DO IT NOW Magazine article 12-06-12

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inH2O:

Words by Francois Flamengo Photos by DO IT NOW

g n i d r a o b w Sno in Lech

Austria

RS AND I BOARDED OU OF S ND IE FR ME MY WIFE ELRI, SO INED FOR ZURICH AND ST DE 0 H0 20 R TE AF SWISS AIR JUST ARDING AND TOURING BO OW SN G, IIN SK OF THREE WEEKS RIA, A WEEK IN LECH, AUST S WA UP T RS FI .

PE THROUGH EURO EK IN CE, AND LASTLY A WE AN FR L, BE RI ME IN THEN A WEEK ES THE NEXT THREE ISSU IN D. AN RL ZE IT SW D, GRINDELWAL YOU MORE ABOUT G IN LL TE TO D AR RW FO OF DO IT NOW I LOOK E SKI LOCATIONS. RS VE DI T YE C TI AS EACH OF THESE FANT S LOOK AT WHAT IS T' LE , CH LE TO IN T BUT BEFORE I GE TRIP LIKE THIS. REQUIRED TO GO ON A

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The beautiful Lech, in Austria

www.doitnow.co.za | Adventure • 31

Francois, Elri, Pietré and Wynand ready to take on the mountains

Elri and I have never been to Europe, so we hadn't experienced first-hand what all the hype was about with regards to a ski and snowboarding trip and were clueless on what gear would be required. Our friends, Wynand and Pietre, who invited us on the trip were seasoned ski/mountaineering travellers in Europe and guided us on what was required.

Their most important tip was clothing that had proper layering and insulation against the cold, which soaked up the sweat and didn't remain wet. If you don’t get this right you will either end up cold despite wearing numerous layers of clothing, or overheat due to the material not being able to breathe correctly. Both are not good options as you might start off a little cold in the morning, but once you get going on the slopes you'll get warm quickly. So staying dry is the secret to remaining comfortable.

With this in mind, I decided on the following: a few sets of quick dry base layers, quality fleece jackets, a durable water/windproof jacket, waterproof pants, alpine socks, a beanie and good pair of snow/mountaineering boots.

First Ascent is renowned for good quality, performancetested gear, so I decided to start off with their range and fill in any gaps from there. I chose the very rugged Avalanche Pants, multi-purpose Oracle jacket, QuickWic base layers and reversible Aspen beanie. With all the basics covered I only needed to find a few other accessories and a good ski jacket. Although First Ascent has very good ski jackets in their range, I wanted something a little funky and with bright colors, so I ended up with Sufanic’s Husty jacket, as well as the Oakley Classic Tube socks and Soloman Snowtrip boots. There was no chance anyone would miss me coming down the slopes J. The socks offered great protection, were very well priced and not bulky, making them perfect for ski travel. The Sufanic Husty jacket was great quality, very reasonably priced and boasts a long

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list of features that will ensure you are very comfortable and have enough pockets for small tools, ski passes, cellphone and so on. The boots were made from Thinsulate material, making the boots light with lots of protection and 100% waterproof.

With my kit sorted, it was now time to address snowboarding gear. When you start learning about the difference between skiing and snowboarding you will quickly conclude that snowboarding is the harder option to choose initially. The learning curve is much harder in the beginning, but once you get through the first few days you will have a bigger range of slopes to choose from and develop your skills on. I decided to go with snowboarding because of all the other board sports I enjoy and I'd watched the inspirational Red Bull Media production movie, 'Art of Flight', so no matter how hard it would be to learn, snowboarding was what I wanted to do.

FOR HELP ON WHAT 'TOYS' WERE REQUIRED FOR SNOWBOARDING, I HEADED TO GONE SKIING IN FOURWAYS. THE CREW WAS WERE VERY INFORMATIVE, NEVER PUSHY AND DIDN'T TRY TO SELL ME SOMETHING I DID NOT ASK FOR, THUS MAKING IT A VERY EASY AND PLEASANT SHOPPING EXPERIENCE. I ENDED UP WITH THE BURTON WHAMMY BAR SNOWBOARD, EST CUSTOM BINDINGS AND GRAIL BOOTS. THE WHAMMY BAR FEATURES VERY FORGIVING EDGES AND IS PERFECT FOR BEGINNERS AND INTERMEDIATE BOARDERS KEEN TO GET INTO THE SPORT.

Elri getting the hang of snowboarding. Or not?

Chris, the instructor showing off his skills (on request J)

For good visibility on the slopes I chose the Von Zipper Bob Marley Snow Goggles. It comes standard with two interchangeable lenses, a yellow lens for low visibility and a Dual Cylindrical Polycarbonate Lens, both 100% UV protected.

Finally, I needed a good travel bag to pack everything into and decided on the Oakley O Board Box. It's not too bulky, comes with good protection, is fitted with a durable zip (that you know you will test) and a good pair of wheels, making it easy to move around.

Elri ended up with similar basic gear and to tackle the slopes she chose the popular ladies Burton Feelgood snowboard, Stiletto bindings, Nitro boots and Anon goggles. By the way, the kit for ladies is super sexy and makes them look like 'snow divas' when strapped in J. Ok, starting to lose track of the story ‌ mmmm, where was I? Oh yes, we were now equipped and ready for whatever Lech had to offer us.

