“But that is so simple!” you say. “Why didn’t I think of that?” Because you, sir or madam, are not the winter sports prodigy that I have turned out to be. I say that not to imply that I have any kind of skill or promise as an athlete. No sir. Quite the opposite. Rather, it is that I understand how to really make the most of a day in the snowy outdoors. Maybe prodigy is the wrong word. Maybe I mean dilettante.
Whatever am I on about? My latest discovery, of course.
I have one of those dorky fanny packs that holds two bottles of water and all my stuff. I use it ALL THE TIME. (Thank you Margot.) It’s the handiest thing ever. It contains the sunscreen I always forget to slather on. Snack. The cell phone. You know, that kind of stuff. And I do use the water bottles , and usually, I drink both of them – either on the trail or in the car on the way home. I fill the bottles with warm water because it’s freaky cold here and if I filled them with cold water, I’d freeze my teeth. Plus, somewhere I read that drinking cold water when exercising isn’t good for you, I can’t remember why. Today, because I’d left my pack in the car, I put the bottles in my ski boots when I was loading up.
Yep, that’s right. That means that when I got to the trailhead, my boots were nice and warm. Brilliant, no? Simple, no? Why didn’t YOU think of that, you are saying, are you not?
Now, in other news:
Schneebericht
I skied the trails in Donnersbachwald today. It’s gorgeous back there. Plenty of snow and no people. The trail runs right along the river and it’s dead quiet. You hear only the squeak of your skis on the immaculate snow and the voice of the river. Sun and snow and sparkle everywhere. Perfect.
Llama report
In case you are wondering, llamas aren’t that great for eating. If you want a more edible pet, apparently you should go with the vicuna. Also, one should not expect to make much money gathering llama wool – it’s a very labor intensive process which includes, get this, blowing all the debris off your llama with a leaf blower.
Miscellenea
Finally, here is a weird little story about what people get up to in Austria when they are mad at someone. Don’t tell me you’ve never wanted to do this. Either to your own boss or to the boss of someone you love.