Austria : M&M Learns and Conquers the Snowboard

Hello. This is M&M and I am going to tell you about my 5 days in Austria learning to snowboard.

Day 1: So I woke up on the first day all pumped up and anxious to start to learn. I got all bundled up in my gear. I was wearing 2 leggings, one of them being leg warmers, and then some snow pants. Then I had a shirt, jacket, then coat. Then I had a baklava, goggles, helmet, and gloves. I was all ready to go. We drove to the resort which was like 10 minutes away. We got out of the car and went to the renting place. Monster, Little A, and me had no skis or snowboards. So we rented boots for all of us, and 2 skis for Monster and Little A, and a snowboard for me. The person at the renting place was a guy and he was so gross. He had his pants like half-way down and it was super gross! We were glad to leave. We waited in the line/crowd of like 100+ people waiting for the gondola. It took about 40 minutes. The ride up was like forever. I was a bit worried as we got there because our last experience at lessons was terrible in Korea. We just got up and stopped then fell again, repeat. That was terrible, and it was only for 2 hours there! So I was super worried about the lesson because it was an all day thing. We got there and met our instructor while Mom and Dad situated Little A and Monster with their instructors. Big Sis found her instructor and then it was just Mom, Dad and I. We left to find our instructor. The instructors and helpers wore bright red jumpsuits so we had to ask a person where Mia was. His name was Hans and he was the leader of the advanced snowboard class. He took us all the way up the hill to the middle of the park and we found our instructor. I got to climb the hill to the point where our instructor was teaching 2 other people.  Her name was Mia. She is sooooooooo great. We got there a bit late so we made a mental note to wake up earlier.

I had so much fun with her. I started to learn how to go down and stop and turn a bit. It was a bit challenging. I fell a lot and I was getting annoyed because everyone was getting it but I wasn't!! My teacher, Mia, helped me a bit and I started to get the hang of it. I was getting really hot while I was working. So I took off my Baklava and a jacket. I put them in the snow near us and kept working. Our lesson ended and I got them from the snow. We went down to lunch at the Cafe there. The line was like a hour wait!! It was ridicules! We finally got our food and even then, it was expensive. We ate got back to lesson and continued learning to stop, turn, get up, and go. Our lesson ended like 3 hours later. We went down the gondola and went to the car. Then we drove and got back to our house.

My butt, wrists, and legs hurt because I fell a lot. We drove to the village to eat dinner. The dinner was very empty when we got there but it was packed when we left. We sat with another family that was also skiing and snowboarding. They had very tiny kids that were like Monster age so I was super bored. I was so bored while we had dinner and I was glad to leave because I was bored out of my mind. The food was great though. I had spaghetti and sprite. Then salad and there was this weird desert that tasted weird and looked like a scoop of sour cream with syrup on top.

We drove home and we choose to make our gingerbread houses. We spent like 2 hours making them. We brought the gingerbread supplies and already made gingerbread cutouts with us so we could make them in Austria and easily throw them away. We decorated them with candy that we had got from our friends the Walkers. They sent so much candy in the care packages they sent us that we still had leftovers after we were done decorating. We got ready for Bed. There is like big horseflies in the hotel so that was gross.  I went to sleep aching. It was very cold too so I was wearing two pajamas.

Day 2: The next day was bit better. We didn't wear as much layers to day, so I was not as hot today. We learned to go up the pull thing that took us up the mountain to the almost top of the mountain where it went down to the starting point. Our lesson spot was right next to the pulley thing so we just had to get down and start again. We were learning to go and stop. The ride up the pulley thing was so hard. Big Sis and Little A were already going up it and they just cruised as it took them up. The bottom was a disk that went in-between your legs and pulled you up. The skiers just sat and cruised up. For snowboarders, it was a LOT harder. We had to ride up turned. Our leg was in front and our snowboard was to the side. We had to ride parallel to it and we had to keep our balance as we rode up or we would fall. If you fell, you had to walk up. It sucked. I barely made it up 1/4 or it! I fell, so did Mom and Dad. We had to walk up and meet them up top. It was super hard and I wanted to give up a bit after we went down the first time. I kept falling and biffing into the snow piles the cornered the pulley track. It sucked. I had a hard time turning and stopping in time. The others were just getting it and I wasn't. I had to endure falling the couple times we went down the hills.

