New Year

New Year's Eve saw another load of guests arriving at Salzburg Airport, so it was a long day. Started at 5.00 am for me, then the drive in to the resort which was broken by a stop to put the chains on the car, but these chains are wizard and very easy to put on, as they are colour coded. Idiot proof so far.

Then arriving at the hotel and grabbed some bits off the breakfast buffet. The coach was late mainly be cause he had to put his chains on. It still baffles me how they do it on a bloody great big coach. But it has been too cold for the curiosity to really get a hold, so I offer support from inside.

Anyway all collected and happy.

Then we had the hotel preparing for the celebrations. There were lots of men wandering around with chain saws, and the bar was being transformed into a Cuban bar. I thought the large blocks of that appeared outside the hotel were for the mojitas, but when I saw the men attacking them with the chainsaws it became apparent that they were ice sculptors.

They produced this large bird that I insisted was an eagle, that the staff insisted was a bird of paradise!

I leave you to judge from the pictures.

The other bit in the above picture is the Ice Bar, and in between the bird's wings is a seat.

It snowed all day on the 31st. This made going down the mountain quite tricky.

New Years Eve for me was spent with the family at my flat. Very nice but if you ever get the chance to see Silvesterstadl on the TV give it the widest berth you can possibly imagine. It makes English TV look positively intellectual. I would rather watch all the series of Big Brother back to back. Luckily the boyfriend of one of the daughters had a similar view so we managed to take the mick.

New Year's Day was spent on the slopes. It was fantastic as everyone appeared to be in bed sleeping it off. So I was with one of the guests as in places it seemed we had the whole place to ourselves.

There is more snow expected this week, which is good as we need it to get the slopes into a good condition. Provided it stays clear on a Friday night so I can get up to the resort without resorting to the chains! See what a genius I am with words.






Happy New Year all!!

Topsy Turvey

Everything is a bit on its head here.

Every morning I have to scrape the ice off of the windows on the car. Now, I live in the valley some 600 metres below the level of the resort. The temperature has been -8 at its lowest outside my flat.

When I go up to the mountain which is at 1600 metres the temperature has been 0 or even plus degrees. This has meant that there has been fog or low cloud in the valley. Also the lower runs have been very, very icy, which is not good for the perfect skiing technique let alone the technique I have.

So yesterday was my day off so I went out with one of the guys from the hire shop and a receptionist from one of the hotels in the resort. We all had pretty much of a disaster. And we all found something other than ourselves to blame. Cristoph said he had Giant Slalom skis and was trying to do too short a turn, Anna was stationary on an icy slope when she just slid away and with me a boarder (snow type, not the public school type) came off the edge of the snow right in front of me, I swerved to avoid him ski went away I went up in the air and really crashed down. This broke my helmet not major but the inside harness bit. And today I have a bit of whiplash.

Everywhere was pretty crowded as all the countries surrounding Austria appears to be on holiday. This was not good.

Anna had not got to bed until 4.00 am so she was dozing everytime we stopped and when we were on the lifts. In the end we stopped for a drink then called it a day at about 2.30. Mind you we had done the 6km run four times and a load of other runs as well. We had a great lunch of Kassespatzerknudel suppe, which is a soup with a big cheese dumpling thing in it. Gorgeous, to borrow an expression.

With the helmet now busted I had to get a new one, so I poodled off down to Spittal which is about 30 minutes south of the resort on the motorway. Started great then the snow got heavier. I bought a new helmet, €129 thank you. When I came back to the car there was quite a bit of snow on it. So I headed back quick before I needed to put chains on.

Back in my neck of the woods not a flake of snow, and we need it pretty badly. Still my landlord says it will come in this evening and tomorrow.


The locals say that we need an Italian depression, I wouldn't have thought that would be hard to find!

First Guests and Christmas

Yesterday saw the first guests arrive and was of course Christmas Eve.

The previous day I spent most of the afternoon correcting the translations of the hotel menu, schedule of events and poem for the Christkind (their version of Santa).

Saturday was an early start, at the hotel for 07.00 to go up to Salzburg airport. But it went quite smoothly even though it was busy. The flights arrived on time and we got down to the resort swiftly. Same coach driver as last year, so yet again like meeting old friends.

Helped out with the ski fit, skis and boots, which with some first-timers was a bit chaotic, this made me late to go and get the ski passes. When I got to their nice comfortable office having battled through a biting cold wind and snow the office man was out at one of the Pass Cash Desks so they asked me to go there. I headed down there and found that the reason he was there was because the computer system was buggered. I stood around outside for about 30 minutes while they got it going again and issued my passes. Don't forget that it was still freezing cold, blowing a hooligan and snowing.

I was late back to the hotel to hand out the passes, and the schedule was tight as the festivities were due to start.

Anyway Heidi the manager asked me to welcome all the guests in English and then sing English carols along with her. I told her I was not singing! I ended up singing, very badly.

