This trip was always going to be a calamity of mischief, laughs and good times. I didn't expect it to begin so suddenly as at Terminal 5 at Heathrow when Mel & Nath arrived late because they had slept through their alarm - only to be woken by the taxi ringing the doorbell!
Meanwhile, back in Clapham, Nick & I had woken early (an amazing feat for me seeing as Mel, Bec & I had gone out for Mayfair Cocktails the night before) and picked up Mick in a taxi to get to Heathrow right on time: 5.45am to catch our 7.45am flight. Terminal 5 check in was so smooth we were ready then to board! Terminal 5 is a "silent" terminal though, so even as we all wandered down to our gate early at 7.30am, we were still the final passengers to board as everyone else was already on - 15 minutes early. They don't make boarding calls! So, this is what life is like when you catch a BA flight and not Ryanair! Civilised!
We arrived in Munich, and then began our train commute down to Soll. It was very strange to have no idea where we were going, or staying, and completely believing Nath & Mel had it all sorted out for us! After three train connections, we arrived at a train station just north of Soll. We bundled out, with what seemed like most of the train, and jumped into a taxi to take us to "Manor Haus" - the apartments that Nath's auntie and uncle own. Unfortunately the taxi driver had a few issues with our Australian accent, and had to rely on Nath directing him to the apartments; but upon arrival the cabbie exclaimed: "Ah, Manor Haus!". Those aussie vowel pronounciations let us down again. Upon settlement into our flats - Bec & Art kindly spoiled us with two rooms, one for Nick & I, and one for Mick, Mel & Nath - we then wandered into town to hire ski gear and do the obligatory shopping trip for the week. We also sampled our first Austrian meal: goulash and a local beer.
6 days of skiing in a row we saw a bit of everything; all types of weather, all types of scenery, all types of runs, all types of stacks and all types of people being lifted off the mountain!
Our daily routine in the alps went something like this:
7-9am: Awake and breakfast in Lindsay & Nick's kitchen
10am-11am: Bus up the mountain (er, 10 mins up a slight incline)
11 - 3/4/5pm: Ski until our legs feel the burn/we can't see/we're thirsty/we're tired/it's cold
4:30pm: Apres Ski @ 100% Best Pub in Town
7pm: Home to make dinner (Pity the poor individual whose turn it was to cook that evening)
Memorable Mountain Moments:
The Nail Game
Our first night out in Soll and we ventured down to the Sports Bar. A tiny bar, which is adorned with loads of European sports paraphernalia ... and the nail game. So, the nail game is a log of wood, a hammer, and nails at the disposal of the bar hopping crowd to have a competition who can hit a nail into a log in one hit! That's right! In a PUB?!
Nath's Birthday
Nath celebrated his birthday on the Monday during our holiday to Austria. After a big day of skiing, we descended to Apres Ski where Nath's aunt & uncle joined us for gluwein and jager. It was a hilarious night! There in our ski gear, helmets hung around the table and probably nursing minor injuries or bruises, we enjoyed many a LandBier and Jagers to celebrate Nath's special day. Unfortunately, Mel & I whipped off to the supermarket to buy a few house essentials - only to miss the band and the pub singing Nath happy birthday per Bev's request!
The Itter Trail (aka: Feel the Burn!)
It was a tricky business finding runs that I, being the most junior skiier, could enjoy along with Nath & Mick who had no fear and loved to black-run. We found the 11km Itter Trail that would take us from the top of the mountain, all the way down to the small town of Itter around the other side of one of the mountains. It was a clean, and relatively untouched run (excepting in the slushy afternoons) that wound its way down trees, some steeps bits, some not so steep bits and with plenty of suitable stopping points for the boys after they did a jump and fell over, and they waited for Mel ... then me ... to catch up! But 11km is a long way, baby. After only a third of the distance we were already lamenting: "Feel the burn, feel the burn". But then we'd go back and do it again! We loved that run!
Ice, Ice, Baby
Our third day on the mountain was an icy one. The cloudy day prior, and the cold night with a sunny morning meant that all snow had turned to ice. It was a bit scary for me, but I was as brave as I could be until we had an unfortunate moment on the Red 22. The piste bashers had been out, and some of the runs had changed shape since the day previously and sometimes we couldn't quite recognise them. The Red 22 was such the case. We all surveyed the run and thought that the best way down (as it was a little steep) was over the crest which I agreed with. When I stated it looked a little steep for me, especially with the icy no-brakes conditions we were gliding about it. I think Nick told me it just looked bad because he knew I would never have a go if I knew actually how steep it was! About a third of the way down, and from the top it didn't look far to go, and had fallen a few times on the icy turns, I decided to take my skis off and slide on my butt down. It was only about 10m I thought. Nick tried to talk me out of it, and to try skiing a bit further, but I'd lost my confidence in the ice conditions on the steep slope after seeing a woman being airlifted off the mountain earlier in the day. So, I removed my skis and though I could slowly slide down on my butt....
... but then my butt took off and I ice-slided down about 100m down the slope! I was going so fast, I couldn't stop, at one point Nick tried to grab me as I skidded past, and Mel held out a pole so I might lose momentum! But nothing would stop me! Thankfully, after a starfish impersonation and a lot of desporate grabbing at the ice around me I somehow came to a slow.... stop. I think Mel scolded me.. and was killing herself laughing at the same time!
Poor Nick had to take off his board and walk up the mountain to collect my skis and poles which were still 75m up the mountain from me, and then skateboard down. Thank God for boyfriends!
The boys had all decided it was lunchtime after that. Beer o'clock.
Nick & I did blue runs for the rest of the day (!).
Tobaggan 101 & my Bradbury moment
On our last day, Nick Mel and I swapped in our skis early for our greatly awaited tobaggan adventure! It was 3.6km of tabogganing madness! That's almost as long as the Crackenback Trail back at home!
Neither of us really had any idea what we were doing, but owing to our competitive spirit it was to be a race (!). This was an interesting concept for us to behold, for as soon as we started to take off none of us knew how to steer, or stop, or move, or swerve - or stay on! I have never giggled so much in my entire life as I did down that mountain! We jumped over jumps accidentally, stacked, crashed, ran into each other, cried, missed corners, ran off the track, and so much more the entire way down the mountain! At one point, Nick decided to go head first as he thought this might gain him better steering control. Whatever! If you can't steer, you can't steer!
Eventually, after many bruises and funny incidents (and the important pics to prove it!) we came to the final corner where the race was really going to be run. We all lined up and announced our own ready, set, go! Mel flashed off, Nick behind her, then me trailing (I really can't steer). Mel hit a bump - stacked it. Nick, unable to steer, ran straight up her ass - stacked it (poor Mel). And in a moment of pure genius (and luck) I somehow managed to steer around them - not lose my speed - and cross the finish line - FIRST!
Hence, I was then therefore known by those to as: Bradbury! Thankfully, they dropped the "Stephen".
Showing our true age, we all exclaimed at the end: "Let's go again!" And we raced back up the top to negotiate our way back down the mountain again. I had so many bruises that night!
Our first European ski trip was all the Nick and I had hoped for: great runs, excellent snow, picturesque views, many fun times and shared with great friends. Now, where will the 101% trip be with Mick living back at the Gold Coast, Mel in Vancouver and Nathan in transit somewhere?! We'll see!
