Between Innsbruck and their home in Munich, three German skiers found a perfect mountain hideaway, away from both prying eyes and the comforts of home.
Hut in the mountains (screenshot). Photo by El Flamingo Films
In order to achieve this, they chose to deny themselves many conveniences in order to fully appreciate their relatively short expedition. Rather than take a chairlift at a ski resort, they skin up the slopes and ski down. Rather than renting a cabin with electricity and central heating, they stoke a wood stove. Feeding a fire for warmth, living mostly in darkness, and fetching their own water from a nearby river was an oasis in the desert that is the modern world, where they could stay focused on doing what they love.
On the ridgeline (screenshot). Photo: El Flamingo Films
Once they set foot outside their hut, nature gifted them with a deep, snowy forest and sharp white hills above. They spent each day exploring and returned to the hut in the evening to catch their breath and enjoy a different simplicity. The exciting but austere routine slowed time down and stretched out the moments of pleasure. A long weekend felt more like weeks. In this setting, they discovered that skiing became no longer a sport or a hobby. It was life itself.
As you can tell, this is not an epic adventure to claim a world record or snag a Netflix movie deal. This is a story about learning to be human again. We live in a day and age where everything is at our fingertips and on a screen. Our three skiers teach us a lesson about the spiritual value of a little self-denial.
