Winter Vacation (Pt. 6)

February 12, 2026 · 3 min read

Mountain day for everyone. We rode up the Penken together, Tilian took second place in his ski school race, Aika had her five minutes of fame and we closed out the evening at Goldkind.

Kellin rode a gondola for the first time and properly aware of what was happening. He loved every second of it. I was surprised how little fear he showed, honestly I was more nervous than he was.

Portrait at the summit with mountains in the background

Snow covered mountain panorama from the Penken

Tilian had his ski school race today and took second place. He earned it, the kid has been putting in the work all week and his ambition really showed. It’s great to see how confidently he takes on something like this on his own, joining a new group of kids he’s never met and just going for it. He can be proud of himself, and we certainly are.

Tilian with helmet and ski goggles after the race

The weather up top was partly cloudy with some sun breaking through, good enough for photos. We watched a snowmobile tear through the snow, Kellin did some sledding and seemed completely unbothered by the altitude and the busyness around him. Aika had the time of her life, rolling around in the snow and soaking up attention from every skier and snowboarder willing to stop for a pet. Later, back in the valley, people recognized her. “Hey, that’s the dog from up on the mountain!”

Snow covered slopes seen from the Penkenbahn gondola

After the race we stopped at the Stieralm for a quick break. Nadine and her mom headed back to the slopes after the contest. My father-in-law, Kellin and I took the gondola back down to the valley. In the late afternoon we picked up Nadine, her mom and Tilian from the Penkenbahn, dropped off the rental skis and headed back to the apartment to freshen up. On the walk over I spotted a sparrow sitting still long enough for a shot. Maximum zoom on the Sony RX100 VII, and the grain turned out really nice.

Sparrow perched on a branch at maximum zoom

For the evening we had a table at Goldkind in Mayrhofen. I reserved the day before and we got lucky, the place is popular and we only got a spot because we’re old and have kids, which means dinner at 17:30, well before the evening rush. It’s my favorite restaurant and the most caring one I know. We come here at least once every time we’re in Mayrhofen, often twice. I’d love to bring everyone I know here at least once. I had a vegan version of scallops.

Topics: Photography, Family, Travel