However the Deputy Manager is from South Tirol which is in Italy, but they hate being called Italian and German is their native language, but they speak Italian. So when it came to the Welcomes in the hotel I suggested to Heidi that Christoph, the 'Italian' should do the welcome in Italian. This was a pay back as he is always taking the P out of the English.

I had a quick drink with the hire shop guys and was then going to head back down the mountain to my little flat and do my books.

But Heidi collared me and invited me to have dinner with her and a few of her managers in a small room off the main restaurant. It was fantastic, the best wine and the food was superb. I can't begin to describe the dessert, It looked a picture and tasted wonderful.

After that I headed off home down the mountain that was a bit slippery. When I got to the flat the family invited me in for a drink so I couldn't refuse.

All in all a very long day!

But Christmas Day was cold and white, I went skiing, and there is no better way to spend Christmas morning. The afternoon I spent getting the books straight so that is all finished one day ahead of schedule! So now I can relax tomorrow and go skiing, although my manager is threatening to come down, we'll see...

Happy Christmas everyone!!!

Katschberg and Other Things

Well I am now back in Katschberg. It is quite a long story so I won't bother you here but I was in the resort for few days sorting things out then had to go back to the UK for 3 days. Ask Shelley if you want to know why. Just before I left Austria I managed to get a little ski in as the snow has not been that great. But it has snowed just before I left and while I was away.

When I got back to Zell am See on the train from Munich, 4 hours!! I had to pick up my car which I left at our office. They said 'You might have to dig it out', they weren't kidding. It had about 2 feet of snow on it. See below. Quite a pain.

When I got down my side of the country there had not been that much snow, there had been some, but not that much.

Going up the mountain tomorrow to finalise things before the first guests arrive on Christmas Eve and hopefully get a little ski in again, that is after all the main reason for being here.


Nothing has changed much in the 8 months I had been away, except of course the snow had gone and come back again. Almost everyone is the same, so it is very comfortable.

Back to the Snow

So here we are again back in the land of the mountains.

We arrived here on the 6th December and later that day it kindly snowed which has made everything look a lot nicer.

We are currently in Kaprun which is to the southwest of Salzburg and is good for skiing because of the glacier at 3,000 metres. But snow is forecast for the rest of the country over the next few days so it's looking good.

As part oft he training we went to Salzburg airport and then into the city itself because it had a Christmas market. Everyone was in uniform so we had a few group photos taken.

On Saturday we went up to the aforementioned glacier and did some skiing. Not the best conditions but worthwhile to help get the ski legs back. Then that evening we were taken on one of the infamous bar crawls. I restrained myself unlike many others. There was much frivolity and incredibly sore heads the next day. I was not one of those!

I now have a very sore throat due mainly to standing around in very smoky bars. A feel that may be a Health and Safety issue. Fortunately not one that would concern me as I do not run bar crawls!

Anyway head off back to Katschberg tomorrow, Monday, which will be good. I'm looking forward to it.

Segwaaaaaaaayy!!!!!!!!!!!!

This may be the last post before I head back to the UK.

Today was good, I was asked if I wanted to have a go on one of the hotel Segways, a guest had booked one and they have 4 in total. So I got an hour or so on one.

They are fantastic, really spooky at first as you feel you are not balanced, but once you get used to them they are great. They go over all terrain, through heavy ground, but they do not go over big rocks on only one wheel. I managed to turn mine over, or tip it up which sounds better.

But then I was OK because you feel where it all is. Great machines but I don't have €7000.

Weather was great today as well, 20 degrees and very sunny. Managed to sit out and soak up some rays.

Just packing to do now and then drive up to the airport on Saturday. They have had to send me the Motorway Vignette, to show you have paid the fee. They did suggest driving up without it, all they said was it could be awkward without it. Yes, €300 on the spot awkward. Luckily I have it now so no problems.

AS an ending I thought I would show you the view from my window now, no snow not even on the highest of the mountains. Well there is a bit but not much. And I will show again a similar picture taken when it was snowy.


See you back in the UK!

Countdown

Well the time is nearly here to leave Austria to its own devices.

On Saturday I fly out, if all goes to plan.

The weather here now is very warm, the other day it was 20 degrees in the valley, the snow on the mountain is disappearing fast which was a disappointment to the people arriving last Saturday.

The snow has been so bad that I have given up skiing for the season, this is the conditions you can injure yourself, and Sod's Law states that it will happen at the end of the season having survived so far. So rather than risk it I have hung up my boots, and skis, and poles. It's a shame as it would have been nice to ski right to the end.

So this week is a bit of hanging around and cleaning up, the flat and the car.

There has been the odd chance to top up the tan, but you have to be very careful up here as you can burn very quickly.

I'll need to get the odd gift before I leave but most of it will be crates of beer.

But back home on Saturday, then need to find some work! (That pays money)