Jasper's day - Lots of snow
Thursday 19 February – Snow, board games, a ski lift and more board games. And in between, a bit of work. That’s Jasper’s winter sports day.
Jasper Knoester is the Dean of the Faculty of Science. How is he doing, what exactly does he do, and what does a day in his life look like? In each newsletter, Jasper gives an insight into his life.
‘The alarm goes off at seven, but I already know there’s no rush. We’re in our favourite ski area, Ischgl and Samnaun in Austria. And it definitely feels like winter. It’s been snowing almost non-stop since Monday afternoon. It makes for beautiful views: a stunning landscape with more than half a metre of snow on the rooftops. But it also limits the skiing and snowboarding. Visibility is generally poor and many runs are closed because of avalanche risk. The reality/severity of that risk becomes clear from the daily news reports about fatal accidents in the Alps.
‘This won’t be a day for skiing.’
I get up, pick up the fresh bread rolls left by the front door and take in the scene outside. The snow is coming down heavily, the car is almost unrecognisable and the road looks difficult to pass. The forecast doesn’t suggest the snowfall will ease. I conclude this won’t be a day for clocking up lots of runs.
We have breakfast at a very relaxed pace. Around nine I check the situation on the mountain and see that only a few lifts are open. There’s little point in heading up. I read a bit of a novel and work on slides for a presentation I’ll be giving at MIT ((het Massachusetts Institute of Technology, ed.) in March. Then I join a board game at the dining table and later Kamiel and I make pancakes for lunch.
After lunch we decide it’s time to get some fresh air. We go for a short walk nearby and take the bus to the main Silvrettabahn lift in Ischgl. The journey feels like an adventure. Even buses fitted with large snow chains struggle to make their way uphill. The lift takes us to Idalp at 2,300 metres, where we would normally start our ski day in good weather.
Up on the mountain
Once we’re up there, we’re reassured we made the right decision not to go skiing. It doesn’t look inviting. We head straight into the large restaurant, have a drink and play more games. It’s still nice to be on the mountain today. At half past four we take the lift back down, do some shopping, and catch the bus to our apartment.
We cook, eat, and play Concept - a game built around making associative thinking. Last year I wasn’t that keen on it, but this holiday I enjoy it more. Maybe the enforced quiet time has sharpened my capability of associative thinking. I read a bit more and, together with my sister, help Kamiel prepare a presentation on German literature. I didn’t take German as an exam subject myself, so I’m learning a lot too. Around midnight I head to bed. Outside, it’s still snowing, but the forecast offers hope. Less snow tomorrow. So I fall asleep with the positive thought that it might finally be a proper day for sport.