Leaving work at 2pm on Friday the 6th to collect the hire car and on our way by 3pm. Fortunately for me I do not drive, so one of my pals was left with that duty, however the roads were good until Munich where we got a little bogged down, but after that we were flying all the way to Mayrhofen and up to the Tux.
Arrived at 8.35pm and just in time for dinner in the Badhotel Kirchler, a really nice hotel with great catering at a reasonable price. A coffee and a wee dram after dinner then time to unpack the bags and head for the club, where one of the lads orders a hot toddy much to the bemusement of the barman.
Ponciest hot toddy in the world.
So a few beers and a game or 5 of darts and it was off to bed to get ready for the morning and the first day out on my new set up.
Taken at home the week before, alas I was wearing my boots around the house.
Day 5 of 60. So up at the crack of dawn, about 8.30 and feeling a little ropey we head for the breakfast room, a pot of coffee, litre of OJ and 2 asprin later and we are off. Lovely bluebird day up there and once the lads were sorted out with thier planks we were off. As usual on the glaciers out of season, the morning is generally good with piste conditions deteriorating in the afternoon, but this Saturday they held up well all day and allowed us to ease into it gently. As there is a bit of difference in the standard between the three of us there was a bit of waiting around, but nothing drastic. Managed about 30km for the day mainly on piste.
This is really what it's all about.
That evening we repeated the ritual, but added a swim and a snooze by the pool first. Spent the rest of the evening contemplating hard as to what I should call my board. As is the practice a name based on her characteristics needed to be ascetained.
Attracive, twitchy, very edgy, highly strung, and just a little bit cheeky. This was going to be a challenge that required some thinking... and a beer or two.
Day 6 of 60. and how different could the weather be. Very different. Cold and fog with visibility at a 30ft max. At one point one pof the lads and I strayed off piste onto a closed run and had to climb back up after realising our mistake, you really could not see anything!! Only 24km, a little dissapointing.
Er, where's the pub?
So a little apres ski was the order of the evening and a few drinkies in the Hohenhaus Tenne is always fun.
So as it was, a few beers and a Jagermeister or two and the lads asked me if I had come up with a name for my new stick. Well I hadn't, so they offered to help. Several names of female characters from the movie world came up, like Kathy (Bates) as well as a few real life serial killers!! None of these would do, even though she had tried to do away with me on no less than 3 occasions the last 2 days. It wasn't until I was in the shower getting ready for dinner that it struck me!
Attracive, twitchy, very edgy, highly strung, and just a little bit cheeky.
Tara!!! I just wondered how she would take to the powder?
Day 7 of 60. Variable conditions up top, but new snow!! So off-piste was the order of the day. Only short sections, but steep enough and a little rocky. Persuaded one of the lads who had never been off-piste to join me and despite having a tumble and ending up with skis 60 ft apart he did well. Really started getting into the new set up, it took some concentration but was rewarding. The board is a Prior MFR 165 (racing tuned) with SP Brotherhood Fastec bindings. A lot more responsive that my big Burton Supermodel 168 with Custom bindings. Whilst I could really throw my weight around on the the Supermodel, the slightest shift in weight is transferred to the edges almost instantly on the Prior. This can be rather frightening on a speedy flat section. About 28km done today, but a short one as we had to drive back.
Notice the rather bizzare looking tracks on the last section, wonder what could have created them??
All in all a good little trip, nothing too drastic in terms of distance but fun none the less. Really reccommend the hotel to anyone wanting a off season few days at Tux, stayed there a few times now and it's always great, friendly service. The Tux is the best of the 3 glacier resorts I have visited out of season in terms of terrain choice and area. Saas Fee and Zermatt being the other two. Not on the same level unfortunately once off the slopes.
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