The Austrian Alps are a vast and enormous mountain range that dominates the Austrian countryside. It has snowy peaks that can elevate up to and beyond 3,000m above sea level. They are ideal for snow activities, sports and competitions, and hold some of the most breathtaking views in the world. One wrong turn in these Alps though can lead to big trouble. Big, big trouble. I learned this the hard way. After spending around two hours snowboarding on the Stubaital mountain, enjoying some of the finest snowboarding runs and conditions, I got bored of the few runs that I had been doing, and decided to go down a different run on what was to be one of my last before heading back to the hotel. The run was great, with many drops and straights where I could pick up speed, and at the end of it I saw what I had been dreading. If you’ve been snowboarding or skiing, you’ll know what I’m talking about. Those anchory things that you put around you that then take you up the mountain. I hated them and I just could not do them. I had no other way though, and mercifully attempted this one. Sure enough, about halfway up, I lost my balance and had to let go. So there I was stuck with the alternative of going back down in horrible snow conditions, or go up a track that was not far away from me. I chose the latter. I started to make my way up the track and it soon got worse and worse. Not only was I climbing up an increasingly steep mountain, but I had to carry a snowboard as well which meant I only had one free hand. Soon enough, the track turned to ice and was impossible to grip, and the snow around the track was literally up to my chest. I was moving about 5 meters a minute. My fingers and toes were freezing, but I was also sweating like crazy. I was lost, and there was no sight of anyone.
Innsbruck and the imposing Austrian Alps behind
I can’t remember a time where I physically could just not continue, and didn’t want this to be the first. I tried to make my way through the chest-high snow, but it was just impossible. Then when I tried to grip on the ice I just fell down the last 5 minutes progress I had made. Going up was no longer an option and had wasted all my energy and lots of time. Time for the clouds and driving snow to roll in, and it soon became zero visibility. And yeah, I was still lost. I decided to go back the way I had came on my snowboard, but gripping on the ice was impossible and I was basically free-falling. Eventually I was flung into the chest-high snow, and must have hit a rock or something because I was stuck and felt like my knee had snapped. Now I was injured, exhausted, cold, lost, and couldn’t see anything. After digging myself out, I kept going down the mountain and finally found my way, which meant walking back up the run I had originally gone down, then getting back onto the main run, boarding 7km down the mountain which just physically killed me. Saying I feared for my life would be an exaggeration, but I was scared. Very scared. The positives though were that I got to get a snippet of my very own Man Vs Wild episode, and the part where I was snowboarding was amazing.
The view from the main run of the mountain.
Today the mountain ranges turned to wine fields as we made our way to Italy, where we experienced the hottest temperature on the trip so far (8 degrees). A stop in Verona, the town where Romeo and Juliet was lived, introduced us to what Italy had to offer: Great history, great food, and scary looking Italian people. Italians like to stare at you, sometimes it’s an evil smirk but most of the time it’s just staring, and I don’t know why but I was mistaken for being Italian about 3 times in Austria, and in Italy. The outskirts of Venice to be honest was really plain ugly but once you get into the town and the little canals you see why people visit it, but some of the people who come here for the romantic trips and pay excess amounts of money for the gondolas don’t really get the full experience when there is a group of Asian tourists taking photos with their typical ‘peace’ symbols in front of all the landmarks that these romantic couples pay to see. This is also known as ‘owned’.
No comments:
Post a Comment