Dolomites

The alps, especially Austria, is going through such a dry season that it makes people (mostly skiers) miserable. On Christmas Eve the Föhn-wind was heating Innsruck up to freaking +16 Celsius! The snow pact is extremely thin and rotten. Thus skiing hasn't been as amazing as last year until this weekend. Due the weather systems running more from south Dolomites have worked as a barrier to block the snow from reaching Tirol. This Tuesday it snowed the first time in Innsbruck since November. It seems like we will have a winter after all.

It is surprising how close these beautiful mountains are: It is just a bit over one hour drive to Alta Badia. It is astonishing how different the shape and colour of the mountains are compared to the other side of the border. In some mystical way Dolomites have the magic which has disappeared from the Austrian Alps. The Italian lifestyle is still visible: Restaurants are not open 24/7 and the whole hecticness and stressfulness of Tyrollean resorts shines with it's absence.


What struck me the most was the fact that such a huge resort as Alta Badia was rather empty and untracked notwithstanding that it had been already more than few days of the last snowfall. The area is massive: one could say it is a skier's paradise as there is everything from steep coulairs to excellent tree skiing.

The line we were heading for is the one with arrow on the right

The day was absolutely the best of the season so far. We learned a valuable lesson that there is no point following single skin tracks if you are not exactly sure where they lead. Even if some locals might say it is ski-able, we still should have the topographic maps and knowledge of where we are heading. Nevertheless, the hike itself was just great with its all components from shatting my pants and loudly expressing my feeling in Finnish.  Turning around has never been as easy as it was when looking over the edge down to the other side.



Skiing down the path we hiked up was also really interesting. Although, the run wasn't the easiest I felt rather confident with my new gear. Skiing with Dynafit -bindings and long skis feels great. The El Capos aren't the lightest pair of skis but the way they ride is unbelievable: the feel is something between a GS ski and a solid powder ski. It will take some time to adapt but I can already feel the benefits of having longer skis.

The coming weekend we are heading back to Italy and hopefully it will turn out to be another epic adventure. If and when it is snowing during this week, Alta Badia will turn to this huge playground with so many different features that a small mind will be confused! I am extremely excited for the next Saturday! The first real faceshots of the year 2014?

(Thanks Rupi & Bernie for the amazing photos!)

And to wrap everything up here is a clip from the first day of the year in Stubai! Pretty much sums up how the season has been so far! 

Boys' Nigth Out!

This weekend I was able to experience something interesting. After a long week of sitting in class, writing exams and listening to EU law I needed something to reboot my brain. The obvious method was going into the Limericks (Irish pub) and drinking beer until the small hours. Nevertheless, this time was different.


The idea struck me on Thursday-Friday night and it wasn't too hard to convince Rupi to join me. So after the Friday lectures I came home backed my skiing gear, sleeping bag and tent and headed up to Axamer Lizum. Snow wasn't that good but it was all about testing the tent and having a good exercise. The sky was clear and the moon was shining bright: Temperature was decline steadily and was just under zero when we reached the parking slot about 20 minutes past eight. It was almost full moon and therefor ascending didn't require headlamps.






We reached the valley in about one and half hours. My backpack felt so heavy that I wasn't able to keep up with Rupi (excuses?) There was absolutely no snow left from the snow showers few weeks back. We were able to build the tent rather easily without too much shovelling. After few photos and well deserved cans of beer we crawled into the sleeping bags and closed our eyes.



I haven't done overnight tours before and was surprised how well I was able to keep myself warm over night. Sadly it wasn't the case for Rupi... After few hours his sleeping bag was so wet that he had hard time sleeping when fighting the cold.

The moon looks like a sun! 

Around 5 am we decided to get going, stressed up and packed our skiing gear. The moon had gone into hiding and it was way more darker than the evening and so BEAUTIFUL. I am not sure if the night was some special occasion but I saw more than ten shooting stars passing by the atmosphere.
Our master plan was to hike up the massive coulair we skied last year but due to the amount of rocks and sharks we decided to go for the safer option. We had few hours before the sunrise thus we didn't need to hurry anywhere. The route up was one of the most uncomfortable once I have done: There was rocks everywhere. We reached the top early and waited for the sunrise which was a slight disappointment. Even so, it felt rather good to be up there waiting for the first lights to ski down.

Skiing itself was the worst this season but we didn't care. We got what we came for: a good exercise and especially an experience. Around 8 am we reached the tent, collected our equipment and head home. As we skied down the lifts were just opening and it felt weird to be heading home when all the others were excited to head up to the mountain. In conclusion, we had so much fun and learned valuable lessons for the coming trips!

Skiing in the Dark!

It is ridiculous how quickly I lose interest in skiing if the snow is bad. This time it happened in Obergurgl: After the first run on the concrete packed snow I was ready to quit. "I will go to sleep in the car - this sucks." Luckily my skiing partners were able to convince me to continue for few more runs. It is kind of scary that I am already so spoiled even before the real winter...

In the end, we were able to find few excellent runs! Skiing untracked snow under the sun is something different. The bluebird does somehow enhance the experience of skiing. Doing few good in perfect light turned were able to cheer me up to another level! What caught me off-guard was the amount of sharks hidden under the first layer of snow. My skis took a real beating: The another ski lost 3cm*20cm are of base... Time for another day in the workshop.

Few days after Obergurgl I was playing around with my computer when Rupi suggested if we should go for a night tour. After few seconds of processing and stressing up I was picked up Rupi and we were heading to Axamer Lizum. 

It was DARK and I mean dark but so beautiful. The whole sensation was something I haven't had for such a long time: Absolute silence, clear skies and stars sparkling. The experience sucks all the negative energy out and leaves you in a peaceful state of mind. This is what I miss from living back in Northern-Finland. 

