Well dear readers, last time I checked in it appeared even getting through my Chicago connection to Munich was going to be iffy. Glad to say it all worked out and I’m now ensconced in Bad Haering, Austria and feeling the Tyrolean inside me gradually emerging.
Night of the 29th I was up at a friend's cabin in the West Elks, after enjoying a bit of Colorado pow. Next morning our snowmobile looked like this. Plan was for Louie to tow me out, and I'd drive to Salt Lake City that same day. It worked (after digging out twice on the trail). But after the tough driving (see previous post) and so forth I was burnt toast by the time the train from Munich to Kufstein rolled into the station.
Cure for jetlag this year is to skip sleep, then pass out on schedule to try and re-set the body clock as rapidly as possible. The method seems to be working. I’ll file more travel posts as things happen, and also put up some guest blogs we have waiting in the wings. Meanwhile, looking back on the last 48 hours or so…
Chicago airport isn't exactly the most reliable place to make a connection, especially in winter. It's a big step when you actually find your gate and the sign says your destination.
Ah, Germany, and the holiday airport bear bivvy. It was all I could do to not climb into the tent and sack out for a few hours. Munich from Chicago is almost a hop at eight hours and change, but those airline 'seats' continue to be something designed to extract information from human beings who are reluctant to share. I told them at checkin I'd fess up to my favorite powder stash if they'd upgrade me, but it was United Airlines so they still wanted cash.
Prices at Munich airport. Euro is at around 1.4 U.S., so that large cap' is about $5.00. As an airport price, not bad, roughly equal to a cap' at DIA.
It’s a one-connection train ride from Munich to where I stay near Kufstein, Austria. So I’m now ensconced at the Barthel family homestead, where the Dynafit binding was invented so long ago the actual year of its birth has been lost to the mysteries of antiquity. Heading out on a ski tour to research binding history. CU
WildSnow.com publisher emeritus and founder Lou (Louis Dawson) has a 50+ years career in climbing, backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering. He was the first person in history to ski down all 54 Colorado 14,000-foot peaks, has authored numerous books about about backcountry skiing, and has skied from the summit of Denali in Alaska, North America’s highest mountain.
