Winter has passed and the season is over. What happened to my big mission? A look back...I had big plans. To be on the board for (almost) the whole winter season, to powder and tour as much as possible, to ride all the FWQ contests where I'm allowed, hut trips, challenging approaches, drops and tricks. Getting to know new people or deepening friendships with old buddies. Writing lots of articles, posts and condition reports. And last but not least, I wanted to collect video material for a season edit. The reality of the snow-poor winter of 13/14 had other things in store for me. The winter offered less snow than any other in a long time. And when it did snow, it was either windy during the snowfall or it got very warm again two days later. It wasn't a particularly easy situation - and we kept asking ourselves whether it was really wise to take three months off work in this particular winter and pull down all the tents at home. We had to adapt to the circumstances, and so there were spring tours and slush sprays from January onwards. Despite the sub-optimal conditions, we set ourselves some ambitious goals and achieved a lot: we were in the snow for over 60 days, i.e. whenever our knees allowed it. We did a sunrise tour where we were able to watch a beautiful natural spectacle at the summit and enjoy tea or coffee (yes, our shred buddy and coffee fan G took a Bialetti up the mountain with him) with loved ones.
We took part in contests and deepened our friendships. We mended lots of coreshots and carried out countless board services. We went skiing for the first time in almost 20 years on a day with very little snow (and even mastered a black run). We spent three days in a minimalist self-catering hut, it was cold at night because the wood-burning stove went out at some point, but when we went to the outhouse in the morning we had dumps with a view, oh what a view! We went freeriding with a lovely shred dreadhead and then went to a small-scale open-air concert and rounded off the day with a shandy and reggae. At the end of the season, we had a treat in the form of a ride down the Edelgriess. Not a challenge for us in terms of riding (but beautiful!), the ascent made me sweat because of the 20-metre-high ladder, as I am plagued by a fear of heights.
You could complain about the winter with little snow, but for me it was extremely educational and eventful. And my heart still bleeds when I sit in the flatlands and see winter mountain photos. I immediately want to be back in the mountains! However, we won't be moving to the mountains. And so I will probably remain a full-time, mountain-loving flatlander. But it's okay, because I'll keep my experiences and memories forever, no matter where I am. Text: Stephanie Posch
