Day 85 - Friday the 13th, Fresh Snow & Firelight in Scharnstein
Day 85. Friday the 13th. And it turned out to be a beauty.
We all rolled out of bed around 7am. With it staying dark until about 7:30, it’s hard to get going any earlier. Winter mornings here in Scharnstein feel slow and still. No rush. Just cold air and quiet hills.
Straight into breakfast and coffees. The kids and I have been loving ham and cheese toasted sandwiches in the mornings. Warm, filling, simple. Proper ski fuel.
I jumped on the laptop and saw that one of my plans had come back from drafting. No point diving into it straight away. That could wait for the weekend. Kia and I were keen to get out for a walk before hitting the slopes, so we left the screens behind and headed out along the rural roads.
We love those walks. It’s peaceful. Farms, paddocks, timber houses, alpine backdrops. The snow down in the valley has mostly melted now, which is a shame, but everything is bright green and alive. It feels very Austrian countryside. Quiet. Grounded. Just the two of us walking and chatting before the chaos of ski boots and chairlifts.
The kids knocked over their schoolwork and by around 11:30 we had lunches packed and the car loaded. Back up the mountain.
Just like yesterday, hardly any cars in the car park. We snagged a spot right near the gondola again. Kia and Maddie were pumped about that.
It was a bit miserable at the bottom. Grey skies, damp air. But up top there’d been fresh snow. Not a heap, but enough to freshen things up. Then it started snowing again. Light at first. Then heavier.
We smashed our lunch quickly, threw our bags down and hit the slopes.
The right side was still icy, with a thin layer of new snow over the top. That slightly sketchy, edge-holding kind of surface. We did a few runs there while Kia rebuilt her confidence after a few days off. It doesn’t take long, but that first run always feels awkward.
Then we shifted back to the left side where the snow was softer and way more fun. It was the usual rhythm. Up. Down. Up. Down. Just lap after lap.
Emmett and Maddie have come so far this week. They were exploring little tracks off to the sides and testing themselves. Emmett was especially keen to try jumping.
We found a small bump near the bottom. Tiny, but enough to get a bit of air. He was flying. I had a crack too and managed to get myself off the ground. Nothing stylish, but airborne nonetheless.
Before we knew it, 3:30pm rolled around and it was time to pack it in.
On the way home we stopped at Billa to grab a few bits and pieces. We were heading to our Austrian hosts’ place for a traditional BBQ.
This wasn’t your typical Aussie backyard setup. This was open fire cooking. Long sticks. Raw sausages. You hold them over the flames and slowly cook them, turning them carefully. Once cooked, you wrap the sausage in dough and cook that over the fire as well until it goes golden and crispy.
They call it Würstel im Stockbrot — literally sausage in stick-bread. The bread cooked on a stick is known as Stockbrot, and when you wrap it around a sausage and roast it over the fire, you end up with the ultimate winter campfire meal.
Simple. Rustic. Absolutely delicious.
The kids loved making their own. There’s something special about cooking your dinner over an open flame.
Then came marshmallows. Then chasing games in the dark. Cold cheeks. Big laughs.
It was a freezing night. Blankets came out. Kia and I sat chatting with the Norwegian mum and Austrian mum while the kids ran wild. Proper slow conversation. No phones. Just firelight and stories.
Then came the Glühwein.
Glühwein is traditional mulled wine. Red wine gently heated with spices like cinnamon, cloves and citrus. Served warm. It’s a winter staple across Austria, especially around Christmas markets. It warms you from the inside out.
We followed it up with tea, trying to stay warm as the night rolled on.
By the time we left, it was around 10pm. A huge day. Rural walks. Fresh snow. Little jumps. Open fires. New friendships.
Friday the 13th might have a reputation.
But this one was magic.
