Hirschberg Ski with Josef

Published on 2010-3-10 by Michael Stanton

Hirschberg

March 10, 2010

Josef and I made a nighttime ski trip up and down Hirschberg. This was a lot of fun! We started at 8:20 PM, and were on the false summit at 10:00, neglecting to make the long almost-level walk over to the true summit. It didn't take long to get cold on top, but the view to the towns around the Tegernsee was neat. Josef gave me some fresh batteries for my headlamp, dimmed by too many play sessions with the boys. Wow, that's better! He took off like a bat out of hell, making quick tight turns on the refreezing crust. I had to laugh as I skied cautiously along behind. We would stop and just listen to the enormous silence of the night and watch waves of heat-smoke rise into the air from our faces. There seems to be nothing quieter, though Josef mentioned that maybe the Tunisian desert is quieter.

The skiing on the old ski slope on the lower half of the climb was the best. Any tiredness from the ascent was gone as we swooped down the mountain, seemingly the only people in the world.

On the way back I nearly ran out of gas. Josef asked if I kept anything more than 5 years, pointing out that I'd told three stories that night that involved me losing something: a hat, my ski crampons, and my car owner's manual! I guess he has a point!