrome - the prologue

Whoosh  - the Shanghai Express flying by

First footfalls in the Olympic Park - February 2012

We missed out on Track Cycling Tickets for the Olympics, shame, but we did manage to get a couple of tickets to the Test Event. At £40 a pop, just for qualifying heats, they were not cheap but it seemed like a nice thing to do and it would mean we would be first!

Making the first impression - our seats

We would be at the first event at the Olympic Park, the first event at the Velodrome, the first time anyone sat on seats 439 and 440 in Row 3 of Block 123. And they would be best seats in the house, well we thought so anyway!

So cometh the day the two country bumpkins headed off for Stratford. Wonder how many foreign visitors will expect to see Ann Hathaway’s cottage? As it was an evening session, planned to finish at 22:30, we decided to avoid the Western Region trains. Taking the car we braved the M25 heading for Woodford to pick up the Central Line. The Woodford Car Park was £4 and then £7:70 each for Travel Cards for just 5 stops - should have bought an Oyster Card really. Never mind, buying a ticket was complicated enough for us. After twice asking for help from the station attendant with the button pushing, I still could not find the right slot for my credit card, luckily he was patient. Not sure where my card would have ended up if it had fitted in one of the other orifices.

TW arrives

Anyway there were regular trains going West into Town. We managed to negotiate the route from Stratford Station to the Olympic Park. People in Yellow Jackets with 'pink gigantic hand syndrome' pointed the way. We had to walk through the massive Westfield Shopping Centre – managed to keep TW focussed on the cycling ahead, luckily she loves Track Cycling, I bet some of the corporate wives at the Olympics don’t get past the shops!

Bit of a queue for security before a slow walk to the swimming pool to pick up the Shuttle Bus to the Velodrome. They would not let us walk as there is still construction work going on. The bus driver identified some of the structures for us like the Basketball Hall and the Water Polo Arena before we arrived at the wood clad Velodrome. Very impressive! It’s a bit like entering a gigantic Noah’s Ark. These animals entered two by two and headed for the catering concession. I think the staff had just landed via Ryanair from Eastern Europe but they were friendly enough. Clutching beer, crisps and a BLT, good health food, we headed for our seats on the back straight.

Rear View of the German pursuiters

Our seats were excellent, great view with plenty of leg room. Our events were ‘only’ qualifiers – for the Ladies and Men’s Team Pursuit – but it was very exciting. The rides were against the clock and the fastest two qualified to ride for Gold on following days. The Japanese Ladies were up first but they were having a bad day and did not really try but it got better. Nobody fell thankfully. The Germans and Koreans tried hard, on their rollers anyway. The German Ladies warmed up for a couple of hours just in front of us, nice view but shame about the racing, got a slap! They were worn out by the time they hit the track.

Team GB in pursuit

The upshot was that Team GB reached both Finals, the Ladies to meet Canada and the Men to meet the Aussies. The crowd was brilliant, really noisy and manic whenever Team GB were involved but polite with everyone else. The partisan crowd was probably noisier than it will be at the Olympics as it was all British and no Corporates. Much too soon the racing was over and it was time to head home!

We had a long wait for our temporary Shuttle Bus back to the swimming pool but we were not too worried. 6000 people in a bus queue must be some sort of record and certainly another first. We’d enjoyed our evening and we managed to avoid being interviewed by LBC Radio. The reporter picked on a couple in front of us in the queue and a couple behind. Pity though, I’ve a great face for radio, as they say. We did chat to Dr Chris Jarvis in the queue which was interesting. He’s been a Doctor for the Cycling Federation for years and gave us some background and a couple of mementoes to take home. We found our way back to Stratford Station past the shops and were soon bouncing along back to Woodford on very wobbly rail tracks. We sat next to an unpaid volunteer who was loving being involved in the Games and the ‘London Prepares’ events.

Olympic Velodrome - on the final bend

It’s easy to be cynical but much more fun to be involved, wish I was going back in August but it will look great on the telly. C’mon Laura!

Cycling on Ice in February 2012 - Marlow to Black Park

Grey and bitter in Bucks

Frozen Black Lake - lets eat inside!

Now, I don’t have a lot of willpower. Particularly when it comes to cycling on very cold days when temperatures are below zero.! However, it was Wednesday the day to meet up with the cycling team for a club run so I decided to get out there and be a bit sociable.

