Alpine Skiing in Austria

A postcard from Austria: "19 February 1958

"Enjoying a skiing and sightseeing holiday in Western Austria. The kids are enjoying the snow, we had so little of it in France.

Our Pension is called Daheim and it is like a ski lodge and much cheaper than staying at a hotel. Expect to go up to the top of Germany's highest mountain on a cable car soon, and intend to go to Innsbruck tomorrow. Took some ski lessons from a real Austrian ski champ, but I still get stiff and sore. Must be getting old!"

The illustration (black and white) shows the highest mountain in Germany, the Zugspitze, which is actually shared by Germany and Austria. The cable car, which takes you from the municipality of Ehrwald to the top, was build in 1926 and then renovated in 1991. It takes 10 minutes to get to the top.

How ironic that this is the postcard right now, as we are in the midst of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Canada - and I remember that they were held in Innsbruck in 1976 (I was 15 years old). Austria has won 16 medals at these Olympics so far. As a country they boast 201 Olympic medals over time - and 105 of those have been for Alpine Skiing. So you see, they have a lot of authentic ski champs to teach lessons to tourists!

This postcard has the ski trails marked and it says at the top, Zugspitze 2968 m. Apparently, there has been some dispute over the years about the height of this mountain. Estimates ranged from 2 960 m to 2 970 m, but it is now generally accepted that the peak is 2 962 m above sea level as a result of a survey carried out by the Bavarian land survey office. The lounge at the new café is named "2962" for this reason.

The Pension (boarding house or small hotel) mentioned "Daheim" is still available in Ehrwald for accommodation. It has 25 beds and will cost 19 Euro per person a night ($29 a night).

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