Day one of this trip, since it turned out to have the best weather, was our outdoor fun day, and we spent it at Sölden on the slopes. I skiied longer and faster than I ever have, starting about ten in the morning and wrapping up at 4 pm with a final ski down to the parking lot on icy narrow trails in the fading light. Keeping up with our company’s regional VP of sales was a challenge, as he skis about as fast as he drives on the Autobahn, but I managed it.
In the process, I learned a few things. Like: you can stretch your legs longer and further and work your body harder than you think. And: your muscles may still beat you up in the morning, but at least you’ll be able to remember that you went skiing in the Austrian Alps at a height of between 2000 and 3100 meters with a bunch of crazy Germans, and you only fell twice. Not bad for less than three years since I started skiing in earnest, especially considering I didn’t get to the slopes at all the winter of 2004–2005.