The wind was bitterly cold as I headed towards Bourne End for the meet. So much so that my plan to take the easy flat route was abandoned and I headed for the steep Quarry Wood Hill – anything to generate a bit of warmth!  On arrival at the meeting point there were several familiar bikes outside, to be honest I had hoped that the others had opted for a day off. That would have allowed me to have a coffee, read the paper and head back home - after a decent interval of course. No such luck! A shortened route was planned to the Cafe at Black Park Country Park, Wexham.  Off we toddled across Burnham Beeches. Some of the roads were covered in sheet ice where the melted snow had refrozen overnight. Great for old codgers with bones as brittle as charcoal. Feet and fingers were getting frozen but we were all still in one piece when we arrived at the Cafe by the Lake. An all-day breakfast and large coffee set me up for the return trip, thankfully via a less treacherous route. Very glad to get back home. Nice ride dear? Grhhhh!

Austria - The Little House on the Piste in Dorfgastein - 2012

The Magic of Austria - the day we met Glacier Franz (Gletscher Franz)

At the base of the black run in Dorfgastein is a small hut. It’s not a lot bigger than a garden shed.

It could be one of the smallest pubs in Austria. This year it’s almost buried in snow but we found the door. Inside was a small table where three Germans were sitting eating a picnic they brought with them of bread and sausages.

We sat on a low couch by the wall. Franz came in and greeted us. He is 82 and a bit shaky on his pins. He went to the wood stove in the corner where a saucepan full of Gluwein was bubbling away. With a ladle he filled two mugs and brought them over. Even last year, apparently, he would have reached us in one stride but now it was a careful slow shuffle. The Gluwein was lovely and warming. Franz sat with the German trio and shared some of their picnic, they had plenty. The atmosphere was convivial and the banter friendly. The Germans wanted their D Mark back and envied us for having our Pound.  

Franz clears the snow for the next guests

After a while, Franz went to the dresser and poured five schnapps, one for each of his guests.

Cheers, Prost – Franz!

We paid for our Gluwein and he went out to clear snow from a small terrace, more guests were coming.

Franz has run the little place for 43 years, how much longer he will be there is difficult to know, but on a cold January morning in 2012 it was very nice to meet him.

And we only wanted a coffee!
(Update 2013 - We passed the Hutte many times during 2012/2013, sadly it was always closed. Franz might have poured his last Schnapps?)

Bad Hofgastein in January 2012 - a richtiger winter

A proper Winter in 2012

Out on the Graukogel

TW - blue day for a blue run

TBIL - the powder hound

It’s a proper winter here in Gastein. A ‘richtiger winter’ the Austrians call it. All the runs have loads of snow. Some upper runs have closed when the weather has been bad or there has been avalanche danger but apart from that its been 100% go-go-go. Even H8 is open down to the valley. This undulating run through a farm hasn’t been open for a few years, well not during my visits anyway.

Also open is a brilliant Black run down to the bottom on the Graukogl which is a first for me. I think it's the piste where Toni Sailer won the World Championship back in 1958.

TNG - soft seat in the snow

As for cross-country, we have had some rain in the valley recently but all the Langlauf loops are open including the long trek up towards Bad Gastein along the river. 

TNG has been in town. She divided her time between marathon skating sessions on the ice rink, classic langlauf, skating langlauf and downhill skiing. Of course, she also found time for Germknodel and Kaiserschmarnn.

Bad Hofgastein - skiing, coffee and a shower

A hat full of Snow

View from the Haitzingalm

The Haitzingalm

Fresh snow and sunshine, a magic combination. Time for elevenses and the first visit to the Haitzingalm this season. I was rather too anxious to get my caffeine fix however. I took the direct route which involved negotiating some bumps. I'm afraid I took off and did a head plant in front of the restaurant. Anyway, the Owner Lady recognised me and gave me a nice welcoming Gruss Gott. The coffee was just right, a Verlangerter which is a larger, watered down, version of an Expresso. So, fully refreshed, I headed off again. However, I did not realise that during my little embarrassment with the bump, snow had been forced between my helmet liner and the shell. This had melted while I was in the restaurant so the final  indignity I suffered was a cold shower as I put my helmet on. But hey, could be worse, I could be Christmas Shopping!

Down the track on H4

Kindle Embarrassing - A sinking feeling at the Swimming Pool

TW recently gave me a Kindle e-reader. I was not sure if I would take to it but now would not be without it.

Anyway, I said I was going to take it to the swimming pool. TW’s advice (order) to me was that I should put the e-reader inside a conventional paperback when I use it. “Nobody will know you have a Kindle so it will not get stolen”. So, after my first swimming session, I settled down in one of the comfortable loungers alongside the pool to read and I was soon deeply engrossed in my current book by Bill Bryson. However I thought I detected some strange looks, particularly from one bikini clad lady.

After a few checks about my person I realised what the problem was!

My advice, as a result of this experience, is that if you are going to camouflage your Kindle behind a paperback, just make sure that the paperback is the right way up!