I will sample one of the extended descents for which the Alps are famous. A cable car takes me to the top of the Alpspitz ski area. The slopes are deliciously uncrowded, and I relish the freedom of skiing alone. Unaccompanied by bantering buddies, I find myself schussing through a state of sensory enlightenment. Mountains tower bolder.
Skis carve louder.
The crisp air smells cleaner as it slaps exposed skin. I feel as though in nirvana. Then reality bites. About a third of the way down the mountain, the route reaches a painfully misplaced hill. To surmount the obstacle, the ski area installed a rope tow.