Yesterday’s snow – when there was most of it on Semmering

The winners have become mothers of two and hotel managers (Eder in Leogang, Wiberg in Idre, Sweden) and the “once again” became “again and again Semmering”.

At the end of the old year, the 30th anniversary is celebrated on the Viennese ski mountain, whose challenging piste lies on the Lower Austrian/Styrian border. An occasion to remember how the premiere amazed people with superlatives. As at Semmering…

… most visitors came, 12,000 more than at the time for women’s races in celebrity ski centers;

… most of the snow – no shame – adorned Semmering, while in the high alpine terrain in early winter 95 artificial white had to be added;

… the highest prize money (twice 200,000 schillings) was paid after Swiss World Cup organizers had just paid half as much shortly before;

… the lowest temperatures of early winter were measured on the race days, but despite minus 15 degrees there was no frosty atmosphere, although there were no concerns about any runner’s origin, let alone a ban on starting.

Climate, currency, politics. Times have changed. Or not. This is what it said on the KURIER first pages between Christmas and New Year in 1995:

“Doctors warn of a strong flu wave” and:

“Austrians’ New Year’s wish: Strong government”