By Jack Coombs
This semester, I’m studying abroad in Vienna, Austria. The program I am in takes students to a ski resort in the Alps called Saalbach-Hinterglemm for the first week of being in Europe. I have been skiing and snowboarding since I was a little kid, and have been lucky enough to check out some great ski areas in the U.S. (specifically Colorado). However, I have learned that nothing compares to the Alps. Here are a few of my favorite photos from the week.
We took three trains and a bus to get to this town called Zell am See, where we would then take one more bus to the ski base. There was a gorgeous lake right in the middle of the valley, surrounded by mountains.
In order to reach our hotel, we took a gondola ride to the top and walked for about 15 minutes on a ski trail. Footing was a tad difficult, but the view was incredible.
As we moved into our accommodations, I looked outside and saw this jaw-dropping view of the mountains from my balcony.
The conditions were prime for skiing, but the runs were so long that sometimes we were exhausted halfway down. This is when our group would just take a moment to appreciate the surrounding area. We would look out from the run and see these beautiful mountains, as far as the eye could see.
The food was also delicious. Traditional Austrian food with an incredible view as an extra side dish.
At the end of the week, a deep fog rolled into the mountains. I was able to snag this as the sun was just peeking through.
Much of my work for The Spread this semester will be documenting my time in Europe through photo galleries. If you enjoyed this, there is much more to come!
All images are originals by Jack Coombs.
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