 Mia then took us up the mountain to go all the way down to the cafe!!! The mountains like a 5 layer cake. The bottom is layer #1. The Cafe and the gondola end is layer #2. Our lesson point and the Pulley thing is layer #3. Then there is the top which is layer #4. Then the other trails and the back of the mountain  is layer #5. We went up to like layer #4 and went all the way down to layer #2. It was SOOOOO FUN!!!! We did the falling leaf with is when you go side to side on the steep parts. It was so fun.

The class ended for lunch break. We went back down to the cafe and ate some egg sandwiches that we had made that morning. I got this idea of using the bread and eggs we got every morning from the hotel to make egg sandwiches for lunch. So we made them and brought them with us that morning. We ate then went back to the lesson with Mia. We saw the other kids and we said Hi as we passed Big Sis, Little A, and Monster. We kept doing the turns and stuff. I was so depressed I started crying. I just couldn't do it! Everyone was so far ahead and I kept biffing it and falling. I just kept on trying and feeling horrible. Dad told me that it is ok and I should keep trying. I asked Mia to help me some more and I kept trying. The lesson ended and I still was horrible on the turns and I had to keep working on them tomorrow. We got home and had dinner.

Today was New Years and we watched fireworks and shows at the towns square. We also did a candle ceremony, where all the kids were given a candle and then by the light of just one candle they were all lite.  We had to go up to someone that had a lite candle and light our.  It was cool. It was so fun. I went to bed and had a ok nights sleep. Big Sis woke me up at like 11:59 and we watched the fireworks just then they started. Our hotel was on the top/side of another mountain and we had a good view of the city below. We watched the fireworks for like 10 minutes it was so cool. There was so many colors. Mom joined us in the bathroom, which was where we were watching the fireworks because it had a good view. Mom then said we could watch from the bedrooms window but we had to be quiet because Dad and Monster were both asleep. We were the only ones in our family that saw the fireworks.

Day 3: Today was fun. We made it about 15 minutes early to the lesson so we went up the pulley thing and did some stuff going down like turns and stops. Sense everybody stayed up late watching the fireworks, there was almost nobody at the resort the next morning. The people started coming around lunchtime because eaten slept in. It was also weird because the sky was filled with the smoke from the fireworks so we couldn't see all the way down the mountain and the village from the top . We had a good start to the lesson. We all could make it up the pulley thing. Mia took us down the mountain again. We met up with the older group at the bottom. Mia asked Mom if she wanted to go with the more advanced group today Mom left with them to go down the whole mountain and do turns down the hill. Dad and I stayed to keep working on turns. It was good and I was glad to have Dad with me still. We kept working on the turns until lunch time. I was finally getting the hang of it.

A boy named Matthew who was also in our group went with Mom to the advanced group because he was also ready to go down the mountain. We got a new person today and she was really nice. We kept going together. I was having lots of fun today. I could do some turns but I just needed to stop a bit earlier. We had lunch at the cafe, but we didn't eat the food there. We did my idea and brought with us the sandwiches with the egg in it. The bread was the good round rolls that tasted soooo good. We were much more filled and it didn't cost any money. We also bought with us the Korean chips our friends kept sending us too. They were good. We also brought fruits and veggies with us as well. Lunch was much cheeper, healthier, and more yummy today. We did that every lunch after. Dad and I went back up to the lesson with Mia and we kept working. I was super proud of myself every time I made it up the pulley thing without falling and making it down the mountain with very little falls. I was super happy when we left for home cease I was doing so good. I was a bit jealous though because Big Sis was already going down the mountain on the black tracks which were like the hardest with her group. I was only on the blue tracks. So that was a bit annoying. But dinner was good. The desert was like cheesecake and it was pretty good. I went to bed a bit late because Dad, Mom, Big Sis, and I played the game Sheriff of Nottingham. It was fun.

