Hey guys!
last weekend I went to the Austrian Alps to conquer the Wildspitze mountain. It was the second time I used skitouring skis (but the first time doesn’t count, because it was with a guide, who helped me with all, so I don’t remember anything). I was with a friend who basically doesn’t really leave the mountains, so I was in good hands :)))
Since I don’t own skitouring skis, I stopped by a rental shop before departure and left with an entire set of equipment, including a beacon, shovel, skis, boots, and so on.
We arrived in Austria late at night, so we stayed at a hotel to be fresh in the morning. We went up to the glacier by the first cable car (yes, we actually used the cable car, so we cheated, but if we didn’t, we wouldn’t even make half way considering my speed hahaha:). We put on the skis and after about twenty meters on the slope I fell like a boss, so everyone stopped and waited for me to get up:DDDD Well, the last time I stood on skis was about two years ago, and from some mysterious reason these skis behaved totally differently from the regular ones.
We traversed a piece of a slope and then descended about 100 meters down to the valley, where we first put on the skins and started our tour.
We walked around the glacier, then right on it, and I got scared when I heard the first crunch of ice for the first time. It was 12 degrees, and it seemed to me that the ground beneath me was going to break and let me fall into a two-hundred-meter crevasse at any moment. But we managed to walk all the way to the bottom of Wildspitze itself, where we took a break. I could already feel a huge blister on my heel, so I started to run out of energy. Looking at the watch, we decided that it would be the best to go back and leave the summit for another time, until I learn how to save energy on the way.
So the target for the next time is clear. Train, train, train. Endurance. So I’m changing my strength training to endurance training, because to tell the truth, I was exhausted by the time we got back and we didn’t even make it to the top!
The blister on my heel is still there and is about of the size of a one-euro coin. Well, Wildspitze comes to my mind with every step and even in this case, I think that the rule, that for beauty one must suffer, applies here. If you wanna see places like this, you have to suffer a little bit. But for me it’s all worth it! <3
Anyways, skitouring got me so much, that I’m coming back very soon, but in a better condition & shape and will conquer Wildspitze eventually! 🙂
Love,
E.