Icy

The hotel is quite full now and I have new guests they seem OK, at the moment. Don't seem to want to spend a lot on my well organised excursions.

On checking the questionnaires they are asked to fill out one rated me as average then I thought I would check some of the other answers they put. He said that the Welcome Meeting was good, he wasn't even there and then he put that the rep on the transfer was good. There was no rep on his coach!

And we are judged on these, percentage-wise and bonus-wise.

That is interesting.

I have been checking and correcting the English version of the hotel's activities for New Year's Eve. It looks quite a blow out. They do an interesting thing where they drop molten lead into water to make interesting shapes that they treat as lucky charms. Very interesting from a Health and Safety point of view. I think it is probably best I don't go to the hotel that night. But they have ice sculpting and fire eaters, hopefully not in the same place otherwise could be bit of a damp squib, which reminds me they are having fireworks at midnight. Then they dance to the blue danube, which may be more appropriate than they think if the fire eater meets the ice sculpture, but enough of that.

Skiing is interesting at the moment. Very fluffy snow hiding sheet ice, when you move the snow it is quite testing. Three times on Wednesday I came a cropper, or stacked it as us pros say! Now I have a very large Blauen fleck on my hip having landed on it all 3 times.

Also the resort is very crowded so not much room for error especially with these nutters zooming round out of control. But I try my best.

Off shopping tomorrow at the big town, need a lead to put books on my reader and they don't have such things in these small places, so quite an adventure.

Boxing Day and Beyond

A busy couple of days.

Yesterday it was very cold and I was expecting carnage on the slopes as they tried to get to grips with the ice, but not too bad. A couple of twisted knees none of which caused me any pain.

Then Boxing Day was the quiz. A bit frantic as needed to find a venue at very short notice as the hotel decided to make The Library the smoking room, so none of the Brits would go in there. Ended up in the Spa reception which was really good, except the woman who runs it got all upset this morning. Don't know why you wouldn't have known we had been in there.

All the other little problems such as refunds etc were sorted.

My supervisor has thrown it in and goes back to UK tomorrow. No great loss and the feeling is the same among the other reps in my area.

Busy with paperwork today for the 50 new arrivals tomorrow. But so far looking good, apart from up at 5!!

Office were thanking me for getting paperwork in on time, my feeling is get it done and then you can ski. All in all not so bad.

Christmas Day

Well, Christmas Day very quiet here. I was meant to be ski leading but no-one turned up so I went out on my own. It was much colder today and there was a wind at the top. But the skiing was great.

I did the 6km run from the peak to the other village St. Magareten, I did stop on the way though so really it was a number of small runs I suppose, but it was fantastic once you dropped out of the clouds.

My ambition is to do this run in one go before I leave here, but the legs will have to stop burning!

Made sure everyone was OK at the hotel then headed home.

On the way back I thought I would try and find the castle in the town near to where I live, and I did find it.


Spent the rest of the day preparing for the quiz tomorrow night, sounds like there might be a lot coming. Hopefully get another mornings skiing in.

An Austrian Christmas

Okay, not posted for a couple of days, it has been a bit hectic.

Today was day off so much calmer...I wish.

Yesterday was not too bad except I couldn't go skiing because of the low cloud, meaning it was impossible to see. Also the temperature has shot up and certainly lower down the snow was melting and it has been raining. Anyway yesterday evening I went on the sleigh ride to a little wooden cabin that has a nice bar and a restaurant. It was quite nice and it was trying to snow. The horses did well and there is a little dog with a green light on it's collar to runs on ahead. They stop on the road and one of the drivers hands round a bottle of schnapps. Very warming.

Everyone seemed happy.

Today was my day off. So I thought I would do a bit of skiing. The weather was not much better, very thick cloud but a bit of snow this time. The hotel asked if I would be about later as they would like me to read something at their Christmas hoohah that afternoon/evening. Well why not......?!

Anyway skiing was OK apart from stacking it very big time because I couldn't see the edge of the piste, big head over heels. But no problem.

Big old pizza for lunch then popped home to change. Back at home the landlady and family gave me a big plate of traditional Christmas biscuits and a bottle of wine. Luckily I had a bottle of cava in the car for a prize in the quiz on Sunday. So that was their present. But they are very nice, as is everyone. They just say Gross Gott to you all the time, complete strangers, it does make you jump at first. But I am a bit used to it now.

Back to the hotel looking a bit more presentable and the general manager gives me a present of a big candle, chocolates and a memory stick. Very nice.

Then time for the celebrations, she says it is easy, she will read out a welcome on german and wants me to do something in English, then she reads a bit from the bible, from Luke for anyone who follows the Bible. OK I'll do that. Then she says everyone sings Carols and that is it.

All goes well until she says the band don't have music for Jingle Bells and she and I must sing, archipelago until everyone joins in! Well it seems to go down OK, no-one left.

Then the Kristkind arrives on a sleigh, probably the one I was on the night before, and hands out presents to the kids and everyone goes off and has their Christmas blow out.

All very nice especially as it is now snowing quite heavily. Good for tomorrow unless I have to put on bloody chains. On the car,  not me.

So that is everything up to date.


 Ski leading tomorrow so that should be good.

Merry Christmas everyone!

D Day minus 1

Well the day is almost here. The first guests arrive tomorrow, I am being picked up at the hotel at 06.30 this means that I will have to be up at 05.00. This mainly because there will be lots of car scraping, windscreen-wise.

Today was a bit of rushing round trying to get things finished. But I did manage an hour or so skiing as the instructors said it was really good. They weren't wrong.

Elsewhere there was a meeting of the reps for this area but I am excluded on account of distance and cost, but mainly cost. I hope they weren't talking about me. They were collecting all their paperwork for the big day, I will get mine at the airport tomorrow meaning I will be rushing round to get it all together. Oh joy!

We'll see how it goes.

Forecast is for it to warm up a bit, round about zero and for it to snow on Friday. That is my day off, so I don't care. I may go skiing.

Had to have my photo taken so that it can go in the Information Book in the hotel so the guests know who I am, I would have thought that was easy, I'm the bald, old bloke in the bright blue jacket. The delightful Karin took it for me. She took two but obviously I used the worst of them. If you have to do it you might as well do it bad!

And here it is to add insult to injury.

Winter Wonderland

Today was very cold and windy, this is beginning to sound monotonous. I mean very windy though.

It was so cold that I didn't go skiing, it is really nice picking and choosing the days you go skiing. Because you know that there will be plenty more days. The girls on reception say I am sounding like a local, except a local who can't speak the language. But I am teaching them better English for free!

Everything is getting ready for Tuesday when the first guests are meant to arrive. That is if you lot over there can over the little cold snap you are having and open the airports.

Looked out of the window this evening and thought it looked really stunning but not sure if this photo does it justice. I will try to get photos of more interesting things and things you might not have seen. Perhaps an airport that is open!!

Who said you can't teach an old dog new trick?

Well the day started at the hotel faxing stuff. During this they the reception staff found out that I had registered as resident. So they taught me and then had me telling everyone in the office "Ich bin ein Lungauer" which means that I am now one of them, apparently.

Another first was getting stuck on the hill up to the resort and having to put chains on. But that sorted it, so they hold no fear for me, unless I have to do it at 5 in the morning!

So then I went skiing, which was great. There was a fall of snow overnight so some powder about and I went right over the mountain to the next village, fantastic in the sunshine.

I kept falling off the drag lifts though, so I spoke to the ski school and they gave me some tips. So in the afternoon I negotiated 4 t-bar lifts without falling off one.

Gorgeous sunset as I drove home, but still fairly cold -8.