Secrets of the Greatest Snow on Earth at the University of Innsbruck

I'm approaching the half-way point of our stay in Tyrol.  One of my responsibilities as a Guest Professor is to present a "public lecture" as a way to introduce myself to the Department of Atmospheric and Cryospheric Sciences as well as the wider University community.  I decided to adapt my "Secrets of the Greatest Snow on Earth" talk to a Tyrolean audience.  

Although the talk had some similarities to the versions I've given in Utah, significant modifications were needed.   The Greatest Snow on Earth slogan is well known in North America, but most people in Innsbruck have never heard of it.  I had to introduce the slogan, and how it is put on everything from web sites to license plates, providing an opportunity for a little humor by imagining what might have happened if Tyrol had come up with it first.   

To introduce everyone to Utah skiing I decided to compare the history of skiing in Austria with Utah. There are some great parallels here.  Austria has a very long and rich history with Alpine skiing, with St. Anton and the Arlberg region known (and marketed) as the "cradle" or birthplace of Alpine skiing.  One reason for this is that Hannes Schneider, who was born in the village of Stuben in the Arlberg, was a pioneering Alpine skier who developed the Arlberg technique there, a system for teaching skiers how to progress from wedge to parallel skiing that revolutionized ski instruction in the early 20th century.  

For comparison, Utah has a very long and rich history with deep-powder skiing, especially at Alta where many people, including the Alf Engen, Dick Durrance, and Junior Bounous were developing the techniques to ski the steep and deep.  Here are a couple of slides discussing these two rich regional ski histories.  

The turnout was great with probably about 100 people attending.  And they really know how to celebrate and make a visitor feel welcome.  After answering questions for about 15 minutes the regional wines and local beer were rolled in and we had a great social hour. 

Much thanks to the Department of Atmospheric and Cryospheric Sciences and the Mountain Regions Research Area for hosting the event.