Day 4: Today was challenging and hard. We made it like 30 minutes before our lessons started. So I went up to the lesson point with my family. I went up the pulley thing and made it up. I did some pretty good turns. Our lesson started and Mom left with the older group. Dad and I kept working with our group and Mia on the turns and stuff. The older group/ more advanced group came. Mia said Dad and I should try going down with them so we did. We went up the mountain and started going down. I was so scared because we had to do turns going down. It was super steep and I was so scared I would face plant and tumble all the way down and hurt myself. The other people in the group went down one by one and they were so good. We had to do turns down to Hans, who was our instructor. Mom went down and did great. Then I went. I tried to but I fell Every Time!!! I was having such a hard time I started crying. I couldn't stop! It was super weird. I kept falling and I was doing so bad. I kept falling on my wrists and my but. I was hurting so bad and I wanted to just give up and go home. We finally made it down. We had lunch and I was just so depressed. I was so sad and angry. I was still crying when we made it down to the cafe. Dad said I should maybe stay with Mia and keep working with her. I did and I felt so much better. I was alone so that wasn't the best but I still had fun. We had a German boy named Randy join us and we were friends. Yes I couldn't really understand him and he couldn't really understand me but we could still had fun together with Mia and our other classmate who was a girl. I nailed it going up the pulley thing. We took turns following Mia or going on our own. I did turns and I didn't fall!! We went up over and over and I got down doing almost perfect turns and not falling. I felt so much better with her and I decided I would stay with her group. We had so much fun and I was much more happy. The class ended and we went home. The snow was melting. On the first day, the trees all the way up the mountain were covered in snow. But when we ent down, all the snow was almost gone. We made it down and went to dinner after we had showered and changed. It was good and we had fun. We got home and went to bed.

Day 5: Today was the best!!! I stayed with Mia and I did some pretty perfect turns down the half part of the mountain. It was so great. Mia gave me some pointers and I was doing so great. We had a race with the other group. We set it up and it was fun. We were in the same race as the older group but we got placed with our group. I would either get 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place in my group because it was just Randy, Me, and our other friend. We did it individually and it was fun. I went down and did some good turns. Randy went and he was FAST!! I think he won first place because he went down fast. I was ok with that. I went up with Mia and some of the other younger snowboarders and we ate at Buckhouse. I ate with them because I wanted to try the pancakes up there that everyone was saying was the best. I missed my family a lot while I was up there but I had fun. The pancakes were so good! They were like French Toast and German Pancakes + Normal Pancakes all together. It was delicious. Sense Buckhouse was on the top of the mountain, we had to snowboard down and meet my family at the bottom. It was fun. I was finally doing good. I was going down doing turns and stuff. The other people in my group were a bit behind and I was just zipping down. There was this one part of the mountain that had snow clumps that made you jump a bit. I was going over them and having so much fun. I had to stop multiple times to wait for the rest of the group. I was so good! I was having so much fun. Today was the best. We got down and went right back up again. I was glad I stayed with Mia and didn't go with Hans. Mia was so great and I felt happy and safe with her when my parents weren't there. We ended the lesson. We went down the mountain to another restaurant where we were going to get medals to our place in the race. I got 2nd and I had fun. Yes I wished that I got 1st but I was glad I got 2nd and not 3rd.

Dinner was great. Desert was soooooo great!!! It was ice-cream in a huge cup with huge on top of a chocolate cracker "straw" tube. It was the best desert Yet!!!! But when we were leaving we found out we had to pay for the drinks! We got drinks every day because they asked if we wanted drinks and we had already pre payed for the meal, so we thought drinks were included. So we got sprite and water and Coca Cola every night. We then found out they were not included and poor dad had to pay like 90 dollars for the stupid drinks. Then we found out the bread and eggs were also not free. The lady asked us if we wanted them at the start and we were like YES! But we found out they do that then tell us they are not free and we had to pay for that too! That was like 100 dollars too! So that was ridicules.

I had so much fun here in Austria and I was so happy I learned to do some snowboarding. I totally want to come back here next year and learn some more.

Austria: Big Sis Skiing Down the Alps

Hey folks, this is Big Sis and I'm going to tell you all about my adventure in the Alps and the 5 day ski trip I had.

