Catching Up and Looking Back

I've been unable to prepare a blog post in a few days, so it's time to catch up on several subjects.

AMS 100

I've been away from Utah for several days attending the Annual Meeting of the American Meteorological Society (AMS).  It is a noteworthy meeting as it is the 100th anniversary of the AMS.  When the AMS began, routine upper-air observations did not exist and the concepts of upper-level waves and the jet stream weren't developed.  Digital computers hadn't even been invented.  Radar wasn't invented.  Wireless radio communication was in its infancy.  Today, we observe the atmosphere from space, surface observations are ubiquitous and shared instantaneously, we get near instantaneous information about storms using radars, and some of the world's biggest computers are dedicated to weather prediction.  It is clear that meteorology has made incredible progress over the last century and that we should be excited about the next 100 years.

Alta 100 and Steenburgh Winter

During my absence, the snow has continued to fall in Utah. Alta reached a 100" snow depth at 1900 MST January 11. 

Technically, that might be a 96" snow depth as last summer the automated sensor was reading 4" when there was no snow on the ground.  I'm not sure if Alta has recalibrated it yet, but we'll assume the current reading is close enough for government work and will call it an even 100. 

That observation also means we'll have a full month of Steenburgh Winter this season.  Steenburgh Winter is the crème de la crème of backcountry skiing conditions with a deep snowpack (i.e., > 100" or 250 cm) and a low angle sun (i.e., the period prior to February 10 when the sun angle and day length are starting to increase rapidly).  All of this is of course a bit vain and contrived, but this is a blog about snow snobbery and the backcountry cognoscenti know that a deep snowpack and frequent snowfalls in December, January, and February enable more days of good skiing on more aspects than they do in March and April when the sun has an increasingly caustic effect on the snow. 

Steenburgh Effect

I didn't name this, but if you believe in it, I've been gone for some time and it's been snowing.  I return late tonight and after a last gasp of heavy snow very late Thursday night and Friday, there will be a break for a few days.  Coincidence? I think not.

Austria

One year ago today, Andrea and I arrived in Innsbruck to begin a semester as a Fulbright Visiting Professor at the University of Innsbruck.  We arrived to a Tyrolean winter wonderland as a major storm cycle had just ended in the northern Alps.

It was a great trip and it is likely that I'll do some reminiscing during posts in future months.

And So It Ends

Our nearly six-month residency in the Tyrol came to an end last weekend as we left Innsbruck, spent a night in Munich, and returned home to Salt Lake City.  Our entire time there was like a dream, exceeding expectations in every way.

Having given my last lecture on Tuesday and finished grading on Wednesday, our last two days in Innsbruck involved packing and spending some time enjoying and reminiscing about the scenery and the city.

On Saturday, we departed for Munich.  Six months previously, we unloaded our gear on a cold winter's day and sat on the sidewalk pictured below hoping our landlady would actually show up and give us a place to stay that night (she did and was a wonderful host).  Once again, we were on the street and hoping all would go well, which it did (and this time, Delta didn't lose any bags).  As we did for the trip out here, we packed carefully right to the limit of what Delta would allow with checked bags and carryons.

We spent the afternoon in Munich and did a long stroll through Englisch Park, which is a great urban park.  There is a river that runs through it that has just the right current for a long float, which many were doing due to the heat.  There's even a surf spot.

No trip to Munich is complete without a stop at one of the breweries.  

And for us, a final schnapps.

I've mostly been blogging about our experiences in Tyrol, but from a work perspective, I had a very rewarding experience as well.  I taught three classes, all at the graduate level.  The first was a survey of cool-season (i.e., winter) precipitation, the second was an english writing class, and the third weather briefing (co-taught with one of my University of Innsbruck colleagues).  I probably learned more preparing and teaching these classes than my students did taking them.  What a great experience, and I come hope with increased knowledge of Alpine and European meteorology, as well as materials that I can use in courses at the University of Utah.  I also have new friends and collaborators for future science adventures.

