By the time we finished dinner, it was past sunset and getting dark quickly. We rode down a different road, following the signs to Innsbruck, going as fast as we dared on the roads we couldn't see. It was as exciting as any olympic bob-run; unlike the Jamaican bobsled team, we made it. We panted up to the youth hostel where we were greeted by the whiny American girl and the Scottish guy.

She had annoyed me the evening before by complaining about her long distance love affair, but had redeemed herself in the morning by mentioning that two American women had gone skiing the day before, at which Rony and I looked at each other, raised our eyebrows, and it was done: skiing the next day, up on Stubai Glacier. We didn't know if it would be good, but skiing in August? Go for it!

We paid about $40 for bus ride, lift tickets, equipment rental and gondola ride. It possibly would have been cheaper if we hadn't gone through the info office, but it was worth it. We got on the bus by 7:25, no easy feat in itself. On the slopes by 10:00 AM with slightly broken boots, devastated 185 cm skis, and bicycling gloves (mine are Madonna, Rony's, Michael Jackson). The weather was warm enough that I just wore a thermal shirt. Fortunately it clouded up a bit after lunch, preventing us from overheating and the snow from melting really badly.

The skiing was bad, but it was great: sloshy California at its worst, but without the steep slopes. There were 3 lifts running: one was the haven for snow boarders; one for free-style skiers; and the last for practicing jumps. Since the slopes here are open all year round, the "rad" dudes hang out here to work on their moves.

Despite the lack of good slopes, we had a blast. The slush provided a bit of challenge, and there were little bumps here and there to make turning interesting. The main runs were from the 3200 mark; the final run was behind the Schaufelspitze (see picture).