Skiing in Solden, Austria with Fitness League

Nicky, the instructor from my Fitness League class told me about Heather who organises a ski trip for a number of women, most who go to Fitness League.  I was lucky enough to book with Heather this year for the trip to Solden.  There are 19 of us in all.  6 from Scotland who travelled from Manchester.  Names of us all, Heather, Esse, Jacky, Jenny, Jennie, Sally, Sally, Clare, Irene, Stella, Anna, Liz, Maggie, Eleanor, Ann, Hazel, Sylvia and Lyn.

We are staying at the Hotel Hermann which is a Ski Total chalet.  Very comfortable.  I am sharing with Clare in a triple room.  There is tea with soup, cake and sarnies at 4-5pm.  A drink with canapes at 7pm and a 5 course dinner with wine at 7.30 pm.

We are having ski lessons for the first 3 days.  There are 8 of us with Vittorio and it was a relaxing day finishing at 2 pm so plenty of time to do the photos.

This kangaroo was on the Monarch flight with a crowd going to St Anton

Crochet hats for your helmet.  Must find a knitting pattern

Getting ready after lunch

The Ice Q which was featured in "Spectre"

You can just see the blue light on the gondola created by the sun

Second day of ski school.  Heather had arranged for a taxi to take us there as it is a faff with skis and boots and uphill.  Had another enjoyable day although it was marred by seeing the aftermath of a crash.  Our ski instructor, Vittorio went to assist as the man looked badly hurt and shocked.  The ambulances turned up very quickly followed by the helicopter and then the piste basher which took the man on stretcher to the helicopter.  We went to lunch once Vittorio returned.  A very relaxing cafe as you will see by the photos.

View from the hotel while we were waiting for the taxi. 

You can just about see the ski school slopes but not easy to get to.

Clare and Irene at the cafe

View from the cafe

Relaxation

Sally and Maggie

Heather and Esse

Clare and the mountain

Our last day of ski school and Vittoria took us to the glacier and some lovely runs from the top.  Finished off playing on the slalem on the nursery slopes.  Then back to Hotel Hermann.

Esse and Clare

Vittorio

Heather

Maggie in red, Sally, Irene, Heather, Vittorio, Clare and Esse

This evening  some of us are off to a mountain hut, huge meal, music and a toboggan run.

The evening was a great success.  First a huge meal.  You had to grill your own meat and help yourself to the buffet of salad stuff.  Then to the another building - a mountain hut where there was a live band with good music.  Unfortunately, Austria has yet to ban smoking in bars and all our clothes stank when we came out.  There is a group of Yorkshire men at the chalet who came to the meal and they refused to come into the hut because of the smoke.  At 10.30 pm we collected our toboggans and went down the road for about 4 km.  It wasn't as lit as promised but the stars were out and it was very beautiful.  Only Clare, Anna, Sally and I attempted it and there were no injuries except Clare closed the taxi door on her thumb!  Back at midnight.

A blurry one of Stella in the smoky bar

Another blurry one of the band for the record

On Thursday, Sally, Maggie and I went up to the glacier and did some of the runs we did yesterday and some new ones.  We went faster than we have done the last three days and a very enjoyable day it was.

Not sure why there is an elephant on the slopes but it had to be taken

Snow cannons at full pelt

Went to Obergurgl and Hochgurgl on Friday as it is included on the lift pass.  Pete hosted us for the day and we had a great skiing day.  Went up to 3000 feet and coffee at a panoramic cafe and after skiing down the last run of the day, stopped at Nederhutt for drinks and dancing on the tables.

One of the many views from the cafe

Eleanor at Nederhutt

For our last day, Maggie, Eleanor, Clare and I skiing to the other gondola and did a few runs before heading off to the glacier as Eleanor had missed the trip due to the bug which has hit a few people in the chalet.  Stopped off at Ice Q again and back to the chalet, all in one piece.

View from my room on Saturday this morning.

Skiing with Solos in Going, Austria 2017

Back with Solos for January.  This time a new location, Going in Austria.  Train to Gatwick and a night at the Bloc.  Met a few Solos travellers at the terminal.  Martin and Hermione, I met last year.  We landed in Salzburg in a near whiteout.  There are 16 of us together including our rep, Moira.  The others are Richard, Eric, Zoe, Rene, Diane, Heather, Stuart, Dave, John, Jim, Lianne and Nigel (who I met in 2015).

Lots of snow and skiing.

On the way to Hotel Blatthof from Salzburg

View from my balcony on arrival

Drinks in the hotel

Camera didn't focus properly but managed to catch Lianne with Eric, Zoe and Rene in the background

Eric

Church at the top of a mountain

Zoe's broken pole

Martin and Stuart at one of the coffee shops

Hermione, Diane and Jim on the dance floor at our favourite apres ski

View on our walk from the hotel to the ski shop each morning

Group shot of some of the early group of skiiers

View from Westendorf

Rene and Zoe as they were skiing the black when I did the group shot

Some of the early group skiing

Only managed to snap two of the tobogganing stalwarts.  Lianne above and Rene below

The last lot of photos were from Sunday to Thursday.  The following are from Friday.

Last coffee stop.  We then booked the same cafe for lunch.  Jim, Stuart by the window and Martin in red.

Zoe, warming up by the brick heated wall.

All the early group

In the ice hotel

Zoe and Moira

I had to try a schnapps

At our lunch stop

Rene taking a snooze

Zoe

Moira

Lianne and Stuart with Eric behind

Drinks at the bar before the last run back.

Heather and Nigel

John

 We were not leaving until 11.30 am on Saturday - such luxury, so there was time to stroll into Ellmau for some touristy shots and some coffee.

On the way into Ellmau

Noticeboard by Ellmau school

The church

More snowy and icy scenes

More of the church

Skis in the ladies toilet at one of my coffee stops in Ellmau

The chapel in Ellmau

There were four balloons but one disappeared behind the mountain

Snow crystals

Walking back to the hotel

Views near the bridge we crossed on the way to and from the hotel

I flew back to Gatwick, met the Fitness League crowd at the Premier Inn for dinner and flew out with them to Solden in Austria for another week of skiing.  More about that in my next post.