Zillertal

I’m on the famed Hintertux glacier (gletcher), 3,250 meters high in Zillertal, Austria.

It’s a blindingly sunny day. The snow is perfect. I wait patiently in line at the bottom of the long T-bar ride.

Hans is the liftie. He’s a large Austrian right out of central casting, orchestrating the loading from two converging queues.

“Achtung!” he bellows, followed by a lengthy blast of German only the homies could understood.

“Achtung!” gets my attention, which is the whole point of the word, isn’t it?

And I safely board the T-bar. Thanks, Hans.

The Tyrolean Alps stretch for as far as the eye can see.

The word, derived from the German verb achten (to pay attention to), was used in U2’s 1991 album “Achtung Baby.” That usage has given Achtung significant street creed for the past 35 years.

Does anyone out there remember Hogan’s Heroes, a blast from the TV past in the 1960s? Sergeant Hans Schultz, played by Austrian-born actor John Banner, is the lovable, bumbling Luftwaffe guard.

He used “Achtung” as a command for the American POWs to snap to attention.

Achtung, Baby!

***

And So it Begins

Walter Jr watches as the catering truck loads our soon-to-be departing airplane.

My journey gets underway on Feb. 4 at Denver International Airport, where Walter Jr and I board a Lufthansa non-stop flight to Munich.

While he has extensive passenger experience on Harleys, it’s his first time on an airplane. Walter Jr loves every moment, even though we are on an Airbus A350-900.

Blog note: I worked for 20 years at Boeing, Airbus’ only competitor. Airbus was the evil enemy for a time😆.

Hey, it’s a duopoly. We’ll figure out a way to co-exist.

Walter Jr doesn’t care what equipment he’s flying on, or who assembled it. He’s indifferent to who’s piloting the airplane (although screw you, Lufthansa flight crew, as you’ll learn later in this post).

Walter Jr just wants to be on his way to Europe.

Walter Jr pays close attention to the on-board safety announcements.

The nine hour and 35 minute flight encounters headwinds that even a twin-aisle jet can’t overcome. We’ll eventually arrive 25 minutes late. In all, 10 hours in the air.

Walter Jr is oblivious to details like that. He’s simply in awe of the marvel that is modern air travel.

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Wait … Isn’t This a Harley Blog?

Um, yes it is.

But I haven’t posted since last summer. My website (Riding With Gary: All Vroom, All the Time) is stale and in need of a refresh. If you’ve got content, post it.

OK, you may wonder, how did this Austrian ski adventure come about?

John looks right at home in downtown Mayrhofen.

My friend and neighbor, John Lund, is a retired attorney from Salt Lake City. He now lives in Carbondale, just down the street from me. John’s been doing these European ski trips for the past five years with his lawyer pals from Utah.

Last fall, he invited me along for the 2026 edition. Sure, John musta mused, let’s see if the old guy has anything left in the tank 🤪

With Sarah’s encouragement and blessing, it took about five minutes to say yes.

Until this week, my last European ski trip was 25 years ago, a journey to Meribel, part of France’s ginormous Les Trois Vallees. With 183 lifts, it’s the largest connected ski area in the world.

The place claims to have 370 miles of ski runs, and it holds special memories for me as the first place I skied outside of North America (1991).

Je ski, donc je suis. (I ski, therefore I am.)

On the road to the Zillertal Alps. Walter Jr keeps a watchful eye on John’s driving.

We’re now on the German Autobahn in a rented Audi A6 wagon, headed for Zillertal, in the Tyrolean Alps. The ski area is almost as freakishly large as Les Trois Vallees, but here the mother tongue is German, not French.

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About Zillertal

The Ziller River runs through Mayrhofen, where we’ll stay for the next week.

I would call it the Zillertal Valley, but that usage is incorrect. Followers of this blog know I hate imprecise language.

In German, tal means valley. So, Zillertal means Ziller valley.

“Zillertal Valley “ is unnecessarily redundant. There you go, word meisters.

Walter Jr, checking out the street life in downtown Mayrhofen.

Mayrhofen is the main city in Zillertal.

The name Mayrhofen originates from German, combining Mayer (steward, bailiff, or farm manager) and hof (court, farm, or estate). It refers to a “steward’s farm” or a settlement associated with an agricultural administrator, reflecting the region’s historical agrarian roots.

***

Send It!

We arrive in Mayrhofen after a two and a-half hour drive from Munich.

