Day 81 - Emmett Shines on the Snowboard

Day 81 belonged to Emmett. Absolute legend.

We were up at 7am, keen to hit the slopes earlier than usual. To make that happen, we declared a schoolwork-free day for the kids. I ducked into a bit of work while breakfast, lunches, and the usual morning chaos unfolded. Emmett even ran down the road to grab Kia’s ski poles so she could give them a try. A small thing, but clutch.

Despite our good intentions, it was 10:30 by the time we were actually in the car. Slow morning, but we got there.

We tried our luck parking at the top again, but no dice. Ended up halfway down the hill. Maddie and Kia decided to put their ski boots on at the car and walk up, which made things lighter overall… but definitely tougher for them. Still, we made it up.

Just as we arrived, our Austrian hosts and the Norwegian family turned up and talked us into heading across to a different mountain with new blue runs. I was hesitant, but figured we may as well give it a crack.

We warmed up with one run on the familiar blue slope, then jumped on the T-hook, grabbed our bags, and made our way back down. We were still warming up before even getting on the gondola. The gondola itself was slow going: groups of four, only a handful running, lots of waiting.

The ride up was stunning. Cloud sitting low in the valley, mountain peaks poking through, sunshine overhead. Proper alpine stuff.

But once we got off, things got real.

To reach the next lift, we had to ski/snowboard across a steeply graded traverse. Skiers were fine. Snowboarders… not so much. Emmett and I walked part of it, scooted the rest, backpacks heavy with water bottles. We eventually made it to the T-hook.

Maddie and I went up together. Kia and Emmett followed. The T-hook was steeper than expected, but manageable. At the top, we dropped our bags, had lunch, and then scoped out the run.

Straight away we noticed the issue: the slope tilted downhill to the right the entire way, broken into three stages. And on that right-hand side? Nothing. Just a straight drop off the mountain.

Apparently, this was the easiest run up there.

The snow was fast. A thin soft layer on top, icy underneath. Speed built instantly, and any hesitation meant tumbling. First run down was cautious. Lots of stops. Lots of regrouping.

Second run? Faster. And way more terrifying.

I stacked it hard. Multiple times. My nerves were shot. Emmett wasn’t loving it either and the exposure on that edge messes with your head, especially when you’re still learning turns.

When we got back to the top, I waited for Kia and Emmett and said it straight: this isn’t for us yet. Kia was keen to push on, but we talked it through and agreed to head back.

Problem was… to leave, we had to go back down the same slope to reach the gondola.

It took ages. Maddie went ahead and waited at the gondola, and by the time we all got down, which was about 20 minutes later, she was understandably upset. Cold, waiting, wondering where we were.

Eventually we regrouped, gondola down, T-hook back up to our familiar hill.

I went straight to the tavern for a beer to calm the nerves. Maddie joined me. Then chaos struck again.

Emmett’s first solo T-hook attempt didn’t go to plan. He lost balance, fell, got tangled, and somehow his foot ripped clean out of his boot, which stayed attached to the snowboard and went springing up the mountain. Emmett went the opposite direction minus a boot.

Thankfully Kia was right behind him, hopped off, sorted the board, got the boot back on, and they worked their way back to the bottom before heading up again.

After a proper reset of sitting, chatting, breathing, we stuck to our hill.

And this is where Emmett turned it on.

He was carving effortlessly. Smooth turns, side to side, confidence building with every run. He nailed the T-hook again… and again… and again. One small misinterpretation of advice tipped him once, but we brushed it off. Learning curve. All good.

Then boof, straight to the top. Perfect.

Later, he had one more tumble when the T-hook yanked him too quickly. It was like a bull rider out of the chute! But honestly, that was just bad timing.

By mid-afternoon, a thick fog rolled in. Visibility dropped to about 20 metres, giving the mountain an eerie, mysterious vibe. Still, we rode right through until 4pm.

Back to the accommodation: dinner, movies, nervous systems settling. Our host popped by to look at a “broken” sink… turns out it wasn’t broken at all. Austrian sinks just work differently. There’s a little lever to release the plug. Who knew.

Easy fix.

Looking ahead, the plan is simple.

Stick to the hill we’re comfortable on. Get really good at it. Zero crashes. Confident turns. Then move to the next steeper hill. Once those two feel dialled, we’ll head back to the bigger mountain.

Another brilliant day. Watching the kids improve day after day is unreal. That’s the magic. And honestly, I’m loving every minute of it. Even the nerve-shredding ones.