We arrived in Lech after a bus ride on the Alberg Express from Zurich Airport. The bus service was convenient and only took two and a half hours to get there. The view of Lech was better than I expected. The small town was totally surrounded by majestic mountains and covered in pristine snow. Everyone in the streets was going about their business, some with skis and snowboards, some relaxing at one of the many Apres-ski bars (which I will get back to) and some indulging in a bit of retail therapy.

We were staying at Haus Melitta, a three-star guesthouse, and owners Gerti and Markus Mathis made us feel at home immediately. The room Elri and I had was really spacious and featured an en-suite bath/shower and a big cupboard for all our gear. To keep our skiing gear dry the house had a ski room, with boot warmers and racks for all the gear.

For aching bodies there was a sauna, steam room, infrared room and Turkish bath. To top it all, each morning we were treated to a hearty breakfast.

As we have not tried snowboarding before, we decided to book lessons with the Ski School. The training was very pricey, but it was either pay for the training or look like a fish out of water on the slopes. Our instructor, Christian Putz, gave us a rundown of the training format, which basically consisted of a two-hour morning session that was followed by a break for lunch, and then another two-hour session in the afternoon.

After completing the necessary paper work, we collected our gear and excitedly made our way to the beginner slope. On a flat area, Chris helped everyone to decide on what stance - natural or goofy - would be best for each of us. Natural is left leg forward and goofy is the alternate. Once we were comfortable with our chosen stance, we learnt how the board works and what not to do if you wanted to avoid having your face or bum covered in snow. Our first exercise was to strap one foot into the binding and learn to walk around with the board. This is an uncomfortable but important exercise because it's how you get around the slopes when you're not snowboarding.

From here, we moved onto various other exercises such as crunching down on the board and then standing up, learning to bring a board to a stop, how to use your weight to turn the board onto its edges and all the other basic skills needed to get and keep you going. I was particularly impressed with how quick the board came to a complete stop when you edged the board diagonally into the slope using either your toe or heelside edge.

But, and this is a big but, when you overdo it you become an instant freestyler doing some wonderful manoeuvres that your friends will appreciate and if you are lucky, escape without an embarrassing roll-around-head-over-heels move in the snow ...

Guilty!

ALL AND ALL DAY ONE WAS HARD WORK AND BY FAR THE HARDEST DAY OF THE TRAINING. YOUR MIND WAS PUSHED TO GET USED TO SO MANY NEW THINGS AND THE BREAK WORKED WELL TO REFLECT ON WHAT YOU HAD LEARNT, WHILE YOU REFUELLED YOUR BODY WITH ENERGY. www.doitnow.co.za | Adventure • 33

A typical ski stand found outside shops and restaurants

It took more than two days to master most of the basics, progressing to exercises where we could combine toeside and heelside turns. The falls were usually quite spectacular but never really damaging except for a few bruises (and bruised ego). Running slopes became a lot of fun and we were starting to realise why Lech is seen as such a skiing Mecca.

Lech is part of the greater the Alberg ski area and boasts the best snow records in the Alps. It's also hard to beat in terms of charm and the area features many well-manicured blue and red slopes, and getting to the mountain is quick and painless due to there being loads of gondolas and ski lifts available. It is also home to the biggest ski race in the world. The 22km race takes place each year on the Weisse Ring (White Ring) and is a course that interlinks the different ski areas in the region.

Lech truly surpassed my greatest expectations of what a European skiing holiday is all about and made me understand why so many people around the world make the effort to visit this gem in Austria. We thoroughly enjoyed the hospitality and atmosphere of the town and its people. Although it's a very expensive area, if you do your homework properly you can cut down on unnecessary costs and make it more affordable. If you decide to dine out whilst in Lech, my three top restaurants are Haus Aght, Tanneberg Hotel and, at the top of my list, Schneggarei because of its great food and chilled-out atmosphere.

Personally I can’t wait to get back to Lech, tick off the Weisse Ring on my personal to-do list and visit some more of the fantastic Apres-ski bars the slopes. The Apres-ski bar closest to the main gondola at Oberlech is a must visit as it has an amazing panoramic view of Lech and is crowded with lots of friendly skiers all enjoying something cold or hot to drink. The German-influenced 'Jager Tea' and 'Gluhwein' is a popular favorite with the ladies and the local beer is a good choice for the guys. For the more adventurous, ask the friendly barmen for a 'Vodka Feiga'. This little shooter will sort out any chills you might have J. •

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DINfo box

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Thinsulate: Thinsulate fibres are about 15 micrometres in diameter, which is thinner than the polyester fibres normally used in insulation for clothing such as gloves or winter jackets.

Apres-ski: Refers to going out, having drinks, dancing and generally socialising after skiing.

It is popular in the Alps where skiers often stop at bars on their last run of the day while still wearing all their ski gear.

Jager Tea: (also Jägertee) is an alcoholic beverage made by mixing overproof rum with black tea. It is served warm and is typically consumed during winter in the cold parts of central Europe.

Glühwein (glow wine): A popular German mulled wine, Glew-vine, is so named not only because it glows with heat, but also because it gives those who drink more than one or two a definite glow.

Strolz: A snowboard shop in Lech where you can 'try-before-you-buy' all the latest snowboarding gear. Visit their website for more details www.strolz.at.

Schneggarei: Apres-ski restaurant close to the Ski School in Lech. For more info visit their website www.schneggarei.at.

Haus Melitta: 3-star accommodation in Lech.

For more information visit their website on www.lech.at/melitta.