The ski or bike dilemma

There’s something special about springtime. It isn’t just the crocuses blooming in the meadows and primulas in the hedgerows, nor is it the pong that pervades the air as the farmers spread the winter’s dung across the fields. What is special about spring is the choice of activities that are possible.

Higher up, there is still good skiing to be had. For Alpine skiers, the slopes are quiet, the lifts empty and sometimes, like last weekend, the snow is in perfect condition. Ski tourers (the hardy types who hike up on skis just for the single run down) are enjoying the opportunities for reaching yet one more summit before putting the skis away. All skiers at this time of year enjoy the chance to sit outside the mountain huts with food and drink, and take in the sun and scenery.

 

Heading home after the last run of the the year

The early spring and warm March has cleared the snow from the bike routes and so it was perfect, on the following day, to ride around the Untersberg, the great rocky mountain that looms over Salzburg and straddles the Austrian-German border. While buds were bursting out on the trees, and the woodland trails were lined with blossoms, the snowy peaks glistened white in the sunshine.

Plenty of others had the same idea, had hauled their bikes out of hibernation and were exercising muscles that, like their cycles, had little exercise during the winter. Alpine skiing doesn’t do much for the pedalling muscles – nor does it do much for the bits that in spring make renewed and painful contact with the saddle.

 

Signs of spring and snow

The only difficulty in the spring is to make a choice: shall we have one last run on the ski slopes, or get the cycling season off to a good start? The many active people of all ages here are currently facing this dilemma. But it is possible to do both, if you are really keen or just can’t make up your mind.

A perfect spring picnic a day after skiing