4. Asitz Skitour Race – Vertical Kurz (400 HM, 2.5 km)
Vertical Skitour Racing (Source: International Ski Mountaineering Federation) I had a panic attack in the gondola. Just a minor one, where my heart started racing and that feeling of helplessness swept over me. With Luca (right) and Anton Palzer (Austrian ski touring king!) The race started at 6 pm, after the slopes were free of the daytime skiers, the course could be marked, and the sun set behind the mountains welcoming darkness over the valley. This last point was the instigator for the panic. It was so dark in the gondola that I could barely see the faces of the people sitting just feet in front of me. The tall evergreens zipping by were a blur and the ground below was indiscernible. What if I get lost? What if my headlamp batteries die out? What if I can’t finish the race, have to stop, and freeze to death out here because no one can find me in this blackness?!? Crossing the Finish Luca was with me. My daughter’s 17-year-old boyfriend. He’d also n...