Sommer Magazin 2012 uk

Carinthia is an outdoor paradise:
Paddling and climbing against
the backdrop of Lake Millstätter
See, speed hiking in the shady
forests of the Nockberge
Mountains, Nordic walking,
mountain biking and a whole
load of fun – the participants in
the Moorhead Kärnten Outdoor
Challenge sometimes come up
against their personal limits –
but they enjoy the adventure.
Carinthia Magazine 26
RENDEZVOUS
WITH NATURE.
Five days of exciting experiences as a team:
Every year participants in the Moorhead Kärnten
Outdoor Challenge get to experience Carinthia’s
sporting facilities in an especially intensive way.
Text by Ulrich Pramann | Photos by Franz Gerdl
Afterwards everyone was really happy.
Julia for example, who actually managed
the solid 500 metres difference in
altitude straight away on her first ever
mountain bike tour without having to
get off once. Although the student’s
heart certainly dropped into her boots
more than once on the way down. Or
Norbert from the flat Münster region,
who dared to tackle his first single
track trails at the age of 60 and summed
it all up rhapsodically: “Wicked”.
Or Miriam. She arrived with her head
full of “clutter from Berlin” and wanted
to clear the inner cobwebs. After a few
eventful days she said enthusiastically:
“An unforgettable adventure”.
Or Horst. No, this retired teacher had
never slept outdoors on an Isomat before.
And yes, much to his displeasure
this 67-year-old was faced with having
to do without his usual comfort. At first
he flirted with the idea of a cosy bed in
a B&B, but he resisted the temptation.
And in the end Horst found that he
took delight in his outdoor life. He
crept out of his tent at night to enjoy
the great silence, the overwhelming
starry sky and “the darkness that was
so gently mysterious”. So it was a good
thing that one or two people could be
heard snoring, so that even in these
transcendental moments he was able
to retain a vestige of reality.
On the last evening they all sat round
the camp fire over a real Carinthian
lumberjacks’ meal of “Frigga” (which
mainly consists of EU-protected
products such as Gail Valley bacon and
Gail Valley alpine cheese) and “Kärntner
Kaltschale”, an alcoholic punch.
With a clear starry sky over Lake
Brennsee once again, the participants
recalled some of the details of the last
few days. Christian for example, a programmer
from Hamburg, had no idea
what might await him here on the Outdoor
Challenge in Carinthia. Until then
all he knew of the region of the many
lakes and picturesque mountain scenes
was what he had seen in brochures.
Now he could look back on many
intensive hours full of inspiration. In the
saddle across the Nockberge Mountains,
on the climbing rope, in a kayak
on Lake Millstätter See, the speed
hiking tour, the evening in a mountain
lodge and the nights in the tent – he
had been part of an unusual group
experience and the magnificent nature
had become his natural arena.
Carinthia’s striking backdrop and the
sporting tasks quickly required team
spirit.
Florian Finkl knows how positive group
dynamics occur. As brand manager for
the Moorhead brand (the exclusive
brand belonging to Karstadt Sports)
every year he looks forward to running
the Moorhead Kärnten Outdoor
Challenge on the spot. 12 years ago
Karstadt Sports and the province of
Carinthia decided to work together: As
well as a wide-ranging marketing campaign,
they decided to offer outdoor
adventure trips in a prize draw. Thousands
of people apply every year, and
ten are selected to discover Carinthia
the sporting way. So they go hiking
and climbing, sailing and surfing, and
mountain biking and speed hiking are
also on the programme – everything
this region has to offer. Wolfi Krainer
and the guides from his Krainer sports
school (in Feld am See) take care of
the professional organisation, expert
support and spontaneous fun.
Fun? Nicole, a cheery media designer
from Schwäbisch Hall, really had fun,
especially when she went mountain
biking. But she came up against her
limits too, every time she went
downhill. She suffered from fear and
stress, she swore (“I hate going
downhill”), argued, but at the end she
was glad she hadn’t given up. In the
afternoon before last she couldn’t wait
to jump into Lake Brennsee and then
lie on a lounger and relax. “At that moment
I could have burst with happiness.
On the one hand because of the
many lovely impressions and the nice
people I have met here. And on the
other hand I felt so proud to have
achieved all that, the fact that I covered
every metre with my own physical
strength. An amazingly good feeling.”
She would like to do it all again. Preferably
in Carinthia.
Find out more at www.sportschule.at
Carinthia Magazine 27