6: Snowboarding!

Thursday, December 23, 2010: Day 8
Kandern, DE
Feldberg, DE


Today, Becky and I drove Jayma's car 1 1/2 hours North-East to a ski resort on the mountain of Feldberg in the Black Forest of Germany.  While not part of the Alps, Feldberg is still the tallest non-Alps mountain in all of Germany, piercing the snowy sky with 1493 meters of earth and stone--so we still have something to brag about.  


Road conditions were slushy but still manageable.  On the free-for-all stretches of the Autobahn, tiny Audis and Mercedes passed us by at 150kph (!) while we adhered to a more weather-conscious pace of  100kph.  It was a little surprising how impatient some drivers were considering the conditions.  Amid all the traffic, Jon handled the stick-shift VW like a champ.


Once at the ski resort, we rented snowboards and boots for 20E each, and then purchased ski-lift passes for another 20E each (not too bad!).  To get on the lifts, one just swiped their card at the stadium-style entry gate.


We spent about an hour going up and down the bunny hill since it had been so long since either of us had snowboarded.  Jon felt at home right away, while it took Becky a little while to shed her chicken feathers.  After getting a little frustrated of weaving around little kids taking ski lessons, we headed over to the main lift and rode to the top of the mountain.


The views of the mountain range from the ski-lift were beautiful, and it was fun to watch skiers and other snowboarders wipe-out below us as we ascended.  The day was remarkably clear and surprisingly warm, allowing us to shed our third layer of clothes.  


After our passes expired--at 1pm--we grabbed our sandwiches and other snacks from the car and had a picnic outside the ski lodge.  With the 3E refunds that we got from returning our ski-lift cards, we bought cups of scalding hot glüwein and consumed it with our food.  It was fun to sit and German-people-watch while we ate.  American dance club music played over the loud speakers.


We left the park around 2:30pm and arrived back in Kandern around 4:30pm (dusk).  We stopped at the supermarket to get some more beer!  Back at home, we played 14 games of Gin Rummy and then went to bed.


Overall, a very satisfying day, full of adventure.  Snowboarding was such a good experience that we vowed to take at least another trip up to the Sierras once we got home in January. 

Jon showing Becky how to "hang ten".

Becky jammin'

Jon jammin'

Jon bustin' a move

Becky looking cute before boarding into the camera man :oP

Becky and the Black Forrest, from the ski lift.

Jon and the township of Feldberg, from the ski lift

In front of the ski lodge.  Old lady on the right had a lot to say to us about barking dog belonging to younger lady on the left.

Tasty snacks yield jolly spirits.

Practicing telepathy with Jon: "Do you want a slice of my tangerine?  The juice pockets are extra juicy." 

The trusty TomTom guidance device.  Without Tommyboy to show us the way, navigating the German interchanges would have been truly frustrating. 

Jon driving the VW on a mountain road, fatigued after a long day of fun and hard falls.

Becky selecting beers at the super market (there were so many to choose from!)

Becky having selected several beers at the supermarket (she got so many!)

Mild brain aneurism, induced by the overwhelming variety.  The really good, German beers were off-camera.