Garmisch Classic, MLK Day

Finally getting a post on here from Garmisch. We're here for a few years at a small US GOV school. For all the hype of a good European winter, conditions have been lousy here in the Valley. Considering that all of the longer runs in Garmisch come down to the valley floor, you'll encounter pretty icy conditions on the bottom third of those runs. The woman was not happy. Fortunately, from the Hausberg lodge on up the snow was softer and more forgiving. A 6 person chair starts from the top of Hausberg, so the wife found a great place to get back into form.

Also at the top of Hausberg is the D9 lodge. Got to enjoy a EUR 3.40 beer (totally worth it) while the woman had a EUR 2.90 coca cola (a generous .2L serving). Exchange rate a bit painful.

While at the lodge we met up with some work friends/family. So the wife stayed and repeated on the 6 chair with my boss, while I was shown the rest of the mountain by the fellas. Lots of rope tows in this area. Also not laid out well with lots of pushing yourself along on some flat spots.

But totally worth the snow conditions that I would call great coming from Northern UT. It is hard to adjust after 2 pretty epic UT winters, but the Bavarian charm and culture of this area sure helps out. On the upper reaches of the mountain you get a great view of Garmisch and can ski through some stunning rock formations and outcrops.

The aforementioned bottom third of the longer runs didn't bother me any, in fact in made the famous Kandahar run a thrill all the way to the bottom. On the Hausberg side, the lower portion provided a great view of a quaint Bavarian town nestled in the Alps.

A great first day out on the slopes. Hope to explore more and get some posts covering nearby areas in Austria like Ehrwald, Bieberwier, Seefeld, etc.

Nice. Can't wait to see more reports out of Europe.

Too bad I can barely speak 'survival' German. Otherwise I'd have looked at moving that direction a long time ago.

We'll try and keep 'em coming. I'm lickin my chops over president's day. If we don't get a day in by then, I'll be heading out somewhere with the guys.
The German skills do help out in town, but in Garmisch I think the english speakers sometimes outnumber the locals! Kind of strange here though. So far, there's not much selling me on staying here from a pure ski perspective. Some good ski days are a wonderful addition to all the travel and culture of being here. But I haven't seen any conditions that come anywhere close to what UT would offer on a weekly basis. Even if we get a good FEB (which the word is may be on tap), it would make one decent month amidst the crowds and ice of a typical season.

Worth mentioning that we'd be happy to show anybody around these parts. There's some regulars here who really know the ropes. And being pointed to the good restuarants is really important when the EUROS go out the window so quickly.

The European reports are my favorite on this site.

Funny how the base was icy, the germans and austrians love that stuff!

Why haven't you taken any ski trips away from Garmisch?

Ditto to james question. The Arlberg (St. Anton, Lech/Zurs) is practically within day commute distance, certainly easy for a weekend.

Haven't gotten many days in for a few reasons:
1) I do love to ski, but only get 12-15 days in per season so I'm probably not up to par with a lot of people on FT.
2) We're here long term, 3-5 years, and we arrived at the end of Oct. Nov and Dec were just a mess with settling in temp housing, looking for permanent housing, figuring out the basics like laundry (the landromat here did 3 loads for EUR 20.00, which is $30!!) etc. Our car also didn't pass military inspection, so I ran around a bit locating tire rod end parts and figuring out how to say "alignment" auf deutsch (achvermessung, if you're interested). So getting a ski day in really dropped down the priority list.
3) Keeping the woman, dog and cat happy
4) Up until the last two weeks, conditions were just not inspiring
5) Budget- We're still adjusting to losing an extra income.

Now that a lot of that is settled, I should get some days in. I've followed all the boards on FT for a few years now, so I figure even if I get a few reports on here it will add a lot of life to the EURO forum.
thanks for the recommendations regarding a good weekend.. that's what I'm thinking for Pres Weekend!

Oh yeah, forgot another reason:
6) learning to cook schnitzle at home!!