Finally, the Fulbright program really provided a great experience.  I really enjoyed the two group meetings of Fubright scholars and students in Vienna and Strobl as it allowed me to see the remarkable breadth of work being done by the program in areas I am rarely exposed to (e.g., Austrian-American studies).

And with that, our Austrian adventure ends.  The Wasatch Weather Weenies now returns to its regularly scheduled programming.  Has the Steenburgh Effect returned with me?  We will see next winter.

Some Perspectives on Austrian Society

Austrian society is very egalitarian, except in a lift line where it is survival of the fittest!

My time in Austria is nearing an end.  After just over five months here, there are a few things that are noticeably different from the United States.  In particular, poverty and homelessness are less apparent. At the same time, extreme wealth, at least in the form of trophy homes and the like, is also less evident.  Crime of all types, but especially violent crime, seems to be much lower. 

Although there are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics, I thought it might be interesting to look at some statistics from the two countries to see if my impressions are reasonable.  You should be aware that I am wading deeply here into areas well outside my expertise, and that economic and social statistics are very dependent on the assumptions used to create them, but here goes anyway. 

Poverty and Wealth
According to the World Bank, the percentage of the population living below the national poverty line is 3% in Austria and 12.3% in the United States.    Crédit Suisse data indicates that median wealth per adult in Austria is $70,074, compared to $61,667 in the United States, whereas mean weather per adult in Austria is $231,368 compared to $403,974 in the United States.   Such numbers are consistent with my observation of less poverty and less extreme wealth.

Homelessness
According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, homelessness as a percentage of the total population is nearly the same in Austria (.17%) as in the United States (.18%).  There are differences in who are included as homeless in the statistics from the country, and in fact the Austrian statistics do not include people "living in the rough."  Here, perhaps my perspective is strongly skewed by my residence in a relatively small city, Innsbruck, where a 0.17% homeless rate would equate to less than 400 homeless individuals who may not be highly concentrated in the areas I travel through. 

Crime
It must be incredibly difficult to put together an index for crime.  There's everything from petty theft to homicide.  There's the issue of crimes sometimes going unreported.  Most crime rate indices that I could find suggest that crime rates are lower in Austria than the United States.  Regarding more serious crime, the UN Office on Drugs and Crimes reports a rate of 0.66 intentional murders per 100,000 people in Austria compared to 5.35 in the United States. 

Summary
Austria is a remarkably safe country with noticeably less poverty and income disparity than the United States.  Of course, Austria is not a panacea either and there are challenges like elsewhere.  The government here "crumbled" after the so-caled Ibiza-gate scandal that is such a mess that I'll simply provide a link to a BBC summary.   While imperfect, it is a country and a society to admire in many ways. 

Perspectives on Higher Education from Austria

My cool-season precipitation class at the University of Innsbruck.

After a few months in Innsbruck, I'm slowly but surely getting a handle on the similarities and differences between higher education in Austria and the United States.  I should note that these are based on the orientation I received as part of my Fulbright award, interactions with faculty and students at the University of Innsbruck, and discussions with Austrian and American Fulbright students last weekend in Strobl.  While this yields more informed impressions than I could receive in the US, my education is still incomplete and based on a small sample size, which you should keep in mind as you read further. 

Perhaps the most significant difference between higher education in Austria and the US is cost.  Austrian Universities are tuition free through the master's level (within a reasonable time period).  Not all Austrians can go to University, but those who can and do face much lower financial burdens than US students. 

On the other hand, in Austria there is less experimentation to find a major, advising is more limited, and student-to-faculty ratios are higher.  U.S. higher education is costly to the student, but has a more customer-service oriented approach.  The Austrian system seems to be more sink or swim. 

Austrian universities focus on education.  There are some extracurricular opportunities to be had, but they are relatively limited.  They don't spend millions on sports stadiums.  You also won't find a giant bookstore here pedaling University branded clothing.  In fact, it was only this week that I saw a t-shirt downtown with the University of Innsbruck logo on it, and this was at a tourist shop in the old town.

