World Cup diary

The Alcohol World Cup: Skiing through the pedestrian zone

Bottle drinking is offered in the apres-ski temple "Goaßstall" - then it's off to the "night skiing"(Bild: Privat)

High spirits are as much a part of the ski festivals as precious metals are of the World Championships - and the older generation has to give the younger ski fans a helping hand in the supermarket. The World Cup diary by Georg Fraisl.

Supermarket. Dorfstraße Hinterglemm. Inside it's like a beehive. You obviously can't live on cheers alone, even at a home World Championships.

"German?"

A young, tall man is standing there. Very young, it seems.

"Yes, why?"

"Could you perhaps do us a favor? I mean"

The young man has a bottle in his hand. Almdudler Almwinter fruit mulled wine. At a special price.

"You want me to buy this bottle for you. Do I understand that correctly?"

A nod.

Special Almdudler
Four euros secretly change hands even before we reach the till. After the checkout, the very young man reaches into his shopping bag and takes out the special Almdudler for himself.

The aftermath of the big ski party in Saalbach: garbage.(Bild: Christof Birbaumer)

His guilty conscience leaves the supermarket with him. Of course. Is this how young people are seduced into drinking? Laying the foundations for a later drinking career? Should we have been outraged and refused to give the young Almdudler-with-fun fan a moral sermon?

Even at minus 5 degrees, some danced through the pedestrian zone in the morning in short lederhosen.(Bild: Claus Effenberg)

Difficult, if you look around the Glemmtal valley these days. High proof belongs to ski festivals like gold belongs to a World Cup. One colleague even managed a shot of schnapps with two (older) skiers trekking through the pedestrian zone on (!) skis at night. Sure, sober

Drinking from a bucket
And in the apres-ski temple "Goaßstall", "Kübeltrinken" is offered. One bottle (0.7) of alcohol of your choice. 1 liter co-drink. 85 euros incl. straws. But if they have Almdudler, I'll go back.