Since this was a Christmas gift, we left just 3 days after Christmas and drove all the way the Austria. It was a long drive, but we got to the Air B&B and started our snow adventure.

Day 1: We left at 8 o'clock, but we didn't get to the top of the mountains until 9:15. The lines for the gondola were so long and it took forever to get to the top. But I do have to say, the view on the ride up was absolutely beautiful. And since there was freshly fallen snow, it was even more beautiful.

I already knew how to ski because I went on a ski trip with my friends in Korea, so I had a high hopes for a super fun adventure of going down an awesome trail. I was so excited to ski because I saw all of the super steep slops and I was dying to go on them. I was so excited. Sadly, that hope was slightly let down because I was put with the instructor with a whole bunch of little kids learning the basics. I knew all of that and so I was slightly bored for the first half of the lesson. Luckily, I talked to the instructors at lunch time and they put me, still with little kids, but that were more advanced. So we went down the small slopes over and over again doing maneuver skills. Before I knew it, the day was over. I was happy that I still had my skiing skills after a year. We had dinner, which was super good, and then we went back to the Air B&B and made gingerbread houses. We brought all the materials with us, including the homemade frosting and the gingerbread cut outs, also homemade, and then we made and decorated the houses.

They looked so cute in the end. we even put it together to look like a little village of gingerbread houses. After we finished making the houses and cleaning we went to bed with a great excitement for tomorrow's trip.

Day 2: We left a bit early today so we could get to the slops in time for our 9 o'clock lessons, but we left a tad earlier then we expected, and so I went free skiing down the same slop as yesterday. I went at a super fast pace, and the wind sure felt really cold when I was whipping down the slope.

We got to our lesson, and I was with the same instructor as yesterday, and to my relief, we were going on some more intermediate-advanced slops. sadly, I was still in the group with all 6-7 year olds.

After the group got all together, we went up a different lift to the very top of the mountain. The day had crystal clear skies and the view was absolutely amazing.

After getting off the lift, we skied all the way down and passed the normal end area and took a trail that went all the way to the base of the mountain. My instructor knew that I could go at a really fast pace, and so me and two of the fastest kids went ahead of the group. The speed that we were going down was insanely fast and we skied all the way to the bottom. It was a super long and amazing trail. The view was spectacular, and we passed some sections of the mountain that the snow had turned to bright blue ice. It was the most beautiful thing. I had so much fun just skiing by myself down the side of a mountain, in Austria. The feeling was so thrilling. After everyone else got to the base of the mountain, we got back up to the top and went down to the normal end zone. I had lunch with mom and dad today.

After lunch, we did a couple more trails and then, like yesterday, the rest of the day was gone in a flash. When we left, we got changed and went to dinner, and since it was new year's eve, there was a firework show and a candle ceremony and so we stayed at the restaurant and watched the fireworks. It was so much fun to still have a firework show, at the ski resort, in Austria, on New Year's Eve. We stayed a bit linger and then got to bed. For some reason, I just woke up at 11: 58 pm, just in time to look out or window and see the whole ski resort light up with fireworks at midnight. It was a whole 15 minutes of watching before I told myself that I'd better get to bed. It was such a great day.

Day 3: Happy New Year's. 2020!!! We left the same time 7:50, but to our great surprise, there was no one in line for the ski lift. We were almost certain the it was closed, but it wasn't, just the fact that since it was New Year's Day, people stayed up late and got drunk. Not us!!!! HAHA. We had almost the whole entire resort to ourselves, except for the instructors and students. I was still in the same group with little kids, but it was nice not having the constant fear of maybe running into someone. We went down the same slops as yesterday plus a few that started at the very tippy top of the mountain, the peak I should say. Those trail were the longest, and super fun to go down on.

It was a lot of fun doing it again. And then we had lunch in an almost abandoned lunch cafe. Then my instructor put me in a new group. I was so happy because she put in a super advanced group with kids my age. There were 6 boys and 2 girls, not including myself. I quickly made friends with Aidan, from the states, and Dylan, from the UK. We talked a lot while skiing down the slopes.

