Kitzbühel, Austria, January 2003

In January 2003, we went to Kitzbühel in Austria to learn how to snowboard. We brought our own snowboards from Ireland.

Click each photo to enlarge

Due to their figures, McBear and Barnaby had to sit on the snowboards. It was Barnaby's first trip abroad, so he was nearly hyper!
It was freezing cold, but as polar bears, Roger and Bamse easily coped with the cold, and Barnaby with his long hair did as well, but McBear had to wear his scarf.

Bamse on the board

In spite of his age (40+), Bamse soon learned how to control the snowboard going down the slope.

Roger is here demostrating his elegant style controlling the snowboard down the slopes.

Passed out...

After the first training day, we were all exhausted and immediately passed out on the bed... well, that is, Roger, who is fit, was visualizing his great runs this day before also he fell asleep.

To get to the slopes down Kitzbüheler Horn, we took the cablecar every morning. Bamse brought his ski this morning. He remembered seing his human on ski back in 1967.

We stayed at the wonderful four star hotel, Tirolerhof just outside Kitzbühel. Roger and McBear met with local Tirol bears. They got very interested as McBear told them about TARF, so they deciced to found TARK - Toy Animals Right's of Kitzbühel. McBear helped them write a proposal for a constitution.

Celebrities

News spread in Kitzbühel of the Travelling Bears from Ireland. One of the days in Kitzbühel Town, we walked through a park and met several TA's. Roger used the opportunity to pose with the world famous Hahnenkamm in the background.
"We are both world famous, the Hahnenkamm and I", Roger claimed!

McBear and Roger are here seen with the Austrian flag and the top of Kitzbüheler Horn (2000 m) in the background. They were speculating on snowboarding from the top of Kitzbüheler Horn the last day of the holiday...!

Fit or not fit...

The last day McBear and Roger went snowboarding from the top of Kitzbüheler Horn. Poor McBear, however, is not as fit and athletic as Roger and stumbled. Roger was giving out to him for spending too much time in front of the computer. Roger thought he could hear the words "Get lost" from deep down the snow!

At the top of Kitzbüheler Horn the Austrians have built a large antenna. It was very, very cold this day, around minus 18 degrees Celsius!

Kitzbüheler Horn

McBear and Roger enjoyed the view from the top of Kitzbüheler Horn the last day...!