Cloudveil Goes Multisport in Austria
Posted on Tuesday, December 30th, 2008
I have been living in Innsbruck, Austria with my friend Cody Roth now for a couple weeks and attempting to do what could only be considered highly optimistic: film bouldering in Austria in December. Needless to say you have to be patient to get this accomplished, but the good news is that if the conditions are bad for bouldering, they are probably good for skiing.
Innsbruck is a unique town. Not unlike Jackson, the residents can check the ski conditions by simply looking out their windows. When we decide to hit the slopes, we take the bus (it’s free if you have your ski gear) downtown and catch the tram up to the ski area. The cost for an afternoon pass is 16 Euros, and with no lift lines even half a day is plenty to burn out the legs. Here in Austria, there are no boundaries. You can stay within the normal ski area or you are free to go off-piste as far as you care to hike. At the Nord Park, where we have been skiing, a short 15 minute hike off the top of the upper tram gives access to several steep chutes and a wide open basin.
The conditions have been pretty harsh. It is still early in the winter for the ski season, which means the temperature hovers right around the melting point and snow melts onto your gear as soon as it lands. I have been using a Hoback Jacket and that seems to do the trick of keeping my core warm and my I-Pod dry.
On the few days with warmer weather, fellow ambassador Sarah Marvez, Cody, and myself have visited the Zillertal, home of the famous local beer (see photo) and several amazing bouldering areas. Sarah has been working on sending boulders and I’ve been working on collecting footage for my upcoming video, PURE.
Austria is a great place, and not too expensive at the moment… especially compared to Switzerland, where it costs an arm and a leg to do pretty much anything. An afternoon of skiing and a giant Hefe-Weissen beer for $20? Now you’re talking….
