Speed Demon

Last nights attempt to go out failed with a whimper as I read my current book (?The Life of Pi?) in bed before getting thrashed at scrabble by my parents in the hotel bar. However it did mean I got a good nights sleep and woke up fully rested for the last days skiing.

We went up to the Kitzbuheler Horn on the other side of the town today. It doesn?t have as many runs as the main ski area but that has its advantages. We assumed the rest of the ski area would be packed as a result of the Hahnenkamm races on the other side of the valley. The skiing was easy as the pistes where well prepared and not many people about to avoid. The sun was out so it was a wonderful clear day and I was able to get some very nice photos looking down into the valley and up into the mountains.

They have a couple of interesting features on the ski area. One is a set of jumps, not super high but enough to provide a challenge. I managed to wipe-out once but that makes my grand total for the week 2 wipeouts and a couple of ungraceful stops. Not bad after 12 years or so without skiing. The other little toy was a speed trap on a nice long downhill track. I managed to clock a top speed of 71 km/h which was fast enough for me :-)

As I mentioned there is a big downhill race event in Kitzbuhel over the next few days so the town has become pretty packed. There are outdoor bars and the like dotted around and the square has been filling up since we got back. I?m defiantly out tonight as I don?t need to be up too early tomorrow. Luckily I also get most of the morning before my transfer to the airport so I might try and catch some of the race before my flight. See you all soon, I?ll be back in Manchester tomorrow evening and luckily with my winter kit ;-)