European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 23, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Continued from Page 1 other Mountain ranges Are resorts for virtually every taste and ability level. Non skiers who would like to learn should not be intimidated by the brochure cover shots of experts flying off life threatening moguls against a backdrop of jagged peaks. In addition to a wealth of expert and intermediate trails Europe has Many excellent beginner slopes. A Good place for americans new to Europe to get started skiing is one of the armed forces recreation Center resorts in Southern Germany. Facilities Are first rate and business is conducted in English and dollars. A number of private companies also specialize in the american Market and another option is the various american ski clubs. But getting onto the slopes is not difficult anywhere. The ski scene is International and most resorts have English speaking personnel including instructors. Though the basics Are obviously the same there Are some important differences Between skiing in Europe and in the United states. The most obvious one is the terrain. Skiers who Cut their edges on the icy tree lined trails in new England will be enthralled by Europe s wide open slopes and packed powder. But they will also be unfamiliar with hazards such As Cliffs and crevasses. According to John Schwartz owner of Scherer Tours in Hochberg Germany the biggest difference is the practice of building interconnected ski areas. This creates giant resort complexes where skiers can literally go for Days without skiing the same Trail twice. Quot an area like Vail Colo fits into three valleys France three times Quot says Schwartz. One of the most negative aspects of european skiing is the near total Lack of Courtesy in lift lines. Quot the lift line mentality is kind of like the autobahn mentality Quot Schwartz says. Quot the Basic attitude is nobody else is going to look out for you so you have to look out for  in general there is a lot More pushing cutting and ski bumping Here than in the United states. Someone breaking in new pair of skis has to worry More about damage to the tops of his skis from the lift lines than to the Bottoms from rocks and Bare spots. Another difference Schwartz cites is the obvious one of language. He encourages skiers to learn a few Basic words of the country where they Are skiing. This will make it easier to ask directions or request first Aid in Case of injury. The last few years have been mixed for skiers in Europe. After suffering through several years of mostly Bare slopes they finally got Snow to ski on last Winter. But for Many american service members in Europe last year s ski season was curtailed or wiped out by the persian Gulf War. Duty assignments to the Gulf extra work hours in support of operation desert storm and concern about terrorism All combined to Cut the numbers of americans hitting the ski trails. One segment of the Industry hard hit by the downturn was the ski companies catering to americans. Quot it was very very bad Quot said Helmut Steger owner of tyrolean Tours in Oberndorf Austria. Steger estimated that last season his company s Revenue was Down at least 50 percent from the previous Winter. Other companies reported losses Between 20 and 50 percent. However Advance bookings for this Winter have been encouraging. Schwartz Scherer Tours is offering a package that includes skiing As Well As tickets to the Winter olympics in Albertville France. Quot we be already sold 500 Beds on that Quot he said. Steger also is upbeat Quot inquiries for this coming Winter Are Good. It looks  but optimism will not guarantee a Good season. The most important Factor for a successful season is of course the weather. And even among meteorologists and Snow mass researchers this is a subject that is Long on Hindsight and Short on  open slopes Are a european trademark. Paul Fohn an official at the Swiss National Institute for Snow and Avalanche research in Davos says his Institute concentrates on gathering facts and statistics. In the last seven years he says snowfall accumulations in Switzerland have tended to be Low in the Early Winter months and heavier in the late Winter and Spring. In the 1970s and Early 1980s, Fohn says there was a More uniform snowfall throughout the Winter. The suspicion Fohn says is that the apparent tendency toward greater extremes of Winter weather is associated with global climactic changes connected to the greenhouse effect. But it cannot be proved. As far As forecasting the coming Winter Fohn says past attempts have proved it is not possible. But others do not feel constrained by rigid scientific standards. Steger says he is convinced that the coming Winter will be a severe one with plenty of Snow. Quot there was a very Tough Winter in Australia this year and that could indicate that we also could get a Tough  to skier what happens when key Largo meets the Alp by Rosemary Sawyer staff writer until recently the Mere mention of skiing conjured up memories of Grade school Days and family ski trips in new i Hampshire. About once or twit e each Winter my