J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by Hamish Macbeth

Sadly, it now looks like next year.

Heard on TV today that he's now sitting up in bed.

Judging by the amount of snow in Niederau I'd hazard a guess that he's knee deep in the white stuff and much too busy to be on here.

Both the Schneeberger and Sonnschein are within 5 minutes' walk.

@acarr: 5 minutes in boots would be about right. You can see some of the nursery slopes from the Sonnschein.

Ian Wickham wrote:

RossF wrote:It is cool when younger people get 'in shape' we put on weight but older people 'getting in shape' tends to be losing a couple stone :lol:

AAAAAAhhhhh your talking about that middle age spread , whats wrong with man boobs :oops:

A couple of stone of them? :lol:

First of all apologies that I have been home from the wonderful Niederau for a week and have not posted my "report"! Our laboratory has been refitted, and as that pays the bills I have been there most of the week. I have not even been on the Quo site! Time must be tight.

Before tackling Niederau proper, echoing others, I have to thank Jan, his wife and mother-in-law, their boys, their staff ... and not forgetting Fred!

Nothing was too much for them: from shuttling me to and from Kranebitten, to our daily trip to ADEG for freshly baked pretzels for breakfast; from an on-demand taxi service up to and down from the Auhof, to visiting local restaurants for a Gröstl and Weißbier.

After a welcoming Bier and a quick trip up to the room, which I'd seen before, I felt as if I had never left the Wildschönau Hochtal.

The Auhof itself cannot be faulted, unless having no subscription to the Volksmusik TV channel can be counted! :mrgreen: The rooms are spacious, clean and tidy. As for the view from the balcony - what can I say? I thought I had already had the best view from the top centre of the Vicky, but the Auhof's views are spectacular - all mountains and sunshine, with the valley spread out below.

The daily trip down from the Auhof is a dawdle, maybe it is the magnetic slopes calling you down that helps speed you on but the taxi at the end of a hard, but wonderful, day spent skiing was very welcome.

The Auhof was the icing on the cake.

"N" - One poor day due to flat light up on the mountain and one poor day due to too many Jägerbombes in the Cave Bar - the youngsters made me do it! Honest!

However, the rest of the week was perfect. Not too cold - only -10°C in the shade, but with plenty of light to enjoy the slopes.

Up on the Markbachjoch there was glorious sunshine and no wind-chill until you schussed down the hill. I've been up Hintertux, in the next valley along, in a blizzard and know what I would prefer.

There was no new snow whilst I was there but I have always preferred hard pack corduroy to powder in any case. There was very little ice on the reds I used. The piste basher crews certainly know their stuff and cannot be faulted.

No pictures I am afraid - I was too busy enjoying myself. And the week went far too quickly.

The first week of the New Year is also not long after the shortest day, so there was no surprise about the lack of sunshine down near the gondola, but I know from experience that later in the season there will be sunshine aplenty for those that need their sun fix. At -10°C it was not particularly cold, but then again where I come from we consider double figues to be a heatwave! One of the bonuses of the Scottish blood. I was warm enough with a ski jacket and thermals.

The red ski school certainly know their business and gave plenty of instruction and guidance where needed. Watching them strut their stuff at the weekly ski school demo showed a very talented bunch. The warming Glühwein took the chill off. I even shared a drag with Sepp as he checked on things.

The ski race at the end of the week was a blast although not really a race - just a run down one of the beginners' slopes through a set of slalom gates. Just a laugh really, the old gits versus the young ladies!

Queues? What queues? A 5 minute wait at the start of the week whilst the Niederau first timers got to grips with who/what/where. After that there was plenty of choice, from the 4-man chair up to the Lanerköpfl at one end of the village, to the Tennladen drag at the other end opposite the Harfenwirt.

The best runs for me were from the Lanerköpfl down under the gondola and over to the middle of the Tennladen, with the other being from the Chapel down the Kropfrader and Mittermooser, down past the top of the Tennladen and then back into the middle of it, and then down to the gondola. What was I frightened of?

The blues have now kicked in and it is looking like I will not be able to run away to the Auhof until the summer.

Now, Niederau in the summer is an entirely different, but equally enjoyable, story.

@RoseR - I have not forgotten.

caron-a wrote:I could teach you how to get in and out of a ferrari in a mini skirt if that helps?

How about, how to get a mini-skirt in and out of a Ferrari? :mrgreen: