Life is not a Practice

Extended lunch break today. Caro and I took our touring skis and walked up to Nadel Loch (part way up the local mountain) and then skied back down through the unpisted snow.



Expresso and cake and then back to work.

Another Sunday and another trip to the Grauen Stein.


(The Grauen Stein is on the right with the Riedbergerhorn on the right.)

I caught the Hörnerbahn to the top and then walked up the valley under the Weiherkopf and Ochsenkopf. I then turned up on to the ridge and tried to follow that to the Grauene Stein but a few very steep sections proved impossible. Skied off the ridge and then walked up between the Riedbergerhorn and Grauen Stein.



At the top the view in every direction was stunning. The Riedbergerhorn was full of people but on the Grauen Stein there were only three of us. Took some voltage measurements on the relay station we have up there and ate the cake that I had taken with me.



The run down was fantastic. New snow on a very steep slope. It is good that the avalance warn level is currently at 1 - the lowest.

Stopped at the Berghaus Schwaben for some lunch on the way back.

Pictures at https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/+NeillHogarth/albums/6097506762533868817

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

A ski tour up to the Berglodge Sportheim Böck. Beautiful fresh snow and two fun companions. There is a new manager and when he saw the ladies stripping their sweaty clothes off out in the snow he shouted "you can come in for a drink if you want".



The piste bully had flattened most of the powder by the time we skied back down in the dark but it was great fun anyway.

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

Oictures at https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/+NeillHogarth/albums/6097506762533868817

Today I picked up my new ski touring equipment (after losing everything on the way down from the Riedbergerhorn 2 weeks ago - http://neill.blogger.de/stories/2463603/ ).



The first (mini-) tour with the new skis was to rescue what I could find at Grasgehren. One ski was definitely buried far below the snow but I hoped I would find the other one with the carrying frame attached to it.


Max came with me but, as he has no touring skis, he took the lift up and then walked up to meet me.

I walked to the small hut where the mountain rescue had found me and from there searched the valleys until I found the equipment. As expected one ski is still buried so I set a waypoint with the GPS so that I can go back and look in spring.


This file contains the coordinates of the lost ski. lostski.gpx (gpx, 1 KB)

The snow was wet and slushy but my new skis worked perfectly going back down. I tied the ski to the carrying frame and put that on Sherpa Max's back so that he could ski it down for me.



The track is at http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=cspbalvqzcntafli

More photos at https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/103827427036815679772/albums/6097506762533868817

[150525] Went and found the second ski today. See story at http://neill.blogger.de/stories/2504497/

Today is a holiday here in Germany so we made good use of it to have a five hour spinning marathon. You could register for single hours or for the complete event - so I did the latter.



At the facebook page of the fitness club ( https://de-de.facebook.com/FitnessNesselwang ) you can see lots of photos of us cycling and get the impression that we spent five hours just cycling. As these pictures show, we did cycle but managed a few bites to eat and drinks to keep us motivated.



My verdict. An absolutely fantastic event with great music and motivated trainers.

After getting the generator nearly all the way to the station yesterday, we today set out on phase two.

Last night we agreed that Klaus from the mountain rescue would accompany me today. Once I explained my problem to Max he said "me too!".


(Photo by Max. Sunrise and I am on the way up the ridge)

Max organised rental snow shoes and sticks and this morning we left at 05:45. Drove to work to pack the petrol, the charger, the cable and everything else and then on to Oberstdorf to pick up Klaus.


(I felt as tired as I look after 2 days of deep steep snow.)

Back up the Riedbergerpass (snow covered and icy but no tourists driving at 5 km/h) to the ski lifts. We met Tom there with the tracked quad and he drove us up to the top of the ski lift from where we once again set off up the ridge. There was no trace of the tracks from yesterday so Klaus broke the trail, Max followed and I came last feeling done in from yesterday.

At the top we stopped for a very short rest (-15°C and a wind are not conducive to long stops) and then carried on down to where I had left the generator yesterday.


(The vegetation in this picture is the tops of stunted trees. This is a small forest and the snow has filled up the space between the trees.)

We broke a trail to the mast and then Max returned and carried the 21kg generator up to the mast without a carrying frame. (Hero).

We now drank tea, ate cake, put on more clothes, fueled the generator and started it, connected the charger to the batteries and generator and left it running. Gave Tom a ring and he confirmed that it was charging.

Set off back across the pass and up to the Riedbergerhorn then Tom rang to say it was no longer working. Turned round in the biting wind and walked back. A red light was on. Stopped generator, started it, stopped, started. Got it running with no red light. Waited 10 minutes to be sure and then walked back down.

One of Max's snow shoes broke on the way up and one of mine on the way down. That just added to the fun.

Klaus had gone ahead with his touring skis and was waiting with the mountain rescue skidoo at the top of the lift to take us back down.

And the batteries are now charged up.

Pictures at https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/103827427036815679772/albums/6097506762533868817

Max's blog is at http://maxhogarth.blogspot.de/ and his (as always amazing) pictures are at https://plus.google.com/photos/102257273463070793435/albums/6077174649141629985/6098356433116069202?pid=6098356433116069202&oid=102257273463070793435

Yesterday my partner told me that the station on top of the Grauen Stein had electrical problems and would soon run out of battery power. No sun is forecast for the solar panels so some one needed to get a generator up to the mast.

I picked up the generator from a hoillock near Isny (using the amazing 4 wheel drive capabilities of my Skoda Yeti). I then drove "round the back" through Austria and up the snow covered pass - overtaking all those stuck in the snow and ice :-)

Tom had not yet arrived with the tracked quad so I attached the generator to a carrying frame and got the mountain rescue to take it up to the top of the ski lift on their skidoo. I used the lift. From the top of the lift I used my touring skis and carried the generator up the snow covered ridge to the top of the Riedbergerhorn. From there I carried on back down to the pass between the two mountains. By now visibility was really bad due to the mist and blizzard and I was worried about getting back in daylight so I left the generator and climbed back up to the top of the Riedbergerhorn.


