Sledding is Badass

Last week we took our annual ski trip to the town of Maria Alm, Austria in the central Alps. Maria Alm is about an hour south of Salzburg in an area known as the Hochkoenig.  Classic scene: lots of friends, overcrowded apartment, slopes all day, too much food and drink at night.  Repeat.  The Attaché was a late arrival this year.  She had an important meeting in Vienna and joined us mid-week.  In the past, she has given me a lot of abuse for poor trip planning.  Most of her complaints are valid: like the time I forgot the map or I didn’t confirm the hotel reservation.  But in the thirty plus trip we’ve taken in the last three years not once did we end up in the wrong county.  That’s what the Attaché did when came to join us.  I gave her a printed train itinerary and explained when she was supposed to switch trains and what town I’d pick her up in.  Instead of arriving in Birschofshofen, Austria she ended up in Munich, Germany.  That’s like heading for Lake Placid and ending up in New York City.  Her three hour, sixty dollar trip ended up at eight hours and about 150 bucks.  Shameful.  Shameful indeed.    

Fortunately she arrived with enough time to join us for the most kick ass winter event known to man.  I’m talking about sledding.  Old style sledding.  Sitting on a small wooden sled and sliding down a hill.  Yes, I’m serious.  Yes, I’m talking about that thing five year olds do in the backyard when it snows.  But I’m talking about doing it on the 9 mile Wildkogel Rodelbahn track in the Alps.  It’s insane.  So insane, in fact, that I made a short video highlighting the trip.  Let me say I only had the camera on for a fraction of the time and some of the best stuff was missed.

I’m surprised we even attempted sledding.  All of us are skiers and snowboarders and the conditions were pretty good in Maria Alm, but after a day or two we learned about Wildkogel and the fact it has the longest sled run in the world.  We all thought it would be a nice feather in our travel cap.  Until last week my sledding experience had been on a plastic trashcan down on a small hill in Maryland or pulled behind the Attaché’s old Tempo (which turned out to be a bad idea).  Well, Wildkogel did not disappoint.  On one side was the face of the mountain.  On the other sheer cliffs.  It was steep.  There were hairpin turns.  You steer and brake by digging your heels in the snow and there was a pub mid-way down.  As far winter sports go, I always considered skiing and snowboarding just about perfect.  I realize now those sports are for neutered cowards.  Sledding is where it’s at.  

Comments

[phil & valarie]

WOW! Your aged inlaws want to DO this too - no hill in my distant Maine childhood can possibly compare! (and remember how I loved that cataract in Norway with the music and the maidens of the mist? Just imagine the engineering involved in piping that catchy tune into your entire sled run! Incredible!)

Seriously, Greg, you really are good at editing sound and video together ... I'm especially impressed w your synchronizing your friend's bobbing head to the beat, as that requires so much forethought and afterthought ... Great job! Kempwood rocks!!

[mark from nrc]

OK, I am totally confused. Didn't I see the Attache here in the mother ship in Rockville while you claim that she was either in Munich or on a sled somewhere in Austria. Was it her doppleganger, is there an insidious cloning plot going on within the friendly confines of the VIC?

[Greg]

Mark,
1. No, your timeline is distorted.
2. I didn't know she had a doppleganger. I'll ask her about that, but she might not even know herself. If she says yes, and she's cool with it, I've got a fun idea.
Greg