Hotel Chasa Valletta Ischgl

... re *n incredibly t*lented *ct consisting of 5 members. They use their voices *nd only their voices in * 'be*t-box' f*shion, mimicking the sounds of percussion, guit*rs, synthesised sounds *nd b*sslines to cre*te * unique, dyn*mic *nd well-orchestr*ted melody which is *lmost indistinguish*ble from the sound of * b*nd or DJ. They *re prob*bly the best be*t boxing *ct in the world *nd I ...

... lies nestled within the Tyrolean region of Austria (St Anton am Arlberg) which is normally accessed most easily from Zurich (3hrs by rail) or Munich (5hrs by rail). Tori (my girlfriend) and I have a rented apartment for the 2009/2010 winter season. Having organised the rental using the internet, we were a little uncertain of what exactly to expect, but having seen some photos and liased frequently with the owner/manager Silvia ...

... Trey and I returned to the top again intent on blasting down the mountain at top speed. We both made it down without using the brakes at all in 5 minutes and some-odd seconds. We both had a blast. Trey video recorded his first descent and he intends on publishing on youtube when we return home.

... the highest drivable pass in the Alps. On the way, we happened across a familiar sight in Italy, which was the walled-in cemeteries. These are completely enclosed small areas with high walls all around, probably to keep people from getting out as everyone is just dying to get in.

The first 75km or so was through a low valley in the mountains and once we reached the end of the valley at a ...

... the next 4 days so we got some great conditions. After that it was all blue sky hot sunny days.

I used to work in St Anton quite a while back so it's great coming back here each year and seeing a few old friends who've kept doing ski season after ski season.

... tsooni: punane - täielik ehituskeeld, kollane - väga suure tugevusvaruga betoonehitised ja roheline - vaba ehitus, kuna laviinid nii kaugele ei jõua. Paraku oli see laviin võimsam, kui arvutid olid mudelite järgi suutnud ette näha. Tulemuseks oli, et laviin mattis suure osa rohelisest tsoonist (11 maja), sealhulgas ka mitu hotelli. 57 inimest jäi lume alla. Paljud õnnestus päästa, kuid 31 sai siiski surma. Alpinaarium on väärt külastamist ja kuigi on see peaasjalikult saksakeele ...

... leidsin end poest tulemas, õllekast kaenlas. Vastu tulid üksikud varased suusahundid ja nähes mind vaid olulisi asju poest toomas, noogutasid nad mulle heakskiitvalt :) Järgmine päev ei olnud ilma poolest enam suurem asi. Pilves ja kehva nähtavusega. Punnisime ikka oma pool päeva ära, aga mingit erilist kaifi ei saanud. Õhtul oli afterski Elisabethi baaris. Tibid tantsivad seal baariletil ja pidu tõmmatakse kiiresti käima. Nii ka meie. Päkk soovitas mul pirni snapsi ...

... with inclusive meals and comprehensive spa facilities; and Europeans do not like going off-piste. And having spent the last two weeks in Ol' Blighty i have to say that Bavarian cuisine was a godsend. Overall, an incredible experience that even the late-season, inconsistent snow conditions could not take away from. So after three days of skiing and eating and drinking and spa'ing, we rolled back into the car for a quicker drive back into Munich.

... Enne reisi ei suutnud otsustada, kas valida juba ära õpitud suuskadega sõitmine või lumelauatamise õppimine. Kohapeal aga otsustasin, et tahan pigem nautida kui piina tunda ja läksin kergema vastupanu teed ning ei kahetse. Lõpuks oli päris kindel tunne ja viimasel päeval peaaegu ei kukkunudki enam. Lõpuks polnud ka must rada eriti extreme nagu brošüürides hoiatati...

Lumelaudurite peale polnud just palju mõeldud ega nende jaoks vaeva nähtud. Lumepark oli ...

8/28/99 Saturday

Zurich to Davos

We arrived in Davos (the Hotel Europe, a 4 star hotel) at 12:37 pm. Davos is much bigger than I had expected. It looks like it would be easy to get lost, but the view is spectacular.

We had a get together dinner at 6 p.m. On our way down to dinner, we heard someone knocking on their door from the inside. Sure enough, it was Shirley. Seems that their door lock was stuck and they couldn't get out. We had to get the hotel ...