We’re staying at the Hotel Pramstaller, elegant lodging considerably nicer than anything I ever experience on Harley trips.

The next morning (Feb. 6), we begin the first of six skiing days. I purchase a Zillertal Superski pass (384 euros 💶 for six days) — roughly $450 US Dollars. For 180 lifts!

That’s about the cost of two days of skiing at my home mountain, Snowmass, Colorado. The superski pass gets you all the buses and public transport in the valley, which we’ll use quite a lot. And the most stunning views imaginable.

Here’s how the Zillertal marketing people describe it.

“With 142 perfectly groomed kilometres of slopes, 61 state-of-the-art lifts, and 89% of skiable terrain above 1,700 metres across the entire area on average. Thanks to cutting-edge snowmaking technology, perfect conditions from December to April are our promise to you. You’ll find a ski area that leaves nothing to be desired. Ahorn, Penken, Finkenberg, Rastkogel and Eggalm together form a diverse network of slopes that beginners, leisure skiers and seasoned pros will all enjoy in equal measure.”

Well, that’s marketing crap. I should know. I worked in PR.

The “perfect” conditions left a lot to be desired. Not exactly their fault, to be sure.

After a few weeks without snow ❄️, the conditions were ice-rinky. Fortunately, the gletcher saved the day for us, because the runs in that area generally avoided the freeze/thaw cycle prevalent in the rest of the valley.

Joel snaps a pic of Tom at the top of the glacier, 3250 metres high (10,663 feet).

One run we did not ski is Harakiri, on Mount Penken. At this point in today’s blog post, I’d love to show you John casually wedeling down the run. But my Carbondale friend is a little too smart for that.

The Harakiri is the most demanding slope in Zillertal. With a gradient of up to 78 percent, it’s for experts only. We watched some non-experts try it. It was quite hilarious to see them sideslipping down an almost vertical sheet of ice.

Nothing hilarious about this. Looking good, Tom.

John seems to be enjoying himself. The alpine air is good for the soul.

On the glacier. No idea what the sign says.

Nice jacket. Purple must be the in color.

Put on your gloves, zip up your jacket, put your phone away, and saddle up, Joel.

***

The Crew

There are 11 of us on this trip, including Walter Jr (how can you not include him?).

Five came from Colorado’s Roaring Fork Valley, the rest from Salt Lake City.

I felt an immediate affinity for the Utah gang, as I spent seven years there — attending the University of Utah (Go Utes!), and working at the Salt Lake Tribune for two years.

Here’s who’s who on the crew:

John. Without my connection to John, I wouldn’t be writing this, because I’d likely be sitting at home in Carbondale eating bon-bons. John’s got a huge heart, always giving back to his community, helping those less fortunate. He served on the HOA board at River Valley Ranch alongside me (he’s still doing it; I retired). John’s a long-time attorney, with very interesting stories to tell. Can wedel with the best of them.

***

Tom. A rarity in this group in that he’s still actively working, Tom co-chairs the litigation department at the same law firm (Parsons Behle) where John finished up his career. Looks way younger than he actually is (sunscreen, good genes, or both?). Married to an attorney who is now a juvenile court judge in Salt Lake City. Has the work/life balance thing totally figured out. Enjoys a good beer now and again. And again. Wears the same cool mirrored sunglasses as I do.

Two cool guys with nearly matching dark glasses. That’s Tom Barton on the left.

***

Harry. Excellent skier, life of the party, big personality. Often seen with a camera in his hand, though a bit camera-shy himself. Except for one on-going case he wouldn’t tell us about, he’s retired from the legal world, where he practiced family law. Harry was working on a brief in his spare time during our stay in Austria, more than likely in his own briefs. For the rest of us, like doing homework on a deadline. Is a published author and photographer (Ski magazine).

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Joel: A former ski racer growing up in La Crosse, Wisconsin, Joel is a blur on the slopes. Dude’s fast; his high school ski team won the state championship! Joel is a recently retired federal bankruptcy judge who practiced bankruptcy law before being appointed to the bench. He was a law school classmate of John’s at the University of Utah (have I said “Go Utes!” yet?).

Joel Marker, ready for a few glacial turns, at a non-glacial pace. Yes, that’s a Mount La Crosse ski pass on his parka. #WisconsinBling

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Gary D. Beginning with this trip, everyone calls him Gary D, to not be confused with Gary L (me!). Gary D is a retired attorney who practiced banking law at John and Tom’s law firm, and is the elder statesman on this trip (except me; I’m five years older than Gary D). He’s the epitome of laid back.