Yes, it says since 1669.  This year is the University of Innsbruck's 350th anniversary.  That sounds impressive, until you learn that the University of Vienna was established in 1365.

Finally, students here at the University of Innsbruck are less stressed than American students.  I thought this might just reflect the small sample of students I am interacting with, but my Fulbright colleagues made similar observations at their institutions. I think, however, that there is more to it than low cost.  One can thrive here with out a car (although housing expenses are high).  Materialism is lower.  Cultural expectations seem to emphasize life experiences and balance.  Social time is prioritized.  This should not be interpreted as lack of commitment and motivation.  The young scientists and faculty here are very dedicated and hard working. 

The above is simply some reflections and not an endorsement of one system over the other.  I do think that public higher education and vocational training in the U.S. needs to be less expensive and more accessible than it is today. 

Work, Snow, and Skiing

It's a little known fact that I am doing work (if you want to call it that) while in Austria.  The past three days I attended the Fulbright-Austria Seminar in American Studies in Strobl.  Strobl sits on a lovely Alpine lake and, like everywhere in Austria, the setting was beautiful.

The meeting offered the opportunity for me to interact with American students who have been in Austria the past several months, Austrian students who are going to the United States this summer, and other Fulbright scholars.  The subject areas were generally well outside my discipline, covering all sorts of topics regarding everything from terrorism and tourism to American culture and LGBTQ issues.  The attendees, especially the students, were extremely bright and engaging and it made for stimulating discussion during organized discussion periods, but also meals. 

I was asked to give a talk on climate change and its impacts on Austria, which turned out to be a great assignment since I was able to do research on the subject at the European Geophysical Union meeting in Vienna a couple of weeks ago.  I could also tap into the tremendous talent that exists in snow and glacier science at the University of Innsbruck, and my experiences and photos from the Alps over the past few months.  Below are a few slides, cherry picked from the talk. 

A primary goal of the Fulbright program is "to improve intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of the United States and other countries through the exchange of persons, knowledge, and skills."  My visit to Austria not only enabled me to acquire the scientific knowledge needed to give the talk, but also the ability to deliver it with a more personal perspective with understanding of the importance of the Alps and winter sports for Austrian culture and identity.  I was very humbled when one of the attendees, a native of the Alpine region, told me he was impressed at how I humanized the talk.  I don't think that would have been possible without having had the experiences I have had over the past few months. 

I am now back in Innsbruck and working on course materials for the last part of the semester.  It is snowing all the way to the Inn valley floor below 600 meters.  The mountains are seeing serious dumpage.  Below is the snowpack summary from avalanche.report and a photo from Seegrube at about 1900 meters.

Source: avalanche.report

Source: bergfex.com

I wish I was skiing, but open lift-served terrain is now all above treeline, I couldn't find a partner for touring, and places where I would be inclined to ski solo are now not bus served.  I shouldn't complain.  My son arrives on Monday and we should have a very healthy and replenished mid- and upper-elevation snowpack once the weather improves. 

Cinque Terre

The highlight of our adventures in Italy was a visit to Cinque Terre, a coastal area of northwest Italy that encompasses five villages: Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore.  Photos of these colorful villages perched in precarious locations along the Mediterranean Sea are iconic and well recognized.  Below is Vernazza where we stayed a couple of nights. 

The villages are connected by rail, boat, and an extensive network of hiking trails, enabling all kinds of trecking adventures.  It's about as much fun as you can have shouldering a pack in the morning and seeing where you end up.  

First the villages.  Colorful.  Beautiful.  Historical.  

Although it is possible to drive to near the villages, they are mainly devoid of cars.  The buildings are built and molded onto rugged terrain.  Village exploration involves canyoneering Italian style.  For the most part you are walking through narrow alleys and up and down steep stairs, looking for something to hold onto. 

To access our room, we ascended a long stairwell with a 45 degree incline to get to the front door.  After entering, we then ascended a 50 degree stairwell to get to the room.  We were grateful we travelled light and that our knees weren't cranky.  There's good money to be had by young studs who carry oversized luggage to and from rental properties in the area!

