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Freeride with Ötzi

Freeride with Ötzi

Sölden and Obergurgl in december 2009

Insert: 07.01.2010
In mid-December I got sick of work and began to peek after some riding that, in addition to the flu when I missed pow orgy in October in Vratna dolina (SK), which is here about the majority involved. And because it looks like snow as it looks, I watched resorts in the Tyrol, where it did just spilled a little more than in the north, and I do not want to Italy because that's a bit of hand.
Gazman, photo Petr Lyčka
Gazman, photo Petr Lyčka
Komanč, photo Jura Zagura
Gazman, photo Petr Lyčka
After careful assessment of the situation the decision fell on Öztal and basically do not care if we finish in Sölden or in Obergurgl-Hochgurgl, we gonna decide on the spot. Our crew is traditional again and again to the lack of traditional Mojmir, which did not release duties and hard to bear, so finally going Jura „Gazman“ Zaguri, Dan „Frenky“ Tomanek and me Peter „Komanc“ Lycka. Now it seems that we are a huge crew , but we are really only three.

So I polish VW transporter and on Saturday night around eight I was treated Frenky and Gazman. Even we did not see each other more than half of the year very first Gazmans sentence is:  If I did not promise to go there,  I would not go there, because there is no snow.  So I tried to calm him down that just he cannot take seriously the predictions of snow forecast, because they are sometimes wrong. According to forecasts directly from the scene would be snowing all night and Sunday morning, reported clouds, so I'm probably comes out, otherwise Gazman gonna kill me. Journey is totaly fine, just between Rosenheim and Salzburg snow, so we could not drive more than fifty km/h. Snow is flying around practically the whole trip and even a few kilometers before the end there is the sky full of clouds.

So to Sölden we arrived in daylight, but so far it looks to the clouds, as we also come from warm regions get just feel that there was winter reigns full-time. According to the info table is below -13 °, but a few hundred meters above the acceptable -8, but mostly clear. I have to one more dunt to snow-forecast, which haunted the twenty degrees lower temperatures.
Today, therefore, we decided to stay in Sölden and the situation where we will chose another days. We bought a tickets and got a tram to the station Gaislachkogel. Already on the Mittel station we wanted to bail out, because what we see beneath us is absolutely great.

On the slopes there is a layer of fresh powder, they nor bother to shape it. Why, it stopped to snow before one hour. Even there were amazing views, we did not waiting a while and rode straight down to the powder heaven. We were eating a pow by kilos and we got it full of jackets.

That day's challenge was clear: ride the pow as much as possible. We were full of adrenalin, I personally did not seem that the very first day of the season was about riding the strip in the pow. We rode what we could, moreover, we found the slope for ourselves, with us there were only two freeriders who were obviously knowledgeable ride in deep snow. Occasionally joined to us some slope skiers and was fun to watch them as they cannot ride the pow. When he was the third, who lost in tons of pow his skies and then desperately seeks it, they gave up. I got a new Canon 30D from Klikos and I was trying to get familiar with that, so I hope the shots gonna be good.

So the first day we met our goals and it was necessary to slowly start to look for accommodation, so we packed the gear and with the feeling that if it would be on this trip anything else wrong, it was worth it. We found accommodation on the first attempt, albeit a little expensive, but the three nights we had in our pland did not bankrupt us. Another day we decided for Obergurgl, no one have never been there, everywhere it says that it's the most reliable with snow condition in the  Austria, so we checked it.

In Obergurgl gave us a bit more work to find the right consistency of the snow. It was blowing a little overnight, but eventually find a dress again rise with quality material even though it was not the snow blanket like yesterday. But never mind, it was still super pow riding and especially the slope dimensions of the central coulouir in Chopok, but with elevation of mileage, it's entirely ours. Even we did not try to think about some other face. We're alone here and nobody bothers us with his lines. It needed at least a few days more to get it ride all over.  

We are leaving back to the apartment with the feeling that we once again enjoyed more than usual. But during the forecast for the next two days, it is clear that tomorrow we have last powder shift. Afternoon starts snowing and the next day gonna be bad, so we decide not to return to Obergurgl and try to map additional areas in Sölden. What we did not know was that our last day will be full of hiking on skis. I spent the whole day riding the trails. All the open terrain, and here it is, is totally rutted, but really totally. We actually drove across the center, including the top around Rettenbach and Tiefenbach glaciers and everywhere where was at least a little bit of powder, it was totaly rutted.

We are finished our powder shift here with knowing that we got a real pow days. Nothing better could happend to us. I think mainly in Obergurgl, where we were not last time. Otherwise, the Sölden is not worth to go to. If it is more than two days after the snowfall, there is already nothing to ride on. We were lucky and hit the right time. Now, 26.12 when I am writing this article is fifteen degrese plus outside. It looks on the bike ride so far.
 
Bye Komanc

PS:  Photos are how they are, i tis not like from Klikos, Lumir or Wlado, but I will try to be Berger for next time.
 
 
OAeV - Alpenverein

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