The Doctormans. Sam (with Mayrhofen Max), and Gary (with Walter Jr).

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Sam. If you noted a visual similarity in the pic above between Gary D and the young man next to him, it’s because they’re father and son. Sam works in banking, but don’t hit him up for a loan; he’s a behind-the-scenes, back room kind of guy. Sam is recovering from a skydiving accident he’s lucky to have survived.

Mary Jo. Joel’s wife, but that’s not her only claim to fame. Mary Jo taught at the prestigious Rowland Hall school in Salt Lake City for 27 years. Speaks Italian, loves to travel. Did not ski on this trip, but hiked all over the Ziller valley. A fitness maniac with a killer smile.

Mary Jo Marker. Her smile lights up a room.

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Julie. Another retired attorney, Julie was a long-time juvenile court judge in Salt Lake City. Oh, and she’s married to John. Julie also hiked all corners of the Ziller valley, along with Mary Jo. Interesting connection: when she was a judge, Julie mentored Tom’s wife, who now leads the Salt Lake juvenile judge corps.

Julie Lund and me enjoying a light moment on the Hintertux glacier.

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Fiona: Julie’s traveling companion, Fiona was at Carbondale’s world-famous Colorado Rocky Mountain School (CRMS) for many years as head of their culinary operations. Along with Julie and Mary Jo, she was part of the Mayrhofen girls’ hiking club. She skied the glacier for part of one day, and if that wasn’t enough of workout, then hiked down the mountain. Oof.

Fiona O’Donnell Pax goes pensive on us before dinner.

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Gary L. You can read about me on my blog’s “My Posse” page.

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Walter Jr. You can read about Walter Jr on my blog’s “My Posse” page, too. Yes, Walter Jr has his own internet presence.

Walter Jr enjoys the in-flight camera view from the A350’s tail, looking forward.

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That’s 11. But wait, there’s more.

Xaver. Pronounced “ZA-vuh,” he was our mountain guide for two days. One day on-piste, another day off-piste. Former ski racer, world-class skier, 37-year-old father of two. Runs his own one-man ski school (they do things differently in the alps). Has branded himself as the Ski Guru. Really fun guy. Full of life. Great hair!

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Maximillian. Walter Jr’s new BFF. Maximillian is a classic Austrian name. We’re gonna call him Mayrhofen Max for short. He’s a lovable bear with an “I ❤️Mayrhofen” sweater. I found him in a souvenir shop on my last day in Austria 🇦🇹.

Mayrhofen Max, a 28 Euro friend for Walter Jr and for me.

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Walter Tours Downtown Mayrhofen

Wednesday was our last day In Mayrhofen. I’d had plenty of skiing this week, so I took a day off to squire Walter Jr around town.

I’ll have lots of snow time when I get home — 10 days in a row scheduled to teach at Snowmass. Beginning tomorrow! Missing a day of skiing is not tragic.

Here are some snaps of my grey wolf buddy exploring downtown Mayrhofen.

On the main shopping street in Mayrhofen.

At a ski shop, checking out the merchandise.

The Main Street is dottted with ski schools. It’s a different business model than at US resorts.

Walter Jr seems to be interested in a lesson. Can I help you, buddy?

At the base of the Penkenbahn lift, Walter Jr contemplates the mountain map.

Keeping an eye on the gondola cars at the base of the Penkenbahn.

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A Traveler’s Nightmare

For tens of thousands of travelers across Europe and beyond (including John, Julie, and me), Feb. 12 is a day of grounded dreams and logistical nightmares.

What began as a simmering pension dispute with flight and cabin crews has boiled over into a coordinated 24-hour strike, leaving Lufthansa’s primary hubs in Frankfurt, Munich, Hamburg and Berlin eerily quiet while departure boards glow with the dreaded red text of “Cancelled.”

We learned of this shitstorm mid-day yesterday after receiving a text from Lufthansa, telling us our flight had been cancelled. Are you freakin’ kidding me?

The strike has effectively paralyzed the German flag carrier’s mainline operations. Screw you, Lufthansa.

The cancellations are affecting an estimated 200,000 passengers. Imagine trying to get through to Lufthansa customer service to rebook 😆. It wasn’t easy.

Screw you, Lufthansa🖕

***

A Silver Lining

The 787: Completing my Boeing airplane bingo card.

