The Alps

At the end of February I was able to go the Austrian Alps with Young Life- the organization that I volunteer with. What an awesome time! The snow was great, the weather was great, I got to snowboard for 5 days, need I say more??

I really didn't know how good the conditions would be- being from Colorado, I have high expectations :) - but I should have known the Alps would be GREAT. And I've been told that they're even better in Italy and France.

There were a couple of "perks" that I have not seen at the resorts in Colorado: First, the main chair lift had a big plastic (or maybe glass) cover that came down to keep you warm. Very nice! Second, I never had to take my pass out of my pocket to have someone scan it- I just went right up to the turnstile and it would detect it and let me through (kind of like the Express Toll).

While on the trip I tried snow-shoeing for the first time. It was cool, but much more work than snowboarding. I must admit that at one point I said, "Where's the chair lift?" I also learned an important lesson: When asked whether you want to go in the 1st snow-shoeing group or the 2nd, always choose the 2nd. Let the 1st group make the path!! ;)

Here are some pictures- and you can see more by clicking HERE.