A Very Clough Skication

The first annual Cloughs-in-Germany ski trip commenced March 8 at Edelweiss Lodge and Resort in Garmisch, nestled in the Bavarian Alps. Though this was my third (Jon's fourth) trip to Edelweiss, it was a first to go there with family and we hope it won't be the last.

After caravan-ing down to Garmisch from Ramstein the night before, we woke to an overcast and foggy day in the mountains. We all headed to the ski lodge and up the mountain where we spent some time together on the beginner slopes before Jon, Neil, Sybil and I headed farther up the mountain. The visibility continued to get worse and worse as the day went on, but we managed to get  back in the swing of skiiing, despite the slushy conditions. 

Thankfully, that night we received a good six inches of snow, which improved the conditions immensely. The visibility still wasn't great in the morning, but at least by the afternoon we were seeing pockets of sunshine and it completely cleared up by the end of the day. Jon and I spent the morning skiiing together and met up with Neil and Sybil that afternoon. Although I know Jon has fun skiing with me, I don't think it compares to the time he gets to spend with his brother.

Neil as King Ski!

The third day was absolutely perfect with sunshine and a clear blue sky. We spent most of our time skiing at the top of the Kreuzeck and Osterfelderkopf mountains for these amazing views. 

After 2.5 days of skiing our bodies were feeling the mega-soreness and we decided to spend our final afternoon visiting the Ettal Monastery and the quaint town of Oberammergau. 

The Flying Monolith (minus Mark)

Although there's never really any need to leave the Edelweiss Resort with their restaurants, hot tub, pool and other fabulous facilities, we decided to venture out and spend our final night eating at a traditional Bavarian restaurant in downtown Garmisch. Jon and I had been here previously on our squadron ski trips and in addition to being famous for their slap-dance and live music dinner entertainment, they are also famous for their 3-liter beers. Of course, Jon and Neil had to partake in this. 

So happy with their 3-liter beers.

All in all, it was an unforgettable, fabulous skication that, best of all, we were able to enjoy with family. I can't wait to hopefully do it again next year. Aufwiedersehen Edelweiss! Bis zum nächsten Jahr!