A Skier's Paradise

Those who know us even just a little are probably aware of how much we like to ski. Indeed, skiing, personally and professionally, has informed a large part of my life over the last decade or so, and as our boys have gotten older and stronger the family side of skiing has gotten more fun.

The family fun factor hit new heights in Seefeld, Austria in the Tyrolian Alps recently when, in two snow-packed weeks, we fit in all the great times we normally have over the course of an entire winter, and then some. While the boys were in alpine lessons most mornings at one of the four alpine venues within shouting distance of downtown, their dad, with occasionally Jennifer as well, was having the time of his life on some of the 260 km of cross country trails in and around Seefeld, home to more than a few of Austria's World Cup thoroughbreds and site of one of the coolest Nordic ski shops anywhere.

Incidentally, Seefeld has hosted the Nordic competitions of not one, but two, Olympic games ('64 and '76) and has also hosted many a World Cup Nordic event, so it's putting mildly to say Seefeld knows free-heel skiing. Heck, we even found out that World Cup downhill titan Lindsay Vonn (who learned to ski on Minnesota bumps) loves the slopes of Seefeld and often uses it as her home away from home when in the Alps, so it's not just Nordic skiing that works its magic in Seefeld.

Anyway, one morning I'd come in and ask for skate ski gear, whereupon the young man who happily greeted me each day would suit me up with the latest, fanciest gear I'd ever been on. The next morning I'd hit the trails on superb classic gear, freshly and perfectly waxed for that day's ski conditions.

Once on the trails, there were short, medium, and long options, and flat all the way to anything but flat variants of each. Modest roller skiing at sea level in Saudi Arabia had not quite prepared me for the shock of daily, often very hilly skis at 1200 - 1600m altitude, but eventually the body was bludgeoned into some form of ski shape and ultimately craved the next day's permutation of trails.

In true Austrian form, no matter the trail, a skier is never more than 10K from the next restaurant or cafe, ready to administer to every possible solid or liquid caloric need; it's impossible to get lost - just follow your nose to the schnitzel and strudel!

Thanks for reading, David