The good news about the strike, if there was any: I was eventually rebooked on a United flight from Munich to Chicago and on to Denver. I’m on that flight right now.

Instead of Lufthansa’s A350 nonstop to Denver, I’m going Boeing 787! So what if it stops at O’Hare for a three-hour layover and connection.

The 787 Dreamliner is Boeing’s long-range state-of-the art twin-aisle jetliner, and until today, I’d never flown on one. I was once a bit of an aviation nerd. It’s good to be able to finally complete my Boeing airplane bingo card — 707, 727, 737, 747, 757, 767, 777, and now 787. I’ve flown on them all!

Walter Jr keeps an eye on our United 787 before we board it.

The 787 program was launched in 2004, when Sarah and I both still worked for the big ol’ airplane company.

After a shit-ton of expensive delays, billions in write-offs, unforced errors, self-inflicted wounds, branding nightmares, and a very troubled beginning, the 787 entered operational service in 2011.

Fifteen years later, I finally get my first ride.

***

As I write this, I’m sitting in seat 39D (aisle), en route to Chicago from Munich.

I’ve written this entire missive on my iPhone, mid-flight, fat fingers tapping away for your entertainment pleasure. You’re welcome.

As I reflect on the past week, I owe some big thanks:

Thank you to Sarah for giving me yet another hall pass (she does it every summer for my Harley trips).

Thank you to John, for inviting me to join his team.

And, thank you to John’s attorney buddies for being so welcoming — Tom, Harry, Joel, and Gary D. I am, after all, a foreign object inserted into their well-oiled travel machine.

I’m fine being the token non-lawyer in the group. I now know who to call if I ever get into trouble.

***

Post Script, and Awards

I’m gonna wrap up this post with a few awards. These honors are completely subjective, but hey, it’s my blog. I’m the final arbiter of good taste.

Best Ski Run: Anything on the glacier. The glacier was a godsend this week: without it, we would have been in ice rink mode all over Zillertal — everything but the Zamboni. Ice, ice, baby.

At the Hintertux glacier’s viewing area. That’s the Olperer peak in the background — 11,404 feet high.

Best Meal: Our final night as a party of 10, at the Perauer Hotel, a 15-minute walk from the Pramstraller. It’s the Number 1 restaurant in Mayrhofen, as judged by both Yelp and TripAdvisor. From ambience to service to presentation, and of course, food — our entire two hours was a chef’s kiss 🧑‍🍳

Julie and Fiona look over the menu at the Perauer Hotel restaurant. They settled on sharing fondue.

My barbecued veal ribs, potatoes (kartoffels), and cole slaw. Best meal of the week.

My signature “ribs-are-all-gone” move. Followers of this blog have seen this before.

Julie gets a fork full of fondue cheese.

Best Dessert: Gotta be Streudel. Apple Streudel. Pretty sure I had six separate servings, at six different settings, including the Munich airport this morning. All were memorable. Sarah has enticed me to come home by promising to find a Streudel recipe and make it for my birthday 🎂 in two weeks.

Best Schnitzel: Hard to say. I think I had five of them, two at lunch and three dinners. I promised myself I wouldn’t leave any schnitzel on the table, and I didn’t.

Best Memory: A beautiful 20-something German college student from Stuttgart I rode with on the chairlift one day. She said exuberantly, “I love your purple jacket. It’s beautiful.” Back atcha, fraulein. John was with me and can vouch for this story.

Love the purple parka. Ees beautiful, ya?

Best Acquisition: Walter Jr’s new BFF, Maximillian (a classic Austrian name), who I found while souvenir shopping just yesterday. We’ll call him Mayrhofen Max, for short. A great use of the last 28 Euros 💶 in my pocket.

Mayrhofen Max relaxes with a Pils before dinner.

Best Photobomb: On the Hintertux glacier, where all good things are possible, Fiona added a special touch, making her only day on skis 💯 percent worthwhile.

Best Five-course Dinner: The Hotel Pramstraller, where we ate last night. If you’re on the “half-board” program (I wasn’t), you get the five-course treatment every night!

Course #2 of our five-course dinner: carrot ginger soup. Other courses Wednesday night included salad, prawn and avocado mash, schnitzel and fries, and ice cream with fruit.

Best New (for me) Drink: Bombardino. A magical mix of Italian egg liquor (Advocatt) and brandy. Served hot with whipped cream on top, and garnished with cinnamon or cocoa powder. Very popular in Italy, especially at ski resorts.