Jeremy and I
went skiing recently in another trip with the Bavarian Ski Club, this time to Obergurgl-Hochgurgl in Austria. And like our last trip – it
was awesome.
I’ll spare you
details of the beautiful scenery and my epic superman stunt (the bruises are
lingering) and instead share the beauty that is après ski. (French
for “after ski.”)
We often discuss
how the ski culture here is far superior than that of its U.S. counterpart – we
have the Alps, beat that – but beyond opening gigantic mountains for an “enter
at your own risk” ski experience, every mountain, bunny slope and hill is
equipped with a bar perched in the beauty of the snow-capped eminence.
In all of your
slope attire, you ski up to the bar, (it’s a lot like moseying up to the bar,
especially in ski / snowboard boots) order a drink, sit outside in the sun and
enjoy the best-tasting beer you will ever have. Sausage (product) optional.
A traditional
day on the slopes goes something like this: take the gondola up, ski down, take
a chair lift up, have a beer, ski down, gondola or chair lift to a different
hill, beer, ski, repeat. By the end of the day, no mountain is left unskied and
no high-altitude beer left undrank. (undrunk?)
Which brings us
to the après ski – what some claim to be the best part of skiing.
Around 4 p.m.,
when most of the lifts close – everyone convenes at a designated bar on top of
the mountain for a dancing on the tables, singing, and jumping around (as best
as one can in ski boots) party. It’s like Oktoberfest minus the lederhosen.
Below is a short
video of some of the action – taken during a spring session in Stubai, Austria,
in April.
After a few
hours at the après ski party, you ski down the mountain … very, very carefully.
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