Vienna - Budapest - Prague

I do not know whether I will be able to post or not ... but here is a picture of our travel plans. We depart tonight for Nuremburg, Germany where we will board a river boat to cruise down the Danube. We arrive in Budapest the following SUnday and then take a train to Prague mid-week. I am sure there will be tales to tell.

A Wrap Up

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Our last day of skiing at Breckenridge was more than a week ago. It was a WARM sunny day ... truly a perfect send off that left us wanting more. As you can see from the final tally below, we did NOT ski as relentlessly as we might have over the month. I tried to time my days off with the weather, choosing warm sunny days over cold snowy ones. Hunter went out in all conditions and made the most of it in conditions I would have abandoned after one run.

The other experiment in this journey was our equipment package. We both have our own boots. Hunter had an old pair of bright pink Lange's refitted two seasons ago up in Stowe and I graduated that same season from a pair of vice grip Saloman's (the ones that buckle from behind?) to a sweet pair of Nordicas that after a week start to feel like bedroom slippers. But we do not have new skis. So we arrranged for a season;s rental arrangement. Hunter bought a "performance demo" package and I a "sport" package. This meant that we could try as many different kinds of skis the shop had within the package we had bought. In the end Hunter settled on a pair of Voekl AC 30's and I was very happy with my Saloman X-wings. Hunter was so happy, in fact, that he came home and bought a pair.

What I loved about this package was that you could try different skis in different conditions at different lengths and learn some thing about what suited you best. While I am not THAT sensitive to different skis, Hunter learned enough to be able to decide what to buy. AND because of the package, we did not have to worry about returning the skis on days we chose to rest.

So here are the final stats

Column1	DAYS	RUNS	Cost per day	Cost per run
Hunter	22	152	$ 26.32	$ 3.81
Leslie	18	86	$ 32.17	$ 6.73

Had we purchased the tickets full price each day, my cost perday would have been $90 perday and Hunter's $80.50 perday.

And as for the ski rental ... my price with the pass was $13 per day and Hunter's $16.50.

What he skied

Nearing the End

So today, our next to last day, Hunter ventured over to Imperial Lift and landed at the top of the highest lift in North America.

Having learned that this was the highest lift in North America, I HAD to know where THE highest lift was. Who would have thought BOLIVIA? For a list, check here.

And SOME want to go even higher !!!

New Terrain

Mardi Gras on the Mountain

Epic Proportions Update

So at the end of week three, here are the stats

Column1	DAYS	RUNS	Cost per day	Cost per run
Hunter	16	118	$ 36.19	$ 4.91
Leslie	14	69	$ 41.36	$ 8.39

Had we been purchasing at the window each day out cost per day would be

Leslie: $89.57
Hunter: $79.88

And the longer we ski the reater the difference will become.

Panoramic to the South

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Panoramic to the North

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Returning to a theme

It seems that the chatter in my head has stilled. At the beginning of the trip it was ... "Oh I can barely breathe up here, HOW am I supposed to ski?" OR "My thighs are burning, my boots are too tight (too lose)" AND "Maybe later in the trip this will feel better and I will be able to enjoy it more."

Well that day is officially here. Skiing is a natural form of locomotion for me now. My boots feel like bedroom slippers. I love moving around the world this way in all this breathtaking scenery. So I am "in the moment" more now than I was when I started. It is a wonderful way to be. I suppose the real challenge is to be able to be in the moment even when I am not enjoying the moment. But for now I am happy to be at the place that allows for maximum ease out thereon the slopes.