Comments on: Back on skis - sore shins and recollections

By: matt

matt — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:52:31 +0000

Yes there are times when I think the ambush of the Kaiser was unfortunate, I think of all those suburban stores than now have to turn to lesser mortals as the Kaiser no longer does these types of engagements. Kaiser if you ever read this then in an appropriate setting maybe we could come face to face again and you could read me a victim statement, maybe that would begin to heal the wounds. Talking of wounds I am now pretty much free of pain, my knees did a great deal of work over the weekend, maybe as much as the racers in carrying me and a ton of camera gear around the Rettenbach and Tiefenbach glaciers. The summer months are not kind to me and I am not kind to my knees. A month of glacier skiing and I will be like Atlas man though.

By: austrianlocal

austrianlocal — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:21:34 +0000

Wait a minute Matt. I remember March 2004 at the Axamer Lizum when I had just fractured my shinbone head and was still following you through the trees. You were absolutely pretending to be the Kaiser then. By the way it seems that the Kaiser hasn’t had any appearances in shopping malls since your encounter with him.

By: matt

matt — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:55:02 +0000

Actually the days of my mimicking the Kaiser are long gone I am afraid. I think you were referring to me in my early(er) years with an Austrian ski helmet and poles practising the tuck position on my bed – ah those were the days. They were also the days before stalking was an understood evil. Had the Kaiser seen my press cutting and picture collages of the Kaiser he might never have stepped out in public again. I did corner the great one some years ago though in Innsbruck – I bellowed ‘zeas der Kaiser’ across the shopping mall and cut him off en-route to the dignitaries that I assumed he had tired of chatting to. Somewhere I have a picture of a shocked looking Franz holding my autographed ski instructors license and myself. He didn’t hang around for a chat sadly.

By: Chelle

Chelle — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:29:05 +0000

I aswell, after a break of a year and a half - will be squeezing into my boots - but nice comfy ones - non of this “high peformance” rubbish. I will take a breathtaking gondola ride up my local ski hill and then put on the same skies I have have had for 6 years - how I love them!! Then, so as not to have “frustration, intermittent discomfort and stand in queues” I will ski about 200m to the nearest austrian hut and buy myself a Mulled wine, hire a deckchair, and sit there in the sun until matthew has finished pretending to be Franz Klammer!