Week 120: Softball in Attnang and Cross-Country Skiing in Gosau
With big back-to-back trips in January, our posting schedule has been a little off in 2023. Our goal of a weekly Sunday post has started to become a Wednesday post. So in an effort to get back on track, here is a quick rundown of what went down in weeks 119 and 120.
We picked up our new visa cards which will enable me to work full-time in Austria instead of only freelancing. One of my best friends had her new baby girl. We solidified plans for a few more trips coming up in the spring and summer. I joined an Austrian softball team(!!!) and we went cross-country skiing in Gosau!
Sunset on Friday
Eric standing on the dock
Standing on the dock admiring the sunset
Austria is not a mecca for softball like other places around the world. I did not even know it existed here until a month ago. I found out the coach for the Austrian national team is American and, after going down a rabbit hole of information attempting to learn more about Austrian softball, I found a team-based 15 minutes from Gmunden in a town called Attnang-Puchheim! I met with the coach in week 119 and I practiced with the team twice in the last two weeks. Given my experience and the current coach and manager’s goals for the team, I will most likely take on a coaching role. Coaching a German-speaking team in English should be interesting…
The Attnang-Puchheim Softball field
I am excited for the opportunity to play softball again, to meet more people and make new friendships, and hopefully to help grow the game in Austria!
We learned to cross-country ski in Finland in Week 115 and we got to try it out in Austria in week 120.
We drove to Gosau, a village we have been to several times for hiking and climbing. Surprisingly, it is one of the largest cross-country skiing areas in Upper Austria, along with the Kasberg and Hinterstoder; both of which we have skied at.
As we were approaching the village, we saw a helicopter doing full upside-down spins. A bit concerned at first thinking we were about to witness a helicopter crash, it turned out to be a Red Bull extreme stunt.
The Dachstein mountains from Gosau
After a pitstop at Sport Jirka Verleih to pick up our rental boots and skis, we hit the trails.
Of the 21.75 miles of cross-country ski trails running through the valley of Gosau, we followed the "Kohlstatt" trail, a fairly flat, and easy trail.
Eric cross-country skiing in Gosau
We took our first unsteady steps onto the trail and, with each stride, we began to glide along the icy tracks. It is a liberating feeling until you hit a part of the trail that has lost its tracks or you begin descending down a slope with the realization that you cannot stop. Supposedly this is the norm for cross-country skiing. It is a constant balance of feeling like you could fall at any moment while standing on two 50mm wide, long, boards. I fell once and immediately got back up without feeling too much like a turtle or beetle stuck on its back.
At the halfway point, we stopped at a hut for a drink and a slice of cake.
Eric cross-country skiing in Gosau
At one point on our way back, I struggled to get the boot to clip into the ski and after 5 minutes and 25 frustrating attempts, Eric came over and helped. As we were both starting to ski away, I saw and heard a man clapping for us in the distance happy that we figured it out.
This sport activates 95% of your muscles. It requires the endurance of a runner, the mental toughness of a hiker, and the stamina of a rower, making this one of the toughest sports, but also one of the best for your health.