The group went at a much faster speed which was so exciting. We went down the slops 2 more times and even had some fun on the speed test. I was the fastest kid in the group a whole 53 km/hr. The instructors still beat me. We also had some fun at going on a trail that had a few jumping areas. We did some very small jumps and then the day was over super quick again. After the day was spent we did the normal routine of going to dinner, and then getting too tired to stay up any longer and going to bed. I had so much fun in being with a group that I actually fit in.

Day 4: Today there were a lot more people then yesterday, but still smaller than normal. We got up to the slope early again and so I did a few more early runs by myself before lessons started. Sadly, my instructor, Elizabeth, was sick and so we had a sub. We went on the tallest trail and went all the way down the mountain to the trial I did on day 2. This was the first time everyone else went on this trail, but it was my second. Today, there was cloud cover, which meant that we got to ski through clouds towards the bottom of the trail. I got so excited when we entered to clouds.

It was super fun, because everyone jut somehow managed to start racing everyone. So the whole group was racing down to the bottom. It was so much fun and the thrill of going down the mountain again was the best. We did go to the back of the mountain and did a trail that the other kids had gone on before, The Witches Trail. It had 2 tunnels and was super twisty. However, we couldn't go all the way down because one of the kids got lost and went down the wrong trail and so the rest of our group of 6 kids, some left the previous day, took off our ski's, put them in a pile of snow not to far off, and started playing in the snow. We had snowball fight and some of the boys were trying to knock down a 2 1/2 foot long icicle hanging down from the witches tunnel.  They were unsuccessful.

We waited for about 20 minutes and then our substitute instructor finally came back with the missing student. Then we continued on the path and went down some extremely steep hills on the back of the mountain. That was super fun.

We did the same thing after lunch and then we did a skiing test. Each group was ranked and the top 3 would get medals the next day. After the test was finished we quickly did a speed test, and to my surprise I was the fastest out of everyone in the group, including my instructor, at 56 km/hr. That speed was insane, and I have to say that stopping is the hardest part after speeding past the speed gauge. The day was done super fast again and then me and my family went to dinner, played a few games before bed and then dozed off to sleep. I say today topped all the others. I couldn't wait for the next day.

Day 5: Today was the last skiing day and it was the most amazing day that I had. Sadly, I had to see going up to the slope one last time. The view was still as gorgeous as ever.

Today, we didn't have a lot of time to go free skiing, but it was okay with me. Today there was only 5 people in the group including me. We still had the substitute, but that was okay. Today we didn't go on any of our normal trails but only on the ones that advanced people could go on. When I saw how long and steep they were, I was so nervous. If I was just skiing by myself, there was no way in the whole world that I would go down this trail, but before I could do anything, the instructor sped off down the hill and so I had to go down to catch up with them. The pictures make the slopes look small then they actually were in real life.

 As it turned out, the trail wasn't that bad. Granted it was hard to keep control of my ski's because the ice was all powdered up, but it was still super fun. While going down the almost 3 mile long trail that was extremely steep, we practiced parallel skiing which only advanced adults can do, but I could easily do it. I don't like to use it, but it sure is fun to do. We went down all kinds of new and hard trails. It was so much fun, but in the back of my head, I was thinking that this was the most terrifying thing in the world and the fear of falling down the mountain didn't ever happen (thank goodness). We continued to go down new and hard trail for the rest of the day after lunch.

Once again, we rode the gondola down, for the very last time of our trip. I will always remember the view and the amazing adventure I had experienced these past 5 days.

After we got off the lift, we went to a meeting house so all of the kids that did the test could get their medals. All of us got rewards. I got second place in my group.

It was so much fun to see my friends one more time before we had to leave and go back to the Air B&B for the last time. I sadly had to say good bye to my new friends and the skiing resort, but I had such a great adventure that I will never forget. Today was to must amazing day out of the entire week and my favorite overall. I have learned so much and I can't wait to go skiing again in the future.

Day 6: We drove back home and we finished our winter break. I am so happy that I was able to go on this Christmas skiing trip. I thank my mom and dad for giving us this amazing adventure and I am so happy that I could share this adventure will you all. I hope that we can go skiing again in the future because I love the thrill of these adventures.