Winter – Monday Bazaar: A Travel Blog

A Tubular Weekend In Chiyrchyk Pass

Published on 20 February, 201724 April, 2017 by Mark Jahnke

Kyrgyzstan is usually marketed as a summer destination, the time of year when you can climb mountains or ride horses up to yurt camps in the summer pastures. Well, that’s all completely true, but what they fail to mention is that Kyrgyzstan actually is a fantastic place to come for an affordable winter vacation as well.

Now, my story today isn’t going to appeal to the Aspen Jet Set, but it does appeal to my populist belief and love for things that are so cheap that you can’t say no. Continue reading “A Tubular Weekend In Chiyrchyk Pass” →

Mile 20: Holidays and Snow

Published on 5 January, 2017 by Mark Jahnke

So, I’m beginning to get the impression that last year’s winter was an unusually mild one given that we had more snow during December of this year than we had in the entire winter last year. But that’s OK, because I like winter and I LOVE snow. Continue reading “Mile 20: Holidays and Snow” →

Have Yourself A Merry Little New Year

Published on 26 December, 2016 by Mark Jahnke

December is one of my favorite months of the year. From the first snow to the holidays, it’s a month when winter is still magical and there are plenty of occasions to meet up with friends and family to enjoy endless mugs of hot chocolate. It’s also a time when all of the religions have all of the holidays, making it even more special to just about everyone. Continue reading “Have Yourself A Merry Little New Year” →

Winter Trip Part 3: Christmas in Kitzbühel

Published on 18 January, 2016 by Mark Jahnke

This post is Part 3 of my series about my 2015-6 winter trip. Read Part 1 here and Part 2 here.

14 years ago, while I was living in Europe, my parents and I took what I think we all agree was one of the best family vacations we’d ever taken. We took the slow train from Geneva to Vienna, traversing the Austrian Alps in late December at sunset. A year ago, when we began planning this trip, I suggested that we do the same. And this is how I came to be in in Kitzbühel.

Kitzbühel is a famous ski town in Tyrol, about halfway between Innsbruck and Salzburg. Its famous Hahnenkahmm downhill run is one of the most celebrated and challenging races in skiing. Its snow, most years, is some of the best in the world. This time, I learned that its artificial snow is also some of the greatest.

My first stop, though, wasn’t the ski hill. It was the ice rink. Continue reading “Winter Trip Part 3: Christmas in Kitzbühel” →