The "H" Party Report & Wednesday in Soelden

Carol Mast reports that a new SM Euro tradition was started; the "H" party. All the attendees needed to adopt an "H" theme in their dress or manner. Confused? Well, read on and it may make sense.

WEDNESDAY MORNING REPORT: Carol reports and asks:how many “H” ideas did we identify last night?

Yes, there were the predictable Hawaiian shirts on many, perhaps still packed from last year’s trip. But imagination ran rampant, with a genuine Hippie (Craig) doing a perfect young-Ozzie Osborne, a Hypochondriac (Nancy) with H labels taped all over a
hospital gown. Herpes, Hysterectomy, Hemorhoids, Hyperrtension, Hemangioma, and two dozen more. Holy Hotcakes! Two Hunchbacks, and a HoneyBear. Your reporter put a Happy Face sticker on everyone, just Happy to be Here! Claudeen, with wings and a halo, was our Heavenly Hostess, and conducted the spirited voting from the bed, as every bit of floor space in the room (we held the party on a balcony as there was
more space there..at least until it got too cold!) was filled and pronounced the winner…Craig, the Hippie! The prize was a box of liquour-filled chocolates PLUS a tiny alpine cow-bell with the letter “H” on the keychain tag. VERY Austrian, VERY “H”.

The Spoon was awarded to Bob McD for reasons beyond comprehension, some convoluted story regarding a 2+ hour wait on the mountain for others who had promised to be at a certain spot and, being Bob, he waited, and the saga goes on from there. It involves the three beers he drank wihle waiting, but you’ll have to ask him for further details.

Several of us had “packing” dreams overnight, and it is only Wednesday.We have been told repeatedly that we MUST have a small overnight bag to take into the hotel in Munich on Friday night before early Saturday departure to Frankfurt and on to Seattle, and it is beginning to sink in. The Party is not over, but we have only two days to ski together and that isn’t a happy prospect at all! The sun is out skys are clear and the wind direction has shifted, promising even warmer weather tomorrow,
according to our hotel owner/manager, who recommends heavy sun screen.

It appears that our group virus has run it’s course, with 8 of us missing a day or more of skiing. Our only casualty is Dr. Mark, who suffered two broken ribs, but is skiing none-the-less. Brave or crazy, you decide!

WEDNESDAY APRES SKI REPORT: We are back at the hotel, having danced through the softening snow on the slopes above Soelden. You may notice that yesterday’s entry used the S-o-with and umlaut-den spelling, but that was computer whiz Jazon’s expertise and this typist is going to use the Anglicized version that appears at about the same frequency as the o-with-umlaut variety. The same goes for the Ice Man, Oetzi and the Oetztal and Oetz River…all have that o-with-umlaut so be advised that these words will be spelled in both ways when you read about them here and elsewhere.

OK, so about the skiing; icy morning even though a large contingent went up at 10:30 today. That softened up fairly soon and turned to corny snow briefly before becoming coconut shave ice, really a lot of fun to ski in until it was time to come back to the valley floor. Some decided to download and celebrated the decision when it became obvious that two bare roads would have required stepping out of skis and
carrying them across. It’s springime in the Alps even though trees are not budding and the hillsides are showing no green as yet. We are all skiing in windshirts with single layers underneath and slathering on the sun block with varying levels of success. Bob McD, Claudeen and Nancy have tans like magazine models. Jason looks like a Hawaiian beach boy. Larry looks like a nuclear bomb blast victim. Others are wearing varieties of protection with zinc oxide, so we are a mixed lot as far
as appearance goes.

But we are a championship lunch bunch, for certain. Today featured a planned stop at the Lopple (I think that’s the spelling) in a little dip down a killer steep cat track in slush-covered ice. It was worth it! Nice cold beers, goulash soup, wurst, sauted spuds with a sunnyside egg and sliced onions on top, crispy hot frites, wiener schnitzel and another version of yesterday’s featured recipe, Kaiserschmarrn.

Toni, our waiter, patiently took everyone’s camera for group shots and a half dozen of himself mugging between cameras. Vickie told us that there was live music at the next hut down the hill, so we suited up and followed…perhaps two turns and 100 yards. The band was off today but the sound system played 60s music and we enjoyed a second beer or a pear schnaaps with an Austrian flag stuck into a chunk of pear…or an egg liiqour that didn’t seem like enough to get a repeat dance performance by Vickie, to the regret of all who saw yesterday’s rock-out on Jason’s I-Phone.

More tomorrow, but perhaps no other report from this laptop, as Carol and Larry leave the group on Saturday and internet connection in Saas Fee is uncertain. Perhaps someone in the Seattle-bound group can be persuaded to take over the blog. Cheers!