The Latest from the Flexiski staff

Moonlit winter hiking in St Anton...

Posted: Wednesday 7th April 2010 by amalien

With only a few weeks left of the season, it is time for the staff of the Amalien Haus to try all those things that they thought they would do in the first few weeks of the season. One of the many things on the list was midnight hiking, and this week it finally made top of the list. The window of opportunity was narrow as the full moon had already passed behind clouds on a previous night. At a quarter to twelve, the staff met friends from all over St Anton and shared taxis over to the neighbouring village of St Christoph where a quick gluhwein was enjoyed before setting out on the long walk. The temptation to stay in the warm of a fire with a drink in hand proved almost too tempting, but before long all had made it to the bottom of blue piste 8 for a one off travel up the piste rather than down. Skis strapped to backs, and boards in tow, a break in the cloud revealing the bright luminescent moon allowed the hike to commence and upwards we began.

Although only a blue piste, the climb proved all too challenging for some, barely before we even got going, some skied the short distance back down to St Christoph to continue enjoying a drink or two in the comfort of an armchair. Quite sensibly, most would say! As with all blue pistes in St Anton, blue piste 8 is somewhat renowned for being a little more challenging than a blue run in many other resorts. Occasionally the twisty turny moonlit piste became a little too much to bear, and a drink on the go was the only way forwards, thanks to flasks of either Gluhwein of Heise Schololade with Stroh Rum to warm both body and soul. In total, the hike up to the top of the Galzig Gondola lift station took nearly 90 minutes, and once on the top, nobody wanted to stay long thanks to the ice cold wind whipping over the top of the peak, turning beads of sweat into icicles on the brows of tired staff.

After what seemed like an eternity for most climbing up the hill, the fun was about to start – going down. It was almost as if the piste had been floodlit as the snow reflected even the smallest ray of blue light from the moon. It felt so serene drifting down the piste in absolute silence and peace without the hum drum of other skiers and boarders. It was easier than expected thanks to the fact that all the pistes had been freshly groomed by the bashers leaving a crisp and smooth finish to the runs. As with all skiing, the run down black number two finished all too soon, and the final stretch of blue piste one carried us as we glided back into St Anton for a celebratory drink to commemorate an experience that will surely last forever.