It’s already December and the Boulder Mountain Tour is looming ahead of us on February 5. How am I going to get prepared? That’s not too far away!
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The BIKE Transalp is one of the original mountain bike stage races -- 7 days of riding across the Alps from Austria, through Switzerland and finishing in Italy. Each day consists of around 60 miles of riding and 10,000 feet of climbing (the Chequamegon Fat Tire is 40 miles with “just” 2,000 feet of climbing). Don’t worry though, I wasn’t actually crazy enough to attempt all 7 days.
Photo: TVB Tiroler Oberland Nauders © Klaus Listl
After a long night of rain, the clouds parted this morning to reveal snow covering the Nordkette mountain range overlooking Innsbruck, Austria today. This was just one of the sure signs of fall this past week. You can visit Seefeld and Innsbruck this winter on the 2022 Lumi Experiences Seefeld & Engadin trip!
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The Marcialonga ski marathon in Italy is one of the most popular events on the annual Worldloppet calendar. The classic-only event attracts thousands of skiers every winter and registration fills within minutes. What makes this event so popular? The trail winds its way through South Tyrol’s Fassa and Fiemme valleys in the heart of the Italian Dolomites, skiing through the snowy streets where villagers cheer on racers. Each town has its own special atmosphere, whether that’s a local band playing traditional tunes or kids lining up to practice their English. Don’t be surprised if they yell “die, die, die!” -- that’s Italian for “go, go, go!”
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Yesterday, restaurants in Austria reopened to indoor dining. For the past 6 months, a common dinner conversation has been, “where will you go when restaurants reopen? What will you order?”
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After our article last week about the amount of energy it takes to prepare ski trails, we were sent an article about the amount of energy used to produce an alpine ski. How much, you ask? About 23 kg of CO2 or about 60 miles driven in a car. Those 23 kg of CO2 are almost equally divided between energy used for (1) materials, (2) production and (3) packaging and transport.
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Winter continues in Seefeld, Austria. This week marks 5 months of daily grooming since the trails opened last November. Huge thanks to the grooming team for providing impressive consistency in such an uncertain year. The combination of an extensive snowmaking system and excellent snow conditions have made for a great base that has lasted to (and through!) April 15.
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From the “Wait, that’s a sport?!” desk, we bring you … Figln.
That’s right, folks: Firn Gleiten. Firn describes snow as it transforms from early morning crust (harsch) into wet, sugary afternoon Firn, warmed by the sun. Gleiten is the German word for “gliding.”
The sport of Firn Gleiten, or Figln, evolved in Tyrol from spring hikers putting very short skis in their backpacks, then strapping the skis onto hiking boots in order to glide back down the mountain on the firn snow.
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In a winter where hotels are closed and international travel is verboten, almost everyone on the trail in Seefeld is local from Tyrol. Lumi Experiences trip leader Raphi got out for a playful afternoon to inspire local kids to try Nordic skiing. There is much more to the sport than racing and Raphi shares some insights into his passion for cross country skiing, along with a few tricks. Enjoy!
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Happy Hahnenkamm Weekend! The Super Bowl of alpine ski race takes place in Kitzbühel this weekend on the legendary Streif Downhill--arguably the most dangerous downhill in the world. A US Ski Team tradition is that rookies have to carry a brick in their duffel all winter, representing the load that the Streif weighs on your conscience, and can only take it out once they've skied the Hahnenkamm.
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“Sorry for the delay, Garrott. I’ve been overwhelmed by the schnapps.”
Usually, a call like this would be cause for concern. But in this case, I knew the caller wasn’t talking about alcoholism...it was Rudolf, owner of one of Austria’s top brandy, or schnaps distilleries. The distillery is located in a centuries-old cellar in the village of Lienz in East Tyrol.
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While most North American skiers cannot travel to Europe this winter, the USA Nordic Combined Team (ski jumping and cross country skiing) has been using Seefeld, Austria as their base between World Cup weekends. One highlight this winter has been skiing with them and getting out to explore new ski areas. Galtür, Austria, on the border with Switzerland, has been one of those dreamy destinations and definitely one we are adding to Lumi Experience's list of self-guided trips for the views, cuisine and 100+ km of skiing with a variety of terrain. The video shares a little sense of the skiing in Galtür. Enjoy!
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