(this picture was taken a day later. On this day there was no view and I had no time to even think about photos.)

I took the skins off my skis and started to ski down. The snow was very deep so I pointed steep downhill off the ridge (bad idea) and skied down in to the valley.

I crossed a bush covered ravine and disappeared through the snow into the bushes below. I was hanging in small trees but under the snow. I managed to get out but lost a ski and a stick so I stood the other ski up as a marker and attached the carrying frame to it. I then started "swimming" and "crawling" through the deep snow until I fell in to another ravine. I once again escaped and worked my way up to a small hillock from where I could see some skiers far below me on the piste. After a lot of arm waving and shouting "help" they got the message and disappeared. I was now really cold so I kept on moving towards a nearby sheep hut where I huddled feeling cold and frightened.

Apparently the mountain rescue tried to reach me with skidoos but they could not get through the snow either - I later saw one completely bogged in. They called up a pisten bully and together eventually managed to reach me and took me back down the mountain.

So I was safe and very thankful to all those who rescued me but had no touring skis and still the problem of a mast running out of power.

But tomorrow is another day.

Two days ago Max and I cycled to Sportheim Böck. Yesterday we were out driving off road and today I was back in Sportheim Böck - with the touring skis. It has been snowing since Max and I were up there two days.



The walk up was a gentle stroll always taking the flatest route. I ate lunch by the fire and then skied back down. The pistes have not yet been prepared so the run down was challenging but fun.

Boxing Day and it finally snowed. Being a responsible father, I took both sons out for some training in driving safely in winter conditions. Good excuse to get in to the forest and see what a 4x4 Yeti can take. Boys and Toys sort of thing.



Daniel and I met some cars on their sides in a ditch but we managed the trips with no incidents.

Woke up to rain and 3°C. Perfect Christmas Day weather. The last years Max and I have spent Christmas morning skiing but this year there is no snow.

We had agreed to meet this year at 10:00 for a bike ride and sure enough, despite the weather, Max was at the door and ready to go five minutes early.



After 10 minutes of cycling up the mountain we had to stop and take off half the clothes we had on. Surprisingly we met no one on the way up. A few hundred meters before the top the rain turned to snow and we finished the ride on a thin cover of snow.



The hotel at the top of the mountain was open so we ordered two mulled wines and a hot soup. Great! Before cycling back down we put on every item of clothing we had with us - unfortunately we had no ski goggles.



On the way down we met Caro (the neighbour) on her way up so we aren't the only crazy people in town.

We stopped off at the Explorer Hotel for a Cappucino before cycling home.

Track is at http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=nkwmuczwhufznytb 10.8km with 600 meters of climbing.

More pictures at https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/103827427036815679772/albums/6050786238514201409?authkey=CM6y9qnHhfj9mAE

Max's blog at http://maxhogarth.blogspot.de/2014/12/christmas-day-biking.html

This was my last cycle ride in 2015. The total distance I cycled in 2014 was 4410 kilometre -
1303 km with the mountain bike and 3107 km with the race bike. I think that tells you which I prefer nowadays.

The day after the Christmas Party so a light walk to recover from the late night. Along the side of the mountain to Kappel and then back across the fields against a biting wind.



Finished up with coffee and cake at friends.

8 kilometers. Track is at http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=mlpiwabtehshvcbd

Today in the fitness studio in Seeg was "St. Nicholas Spinning". From two in the afternoon until seven in the evening we enjoyed five hours of spinning with great music and five fifferent instructors. Great fun.



Afterwards we spent another two hours eating and drinking. A great idea from the fitness studio and a fun way to spend a grey rainy afternoon.

More photos at https://www.facebook.com/provitaseeg/photos/a.523764227704374.1073741825.116965615050906/769769806437147/?type=1&theater

Brunch with friends.
A bike ride above the clouds.
Cappucino
Spinning



The whole of Germany was covered in cloud. Everyone except us. We had beautiful sunshine and could look down on to the clouds below.

30kms and 430 meters of climbing.
Track at http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=cdiqgexllimtqhvp

Pictures at https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/103827427036815679772/albums/6050786238514201409?authkey=CM6y9qnHhfj9mAE

Every Wednesday I meet with the companies tax advisor. Today, after the meeting, I was driving back to the office and saw this view.

It is November but the weather forecast promised good weather so Heidi and I drove to Memmingen to do a race bike tour. It only takes 30 minutes to get to Memmingen but it put us in an unknown area of Allgäu. I had found a 70 kilometer route in the Internet ( http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=jhehzkqqmfoaqqvm ) with over 700 meters of (sometimes steep) climbing.



We passed Schloß Zeil which is the family home of the Earl of Waldburg-Zeil and enjoyed the view from his terrace which has an unbelievable view in to the Alps.



At the end of the tour we cycled in to the center of the ancient city of Memmingen and enjoyed a hot chocolate with Baileys at a cafe next to the town hall.

A great quote to sum up today
"Happiness comes from spiritual wealth, not material wealth... Happiness comes from giving, not getting. If we try hard to bring happiness to others, we cannot stop it from coming to us also. To get joy, we must give it, and to keep joy, we must scatter it."
-John Templeton.

78km and 980 meters of climbing.
Track is at http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=phbygbtgwzzzbbdp

More pictures at https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/103827427036815679772/albums/6050786238514201409?authkey=CM6y9qnHhfj9mAE