About the Alps

You might not have made it to the Alps this winter, but don't worry. We have a report from Colorado Springs native Andrew Kimmell, a snowboarder who recently checked out Austria with other riders from the University of Colorado.
Kimmell, who boarded Ischgl (in photo), Stubai and St. Anton, gives us this report:
"Everyone over there must be OVER riding powder because they stay on the icy groomed runs only. I'm not exactly sure why but there were people who would stop and watch the group of us looking for fresh lines and wonder what we were doing. "
And how about vertical? "The Alps have a crazy amount of vertical rise in much shorter of a distance. Free riding is much more fun over there."
Could you tell you were at Austrian resorts? "The atmosphere at the resorts is a little different. In general, people were much less courteous in lift lines. It was something of a free-for-all. I like it that way, though. You just keep moving and no one gets mad if you cut them off because it's likely the person ahead of you just cut you off."
The best place: "Ischgl was by far my favorite. It was probably the best powder day I have ever had. Everywhere you looked, there were huge fields of fresh snow.
- Deb