August 21st, 2009 by mat
What a year that was, it started with the chaotic and far from salubrious winter 08/09 opening party and reported on one of the very best winters in many years. The rest of the world was generally awful but the snow came and kept those lucky enough get some of it more sane than would have been. The season opened for us with a powder day at the start of October on the Stubai Glacier and closed with some great Spring skiing on the Hintertux Glacier. Injury free skiing for me for the first time in many winters and the skigloo were a couple of the highlights. And for the coming winter I have become a family skier with the arrival of Josh, so time to learn a whole new way of doing things. Looking forward to every second of it!
May 23rd, 2009 by mat
With a top height of 3250m the Hintertux Glacier is still offering great skiing conditions with blue skies and plenty of snow today. I spent much of the day capturing images and film in the terrain park as well as chasing a ski ballerina – I thought this discipline was long extinct but there he was, a guy in his 60s, resplendent in his one piece suit and glacier glasses performing some staggering tricks on skis. I will edit the video from today as soon as possible and see if I captured any of his moves on film.
There was a great display of freestyle skiing and snowboarding today on the Hintertux Glacier.
Big air Hintertux style – image © ineedsnow.com
The top station of the Hintertux Glacier is located at 3250m ensuring great snow conditions into early summer and from autumn onwards. The Hintertux Glacier actually offers skiing throughout the year.
The Hintertux Glacier top lift station – image © ineedsnow.com
And the viewing platform above the lift station – image © ineedsnow.com
I managed to ride with Matt from the USA again today before he heads over to Vienna and then back to the mid west.
Air Matt – image © ineedsnow.com
April 18th, 2009 by mat
Finkenberg, December 08 looking pretty special. This was a mighty cold day in a very cold winter and the Zillertal was completely dumped on. The lifts were still closed as it was November but there were ski tourers up in the mountains who had sensational skiing.
Mayrhofen, just down the valley also had great conditions.
Deep December snow, Finkenberg – image © ineedsnow.com
April 15th, 2009 by mat
Whilst the rest of the Alps were in Autumnal mood, these hard core boarders were walking for their turns in Gerlos, a resort in the Zillertal Arena. I was their to shoot some images of the resorts of the Zillertal Arena and saw these guys waste deep in snow trudging up the back of a dam. I am not sure of the legality of it all but the turns they had were well worth any repercussions – awesome conditions!
Lift-off, Gerlos - image © ineedsnow.com
January 4th, 2009 by mat
Hochzillertal / Hochfugen, 04/01/09 – image © ineedsnow.com
I spent today in the Zillertal where I saw something of a novelty for the last few weeks – complete cloud cover and flat light. Hochzillertal and Hochfugen are linked ski areas at the head of the Zillertal Valley and the area is famous for producing Stefan Eberharter and the day started with poor light. Late morning blue skies swept in and the place was perfect with great hard packed snow, superb views across the valleys and once again bitingly cold temperatures. Zillertal has to be one of the very best ski regions in the Alps. Hochzillertal and Hochfugen offered excellent intermediate skiing and snowboarding and the place was hugely popular. I had expected the crowds to seriously die down after New Year but Hochzillertal and Hochfugen were packed today, maybe with visitors cramming a last day of skiing in, on the end of the New Year break.