Flo, Mike, Ryan, and me went snowmobiling/hiking to conquer the Dome and get some good turns. The first few hours of the day were spend with ski mobile related logistics, finding out I didn't have a hitch on my car, and trying to drive with a trailer for the first time and two snowmobiles on top. Of course, one of the sleds wouldn't start, which meant I had to get towed up the mountain. It's like water skiing and my arms and back feel just like that today. After parking the sled on top we skied down and hiked up the other side. The snow over there was great and the somersaults were soft and painless... The hike back to the snow mobile turned out to be longer and more strenous than anticipated, but we got to ski/sled down into the sunset. By the time we got back to the car it was dark and cold.





Amerikaner und ihre Freizeitbeschaeftigungen...


Mike on the sled, after he found Flo's skins halway up the mountain.


















Mike pointing out our lines.

Wer weiss was das ist? Flo hat dieses Tier in freier Wilbahn unter Lebensgefahr gemacht. Ich dachte erst er halluziniert unter dem Einfluss der Hoehe und der duennen Luft. Das Foto beweist allerdings, dass es wirklich passiert ist. Der neue Bigfoot sozusagen. Der Preis ist ein Kuehlschrankmagnet von Steamboat...



Viel Spass!

Hier noch die letzten Fotos von meiner Mutter bevor sie heute nach Hause geflogen ist. Der Tag ihrer Abreise war natuerlich strahlender Sonnenschein, genau wie letztes Jahr. Jetzt hilft mir Flo ueber den Abschiedsschmerz hinweg. Der Kuehlschrank ist schon voller Bier und zwei Schuesseln voller Obst.







Flo und Carmen beim parallel wedeln...

After cancalled flights and a crazy drive to Denver through one of the biggest storms of the season my mom finally arived in Steamboat. We have a cozy little condo at the mountain. The first two ski days were stormy and snowy, but my mom's new jacket protected her from the elements (and it was easy to spot her...).















Flo's flight arrived on time and in Steamboat, lucky for him, because I wouldn't have driven to Denver again... His first day on skis was the mellow backcountry terrain accessed by the Steamboat Powdercats. No earning, but plenty of turns.
Now that Flo is here he took over cutting fruit for breakfast and getting everything organized. Only the coffee machine overflowed...

February 2nd 2008

Passing the time during the long flight from Denver to Munich...


Gaper style changing action at the parking lot in Garmisch straight from the airport.


The view from Zugspitze, Germany's highest peak.



Germknödel, a delicious doughball with plum filling, vanilla sauce, and sugary poppy seeds (for the lack of better words...)


Dan facing off one of the greedy birds.


Dan skiing, all there is to say.






After our little stop at Zugspitze we drove straight to Innsbruck, checked into a little hotel in the middle of the old town, had a desperately needed shower (after a trans atlantic flight and skiing without cleaning in between), dinner, beers, and then passed out for 10 hours. The next day we drove to Stubai, one of the glaciers around here for another day of bluebird skiing.



Our two lonely Euro pow turns...




The skiing was decent, but the day was overshadowed by a big Austrian lunch.
We found this cool little reaturant\hut.


Kaiserschmarrn:


Käsespätzle:


Hauswurst and Sauerkraut:


and beer:


working on the food


digesting the food...


Not too much skiing after that....

Korbi eating lunch at one of the countless restaurants on the mountain and doing a beautiful old school turn




horse sashimi, mmmhh, nothing better than a couple slices of raw horse meat.


people around us did the cooking themselves, but the staff helped the helpless Germans out...




Yo, wuz up








"I shall call this jum the Rudi Flamingo"


This picture of the village of Nozawa was taken from a run called Kandahar, no shit!




I tasted some Japanese powder and liked it...


You have to read this sign closely...

the resort


one of the hot spring bath houses here.


that`s kinda like our room looks like

Those are not my pictures, because we still can`t upload our own.

Yesterday we arrived in Nozawa, somewhere in the Japenese Alps. We took the highspeed bullet train from Kyoto to Nagano and then a local train to Nozawa. It`s a traditional little place in the middle of the mountains with hot spring bath houses at every corner. Entrance is free, but you have to follow the Onsen (hot springs) rules and bathe naked. Its weird being surrounded by naked Japenese men and it seems they`re all looking at us, which they probably are.　We`ve never felt that foreign before. Besides the Japanese butt shower the most intimate experience... Our room is a traditional Japanes room, which means we pretty much sleep on the floor. Its mainly occupied by Aussies and the atmosphere is super laid back. Banana pancakes for breakfast, what else is there to say. The skiing was pretty good, the terrain isn`t the greatest, but not bad at all. Theres plenty of snow to play in. Many Japenese gapers and some newschool bras... good　mix. Over all, its an old school resort and definetely an old school village. Tonight our Australien friend at the hotel made reservations for us at a restaurant. We had no idea what to expect so we just went there a little curious. When we got to the address there was only a ski shop and a guy waxing some straight skis. After standing outside for a bit we went inside to ask where the restaurant Bun Bun is. They guy said something in Japenese, ordered us to take our shoes off (like every where here) and lead us downstairs through the ski shop. Downstairs there were a bunch of tables with a lot of different food on them. In the middle of each table there was a hot pan. Since we had no idea what to do and since we were the only non Japanese, once again, the staff took over for us and put the meat and the vegies in the pan with some kinda soy paste. Some of the best meat, ever! Other than that, there was a variety of tempura, Japenes noodles, fish eggs, horse meat sashimi, some kinda vegetable (?), cucumber salad with octupus, raw eggs, rice and sliced apples. The whole table was full of little delicious bowls with more or less familiar food. The table next to us had one English speaker and she helped us through the meal because the order and combinations was unknown. She also gave us her horse sahimi, turns out she didnt like horse... All that for not even 20USD a person ( our most expensive meal, so far).
We cant upload pictures right now, but well do that asap.

Leo and Korbi

A little addition to my Japan experience: the toiletes. They have heated seats, which is strange enough. You can also adjust the heat, some like it hot... The craziest thing, however, is the butt shower funtion. You can actually clean your rear with a high pressure fountain, again adjust the heat... The manual isn`t too easy, at first.