Unlike most mornings, this one required an early rise. And unlike most days we did not spend it sightseeing – we went skiing! Although it was difficult getting up at such an early hour, it was well worth the experience. After much research for weather, snow conditions, and location we decided to drive to Lackenhof am Otscher located in Lower Austria. The Austrian ski resort of Lackenhof am Otscher has about 16km of downhill skiing and operates 7 lifts. This particular mountain located in the lower foothills of the Alps offers good skiing, particularly, for beginner skiers. This was ideal due to the fact that Heather had never been skiing for quite some time!
Throughout the two hour car ride through the countryside of Austria we were able to soak in the picturesque scenery and charm of the traditional Austrian houses nestled in to the hillside. Joining us on our adventure was a woman named Glenda, Dom’s family friend who also works at the UN with Dom’s parents. Fortunately she was able to provide us with much needed snow gear! Although the apparel was not what I am used to wearing skiing on the east coast in America, I was grateful for any (free) contributions. As soon as we purchased our rentals and lift tickets, we headed up the slope! 
Due to the warm weather and slight rain we experienced the past week the snow was loose. Although the conditions were not ideal, they were not terrible by any means! Throughout the entirety of the day Glenda was amazing. It was nice to have her come along with us and she guided Heather down the mountain for many runs until she was finally confident enough to make it down without any words of advice or guidance from anyone! Finally we
decided to venture up to the highest point…boy did we make the wrong decision. On the way up the chairlift we could feel the temperature dropping rapidly. Once we reached the top we were met with pelting hail and winds like I have never experienced before. The wind was so strong it caused Heather to lose her balance and fall multiple times throughout the top part of the run. After what seemed like eternity of being whipped around by the wind and being bombarded with piercing hail pellets – we made it through the clouded area and took refuge in the mid-way lodge. We grabbed some hot chocolate and Dom even ordered Frittatensuppe, which is a soup made of clear beef stock with pancakes seasoned with a sprinkle of fresh herbs, cut into strips.
Now, although that one particular run was tainted due to the elements, the rest of our day was enjoyable. Altogether we did some slow runs, some fast runs, and even ran into some interesting characters. To our surprise we caught up with a club of traditional Austrian skiers all adorning extremely traditional winter ski outfits – even wooden skis! 
After a long day of skiing, we all jumped back into the car and made the trip back to Dom’s apartment. Heather and I dozed off in the back while Glenda and Dom chatted in the front. After showers, baths, and a hot meal we all are going to bed early in order to be prepared for our trip to Paris tomorrow!
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