Hiking in the mist!

Mid-November has been as epic as last year. Only this week I have had three amazing ski days! First few days in Stubai and the climax of the week; first hike of the season in Kaunertal. The second day in Stubai was incredible deep. It proved my opinion of chest mount for GoPro faulty: there is no point filming when 60% of the time the camera is under snow. My new favorite is using the ventilation mount on backpack's shoulder pads!

Wednesday morning was one of the most foggiest drives up to a glacier I have had. Luckily most of the clouds were down in the valley and there was some visibility above 2000meters. Snow wasn't extremely fresh but we were still able to score some good lines. All in all, another great early season day!

Friday morning I wasn't expecting anything special - 10 cm of new snow at max. Yet again I was wrong, there was at least 30cm of fresh snow - Faceshots one after another. So much snow has its way of reminding you to not get too excited. Luckily the small mistakes done were not fatal, even though they left us with a scratched butt and a swollen knee.

Saturday was my first day in Kaunertal. The area has some really interesting terrain! Many accessible coulairs and other interesting lines. I was skiing with my Danish friend Martin and he completely crushed me. I have never felt so slow in my life. The first boot back was easy 10minutes for a great coulair with superb snow! (See video) The second line took us - or to be honest me - about 2 hours. And I have to say it was an interesting adventure. If I had known the terrain better I might have done different route choices! Nevertheless, it ended up to be a great peek into what the season is going to be all about!

A short and rough edit of the early season skiing! More and higher quality coming later this season!

- Pave

There is always something good about something bad!

The day started early.... apparently not early enough. Leaving Innsbruck with expectations of tracked runs and hard snow the first hurdle we met was lines. When I say lines I mean really long lines. The kind of line that even impresses the lift personnel.  People pushing forward where no way could be made shouting and muttering under their breaths in various languages the mood was low to start with. There is something completely European in the idea that to get ones own child in a gondola 3 minutes earlier, so that they can practice their shitty slalom technique, parents are willing to push 8-year-olds against concrete walls. These situations reminds me why I prefer to tour and be in the middle of nowhere, instead of being exposed to the absolute disregard of common courtesy that I witnessed today.

Skiing tracked snow makes me grumpy - there seems to be no explanation for the reason why. The guys have given me a motto: "If it's not over 20cm. I'm not into it." Thinking rationally, it is excellent exercise to ski bumps and avoid sharks. Ones brain has to focus way more on the terrain which in turn trains the "skier's eye." In addition, no matter what we do the society is pushing us more and more into communistic thinking. There is less room for being creative. Skiing in tracked conditions forces us to be innovative, to search for lines or even for small bumps to launch off from.

 
The funny thing is that when one is forced to be creative in order to have fun with enough effort and commitment forces us as skiers to find "fun" in the little things. That is what we did today, took all the bad and played with it till it became fun. We go skiing because we love it, days like today solidify that even skiing on rocks and bumped out snow, we at heart are skiers and what skiers do is ski. Its still early in the season and the days of sliding on snow that we are gifted now are a bonus to what is coming. I think that I learned a lot about being grateful for the little things. Three turns in crud are better then no turns at all.
 

It is a gift to be able to spend time with people who share the same feelings and opinions. That is the reason we will always be singing while booting up for a spot and smiling for the camera on the way home!

Season Opening 1314

The season officially starts when you are fitting your feet into the size too small boots, and feeling how the blood circulation is slightly blocked. All the way to the top you are just cursing and wondering how long you can take the pain. At the vantage point stepping into the snow is a small relief, but it won't obliterate all the unpleasantness. Same goes for the unstrapping of the skis and for stepping into the bindings. Every step of the rite builds up the momentum. The ceremony is finalized by positioning the goggles and tapping the poles together. Lust and passion take over, and all the aches disappear. Simultaneously, every single negative thought and feeling vanish. There is no stress, no weight on your shoulders. Freedom.

Freedom is what makes skiing so desirable. Skiing in itself is the elixir for all the pain and suffering that comes from being a skier A reason for working through the whole summer to build the possibilities to ski as much as possible during as soon as the snow falls.

This year we were able to cruise the first turns already in mid October! The season opened with an unbelievable dumb of 70-80cm! The snow level was so lower than expected and cruising up the mountain on summer tires worked as a wakening.

Kaunertal opening happened the same day and instead of joining the masses we decided to go for Pitztal. Rigth choice! The parking place was occupied only by few dozens of vehicles. It was entertaining to watch how the Germans were slip and sliding all over the snow. I guess there is an advantage for spending most of your first driving hours on the snow-covered roads avoiding reindeer's.





The only way to describe the first two runs of the season is: Faceshots in October!

Summer Break!

Summer vacation over!

First of all, my initial plan was to produce content thru out the summer. I failed. Luckily, it doesn't mean I had a shitty summer. Right after the last exams I headed to Finland and ended up spending all three months there. First time since the beginning of this millennium I exploited my parent by eating their wood and sleeping under their roof for more than few weeks. It was re-freshening.

I have to admit that the first week back in Innsbruck has been especially hard: I have had to cook by myself, do my laundry and all the other home chores. Therefore, as I know that you are my most loyal readers, Mum and Dad, thank you for all the support and everything you have done for me the last 25 years! I don't say it too often, but I love you! 

My summer went past really fast: Meeting all my old buddies, working and enjoying life. Fortunately, I was able to find a job at a local store where met an amazing group of co-workers. I devoted loads of my time for learning windsurfing, and I believe that I have found the sport to replace skiing during summers. The feeling during those short periods of planing equal to the one you have during cruising the gnarliest lines. You know you are in control, but you might lose it any moment. 

For the rest of it I will just share few photos and let them explain my state of mind.

Special moments at the wedding of my good friends!

Learning from error: Do not release the boom when you crash