family loaded up the car and headed for the nearest ski Aiea. Although we All donned ski gear when we hit the Bunny slopes we each had different ideas about the pastime. My dad wanted to ski. I wanted to go inside where it was warm. And my mom wanted to move to Florida. I he idea probably first popped into her mind after she slipped and sprained her ankle while eating a hot dog outside the ski Lodge. A few years and an oven fewer ski trips after that the family skis stood propped up against the Walls of the garage with Price tags hanging trom their leather bindings. Inside the House the Quot key Largo Quot Dot on our Rand Mcnally map of tin Southeastern United Stair s was ringed with a red Circle. Mom who complained that her ankle ached in the cold weather had won out Twenty years Anil Many tans later my mind turned again to skiing. Only this time it was t in the lulls of Southern new Hampshire but in the Alps. I had briefly considered trying the less threatening Black Forest or Taurus Mountain slopes in Germany but relatively warm Winter temperatures and the resulting dearth of Snow forced my thoughts to higher Heights. I also figured that if i were going to break my leg i d like to brag that i did it in Chamonix Zermatt or Grin Elwald surrounded by peaks the likes of Mont Blanc the matterhorn or the Eiger. As it turned out i spent the first Day of my five Day ski course deep in the Alps. But my Mountain was t at All like what i remember Jean Claude Killy sweeping Down when i watched the olympics on television As a kid. The Alp i set out to conquer had the slope of a White Formica topped restaurant table with the matchbooks missing from under its Short leg. My ski instructor for the armed forces recreation Center Quot learn to ski week Quot had the name of Ina and the patience of Mother Theresa. Our class of 10 first tested this attribute when she told us it was time to step onto our skis. After a half dozen cases of slip sliding away skis and legs that insisted on parting like the curtain in a theater we finally became attached to the fibreglass Sticks that we later Learned to hate. We had t slipped around on the skis for Long before Ina told us to leave our poles in a neighbouring Snowbank. She said we d gain a better sense of balance without them. We must have had expressions like that of the paralytic Man w Hom Jesus told to take up his bed and walk. We protested that people in the other arc Berchtesgaden classes still had their poles but Ina did t hear us. She was already using the poles to set up our slalom course. The goal was to Sno plow our Way to the pole and turn by leaning on one leg. I Tell Down almost every Lime. The times i remained standing i did t even try to turn. It was monday and i was the w Orst skier in the i lass. Ina said the next Day we d head to the beginner s so Xuat the Rossfeld and even learn to ride the to bar. I , a great now get me Bac k to the hotel so i can take olt these Bix its that feel like the were custom designed for Harbor Wear by a character from the  although the next Day the boots Felt even heavier the Sun and the Snow were shining and we were excited about another Day of skiing. We soon Learned a lesson about shining Snow however. It s called ice and it s no fun. I was still the worst skier on tuesday. But the ice helped me achieve the Best Slider accolade. On two occasions i Slid from one Side of the slope to the other inviting several surprised skiers to join me along the Way. Tuesday night i was very very sore. Wednesday morning it was worse but it was class picture Day so i loaded the bus to go Back to the Rossfeld. Before we left however i demanded new boots from the ski rental folks. They said i d get used to the ones they d already Given me. I said Quot read my  wednesday turned out to be a better Day. I was still the worst skier in the class but the Snow had softened up a bit. I also managed to stay in an upright position for our group photo no Small feat after they lined us up like dominoes on the downhill. Patient Ina continued to encourage us with remarks such As Quot Jeff your Sno plow turns Are looking great Quot and Quot Rosemary that s great you waited through the whole line for the to bar without falling  i had done my share of falling. My Pride was hurting almost As much As my biggest Bruise which was now the size of a loaf of bread and the color of a Ripe Plum. But by thursday morning something had happened. The alarm went off and i was actually looking Forward to returning to the slope. My stubborn i a never going skiing again attitude had softened As had the icy Snow the Day before. I was t the worst skier in the class that Day. And on Friday i won the giant slalom race that culminated the week of classes. I solidly beat All of the women in ill of the beginner classes combined. Ina was surprised when the Gold medal was Hung around my neck during the award ceremony at the i losing banquet. I was shocked. An explanation maybe it goes Back to that first Day when we had to give up our poles. The paralysed Man in the Bible was t the Only one who experienced a Miracle. Rosemary Sawyer 2 october 23, 1991