Getting back to business on the slopes

My first ski of the new season high up on an Austrian glacier proved a liberating experience. This was my first run for 19 months – I missed the entire season last year because I needed emergency knee surgery after a mountain-biking accident. Such a long time away from the slopes leads to self-doubt, so I took my old friend David (we completed our ski-instructor courses together many moons ago) for reassurance. We headed for the Rettenbach glacier, where skiing is virtually guaranteed from October until May. The modern eight-person gondolas swayed gently in the breeze as we made our way to the 10,663ft glacier, which crowns the expansive ski area of Solden at the head of the impressive Otztal valley in Tyrol. With some trepidation, I clicked into the ski bindings, took in the fresh mountain air and then pushed off. Neil and Daniel and the cut-out of Bode Miller above the Tiefenbach glacier Neil, left, and Daniel and the cut-out of Bode Miller above the Tiefenbach glacier Skidding into my first few turns helped me to feel the conditions under foot and check that my knee could stand a degree of strain. Gradually I took on more speed and started to carve some turns, driving more pressure through the joints. I was far from my comfort zone for several runs – the steepest sections of the World Cup giant slalom course (the opening race of the season was staged here just before our arrival) were particularly challenging. But during one quick break, David told me: ‘Try to forget the knee, mate. Just rip down and enjoy it.’ On the slopes the snow had started to soften in the early November sun, making the surface a little uncertain. Setting the edges and powering through whatever came my way, I picked an aggressive line, turning on instinct, with adrenaline kicking in like a turbo in a car. It felt great – and best of all, my knee didn’t hurt. Local instructor Daniel, who was skiing with us, said: ‘Best run of the day, Neil. I love it when I see English people who ski better than the Germans.’ I told Daniel he had just become my favourite ski instructor! After a hearty meal of pork schnitzel in the large restaurant at the base of the Rettenbach glacier, we headed back to the top and skied through a man-made tunnel that links the Rettenbach with another of Solden’s skiable glaciers, the Tiefenbach. A hatful of good runs on this side complete the 23 miles of pistes that kept us busy for two full days. The snow held up well until late afternoon, and even during a gale our gondolas stayed operational when lifts on the neighbouring Hintertux and Stubai glaciers were closed. While Solden’s glaciers boast two black runs and the steep World Cup giant slalom course, the most unnerving thing I found up there was a viewing platform suspended at 10,663ft over the yawning crevasses of the Tiefenbach. And it was certainly strange to come face-to-face with a lifesize cut-out of Bode Miller, the USA’s Olympic gold medallist, at the end of it. Bode’s headgear is sponsored by Solden, and the US ski team use the resort as their European training ground. Solden is a lively town full of bars, clubs, restaurants and shops. My favourite place was a giant beer tent called the Sonne Umbrella. After dinner, the Gosser draught beer was rather tasty, but beware the little bottles of Zirbenschnaps staff try to sell with every drink. David and I stayed in the four-star Aqua Dome hotel in the small village of Langenfeld, nine miles from Solden. The hotel was exactly what I required – a peaceful sanctuary with a range of contemporary spa facilities to soothe my aching body. The saunas and the vast series of surreal-looking indoor and outdoor thermal pools featuring massage jets certainly worked wonders on my muscles, especially around my knee. But I must also mention the rapid waterslide which propels users through blacked-out tunnels into a plunge pool at the bottom – to the huge amusement of onlookers. The hotel bus shuttles skiers to and from the lifts each day, but even if you prefer to stay in Solden itself, Langenfeld is definitely worth an apres-ski excursion on at least one of your evenings. Though the hotel’s buffet-style food – ranging from healthy soups, salads and fish to the more typical meat fest – was good, I must recommend the fine dining we discovered at Vinorant in Langenfeld. It was one of the best restaurants I’ve experienced in Austria.