Skiing in Solden, Austria

This past weekend Chris and I signed up to go skiing in the Austrian Alps with the Bavarian Ski Club. Chris has been skiing a few times in the States, and I have only been once (which was more than a decade ago).

The Bavarian Ski Club kicked off the bus ride in style...we popped off our beer bottle tops to start our journey south to Solden, Austria.

We arrived to our charming and rustic hotel, which was nestled in the side of a mountain.

The next morning we woke up early to start our day of skiing. There hasn't been much snowfall so far this season, so the bottom slopes were closed, and they had to pump in a little bit of man-made snow in a few places.

Nevertheless, we took a gondola up the mountain and skied down. Well, Chris skied down. I, on the other hand, overestimated how much skiing I actually remembered and underestimated the difficulty of the "beginner" course. This course had narrow paths, steep hills and a very scary drop on one side.

So after attempting to ski for what felt like an eternity, Chris decided to ski down and find someone to help me. So I took off my skis and sat on the side of the mountain awaiting my rescue. If you ever have to be stranded somewhere, I highly recommend the top of a mountain! I had gorgeous views while I waited. A short while later, the Ski Patrol came to my rescue. An Austrian man who spoke no English came on his snow mobile. I hopped on the back, and he whisked me up the mountain. Despite being slightly embarrassed that I couldn't complete the course, I thoroughly enjoyed my mode of transportation.

Chris, on the other hand, took to skiing like riding a bike. He and our friends spent the rest of the afternoon exploring all of the courses on the mountain. He even skied through a tunnel on the side of the mountain!

The next day I found the practice hill, which is where I should have started to begin with! Myself and two other girls practiced our turns and learning how to stop.

My view from the "bunny" slope

Enjoying hot cocoa and an amazing view

Chris discovered more ski slopes near the top and got some great pictures!

Chris and Steven

Overall, we had a great weekend with good friends, good food and spectacular views. We look forward to the next ski trip....and some ski lessons for me!