Life is not a Practice

Normally I am a summer swimmer - in the local lakes after or during a cycle ride.

But for Christmas we gave my nephew two swimming tickets for the local pool ( http://www.abc-nesselwang.de/alpspitz-bade-center.0.html ). Yesterday I took him for the first "session" and it was so much fun that I went back this morning and swam 24x25 meters.



My season card for the ski lifts ( http://www.vitalesland.com/bergbahnen/de/winter-panorama.html ) includes 3 hours of swimming every day so I should do this more often.

Christmas morning and Max and I were skiing on the Hahnenkamm in Austria. There is a warm wind out of the south (13°C) and only the piste has snow on it but there were NO PEOPLE.



We carved from top to bottom and didn't pass a single person all the way. The whole slope empty and just for us. On the second run we passed two people and by the final one there might have been a hundred people.

Christmas Eve afternoon and Alison and I were skiing on our local ski slope. Daniel, Max and a friend were also out on skis or snowboards and we all met for a drink in the sun.

Sunday morning at 05:00 and I had to work - it really is a tough life.

Drove up the partly snow covered and very windy Riedberg Pass to 1470 meters above sea level. Not a single other car going up and down so I had real fun with my 4WD Skoda Yeti.

At the top of the pass I put on my touring skis and set off under a million stars all twinkling in the cold. Not another person as far as the eye could see.

Reached the Riedbergerhorn at about 07:00 and could see all the lights across Lake Constance in Switzerland some 60 kilometers away. In the East the sky was slowly getting lighter.



Skied down the ridge and then up to the Grauenstein where we have a station (at 1750m) that supplies Internet to the village of Bolsterlang. Changed out a router that has been causing problems and rang my colleague to check that the new component was working properly.



Skied back up to the Riedbergerhorn and enjoyed the view while taking the skins off my skis and then had a dream descent through fresh powder snow all the way back to the car park. Scrounged a cup of coffee from the ski lift and then drove back towards the rising sun and home.

The route (from my GPS) is at http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=mgklsrjukonsvhwk

The ski season has started.



The Alpspitzbahn have been making snow all week and today they opened for one day of "pre-opening" skiing.
Great snow, sun and almost no people. All those there were locals.

Fun four hours but by then my legs were aching.

Max is coming back from diving in Egypt ( http://maxhogarth.blogspot.de/ ) today and is going to get such a shock when they open the aeroplane doors at Zurich and let the cold in :-)

Years ago Alison brought some twigs back from England and planted them in a row at the top of the garden. Despite cutting "the hedge" back two years ago ( http://neill.blogger.de/stories/1802961/ ), it was turning in to a forest.

Today the gardener came to cut it, took a look at it and then sent his mate off to the forester to get some serious machinery.



It is good that the locals have "industrial grade" gardening tools.



Some more pictures at https://plus.google.com/photos/103827427036815679772/albums/5946929316201764097?banner=pwa

Halloween grilling in Frenchie's meadow.
A fox joined us next to the fire. Really weird.

With a group of business partners and associates, we went zip lining again today. It is still amazing.

A sunny bank holiday Thursday in a week of mist. Gertrud and Jon rang and asked if we wanted to go out for a relaxing bike ride with the twins and them. Yes please.



Rode to and through the high moors in Oy and then on to the Schwarzenberger Weiher. After coffee and cake we rode back home.



29km and 416 mters of climbing
Track is at http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=kxczonghwdqsxkzq

Today was our 25th wedding anniversary so we celebrated by going "ziplining" at the Alpspitz Kick. Whizzing down a steel rope through a cut in the trees at speeds of up to 130kmh is a great way to spend 40 seconds.



http://www.alpspitzkick.de/

The fourth day in Cortina and only five of us did a quick "road tour" up the hill for a coffee.



11 kms and 430 meters of climbing. Track is at
http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=xgzohscueqmupxsd

My pictures are at https://plus.google.com/photos/103827427036815679772/albums/5921707781848663521?banner=pwa&authkey=CPumgJP8gZGkqwE

Jon's pictures at https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/100547066824249637955/albums/5921540097943142497

After the huge tour yesterday, and after Jon had rebuilt my bike at the local bike handler, we did a "nice gentle" Dolomite tour through the Val de Gotres.



Only 33 kms and only 860 meters of climbing but what a great day. The perfect follow on to yesterday.

Track is at http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=jfmgpmewfmiudaas

My pictures are at https://plus.google.com/photos/103827427036815679772/albums/5921705411362024705?banner=pwa&authkey=CNaKwIK-idTsPA
Jon's pictures are at https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/100547066824249637955/albums/5920913105040886065

Wow!
It took 11 hours but we did it. Once round the Tofana Massive in the Dolomites. Stunning scenery, incredibly rocky tracks and some amazing single rails to finish with.

Broke my bike but I survived in one piece.



"Only" 55kms and we used the cable car for the first 500 meters of climb but still a really hard day.
Track at http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=wvjzykkvnljdlbbc

My pictures are at https://plus.google.com/photos/103827427036815679772/albums/5921701433081116897?banner=pwa&authkey=CPzD-YXqktCoQQ

Jon's pictures are at https://plus.google.com/photos/100547066824249637955/albums/5920615267498635201

First day in Cortina. we stopped on the way to the hotel and cycled up to the foot of the "Drei Zinnen".



Once we were back at the car I had to drive car and trailer to Cortina while the rest rode.

20kms and 870 meters of climbing
Track at http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=dffnwhrzxanhjvqj

My photos are at https://plus.google.com/photos/103827427036815679772/albums/5921697511266403633?banner=pwa&authkey=CO_986yx6ebeWQ

Jon's photos are at https://plus.google.com/photos/100547066824249637955/albums/5920173938618210641

Max was out with the heros in Group 1. His reports and links to his pictures are at http://maxhogarth.blogspot.de/2013_09_01_archive.html

The usual four of us (Heidi, Moni, Jon and I) doing the normal training run on a Tuesday night.
Once round the lake and then home via Maria Rain.
We needed to save our energy for the coming weekend in Italy :-)

27 kms and 300 meters of climbing. Track at http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=zevcsammdqcdqpao

Dorothee was visiting from Milan so Heidi, Hermann, Alison and I took her to the Roßbergalpe for lunch.



Pictures at https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/103827427036815679772/albums/5853746597235744401

The evenings are getting shorter so we need to stay a little closer to home or be sure we do the dark part of the tour on good tracks.
Tonight we chose the second option and just got down off the Beichelstein before dark.

Great picture from Jon


My (three) photos at https://plus.google.com/photos/103827427036815679772/albums/5903015570987104113?banner=pwa

32 kms and 570 meters of climbing. Track at
http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=xgpjyczgwbqluyzq

Jon's photos at https://plus.google.com/photos/100547066824249637955/albums/5865862959006086625/5917865466616081458?pid=5917865466616081458&oid=100547066824249637955