The stairs from the train station to the village of Corniglia is an Italian version of Walter's Wiggles in Zion National Park.  

The hiking in the region is really wonderful.  You can stick to coastal trails (mainly closed for repair while we were there except the route from Monterosso to Vernazza which we enjoyed) or venture into the hills, olive groves, and vineyards.  Below are a few photos of our route from Manarola to Corniglia via the mountain town of Volastra.

The landscape in the region has been transformed over hundreds of years to support agriculture, with heavy terracing.  

In modern times, there are monorail "trains" that workers use to ascend the landscape.  

We didn't take a video, but here's an example from YouTube.

We were fortunate to visit during the shoulder season as we've heard the high season is insane.  For our visit, mornings and evenings were relatively quiet in Vernazza, but venturing about, things got busy during the day.  

We are now back in Innsbruck working and recuperating, trying to figure out what to do next.  So many options, so little time...

Roman Catholic Via Ferrata

Austrian Universities take their holidays seriously and the two-week mid-semester Easter Break begins this week at the University of Innsbruck.  This is the best opportunity we have to do a bit of traveling beyond the Tirol and we are currently in Florence, Italy attempting to get cultured. 

One of the major attractions is the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiora, known more widely as the "Duomo."  Pretty incredible place inside and out. 

One can climb up through the Duomo, which is a sort of Roman Catholic Via Ferrata.  No harness needed, but the 500 stairs and narrow passageways add to the medieval feel.

My idea of culture is weissbier and gröstl at a gasthaus in the Tirol, but I have to admit that Michelangelo's David is absolutely incredible to see in person. 

Florence is also well known for food and yesterday Andrea and I tested the hypothesis that you can't eat too much gelato or drink too much wine.  We stumbled across the shop below, which apparently is blissfully unaware of Utah's archaic liquor laws. 

It's not the high season here yet, but the crowds have been overwhelming.  People packed everywhere on the streets. 

Today we walked into the hills above town for a few miles to get away from it all.  It has been raining on and off all day, but we got a break as we returned to town with a beautiful view. 



It is my understanding that the Steenburgh effect continues to treat you well, with 50+ inches at Alta this week.  A GoFundMe account will be created soon to permanently fund my residence in Europe.

Exploring above Innsbruck

One of the great things about living in Salt Lake City is easy access to hiking and mountain biking trails.

The same can be said of Innsbruck, although a strong argument can be made that the situation here is even better.

We are staying in Hötting, an area of town just north of the Innsbruck's old down and just left of center near the bottom of the valley below.  Much of the area north of the Inn River shares similarities with Salt Lake's Avenues neighborhood in that the slopes are south facing and there is an extensive trail network in the mountains above it.

However, there are some major differences.  First, the lower slopes are tree covered.  Second, the relief extends up about 1750 vertical meters. Finally, there are restaurants and guest houses to find and stumble home from.

Now that the days are longer and the snow line is retreating up the mountains, we've begun explore the area.  Our most direct route up the hill follows the "Höttinger Höll" climbing route used in the 2018 Road Cycling World Championships.  For a few blocks, one ascends through the city, but eventually the homes become scarcer.  The paint from the World Championships is faded, but below reads "Welcome at the Highway to Höll" (Höll=Hell) with a 28% circled in red (barely discernible), indicating the grade that lies just ahead.

Here's an overview. 

You can probably find a recap of Alejandro Valverde's win somewhere online.  We saw a replay of it on Eurosport about a month ago, which was cool since we now know the neigborhood.

Near the 899 meter high point indicated in the video above, one can venture onto the trail system for hiking or mountain biking, with not only views, but also options for treats.  Below is the Umberüggler Alm hut, which provides valley views, adult beverages, meals, and deserts. 

It just opened for the season last week when it was possible to either hike to it from below, following a plowed road, or ski to it from the Nordkettebahn cable car.

There are some guesthouses further down the mountain as well, which make easy targets for a Friday dinner.  Cheers!