Those were the days! Without any high-tech equipment, but with a lot of enthusiasm, senior boss Helmuth threw himself into skiing in the snow. It wasn't just exhausting, it was even a bit dangerous. Come with us on a journey back in time to the world of winter sports in the past.
When skiing was still a real sport …
Every now and then I have to smile a little at the ‘winter sports enthusiasts’ of today. Some of them are dressed as if for an expedition to the Antarctic and are better equipped than the professionals in an Olympic team. Not so long ago, a cousin's worn anorak and home-knitted mittens made from Schnalstal Valley sheep's wool had to suffice. Having your own skis was a rare commodity anyway and so you would see half a dozen of the ‘Bubn’ (boys), as senior boss Helmuth was known, sharing a pair of skis. Helmuth was lucky, because after his father's self-carved skis (!) eventually gave up the ghost, the Christ Child soon brought a real Blizzard ski.
No trace of a groomed piste
A few decades ago, skiing in Schnalstal Valley was an arduous affair. Although there were already a few drag lifts in the valley at the beginning of the 1960s, the foundations for today's glacier lift and the ski area were only laid in the 1970s. And so a snow addict like our Helmuth had no choice but to walk. True to the motto: If you want to ski down, you have to go up first. The northern slope on the Nock in particular was a notorious deep snow area.
Only the best for our guests
Of course, the guests here at the Oberraindlhof couldn't be taken to the Nock at first, as most of them were on skis for the first time on holiday. So a practice slope was needed. Of course, there were no snow groomers or other equipment. So Helmuth and his siblings had to get to work. Together with the neighbouring children, they used sheer muscle power to groom the slope here at Raindl. Those who then dared to sledge down the steep ‘piste’ could be sure of the respect of the Schnalstal youth.
On the toboggan to school
The way to school back then was also sporty and not without danger. In Helmuth's elementary school days, the little ones had to trudge the long way to Unser Frau through the snow. Without adults, of course. They had better things to do. And so the Oberraindlhof children could be seen marching off in single file in the dark, dragging their much-loved toboggans behind them. At the end of the school day, they became real devil's seats as the children sped home along the main road at breakneck speed. Whoever got to the access bridge first got to eat the siblings' dessert. Speaking of the access road: Until a few years ago, to get up it at all, my farm people would strap a homemade wooden snow plough to the front of the family car. It needed weight to get a good grip. So the whole family had to get in and on (!) the car.
I have more such adventurous stories about the wild winter in Val Senales - come and visit me, I'd love to tell you more!
