What is your winter personality?
Do you have cold hands, but a warm heart? Depending on your desire and mood, your winter personality can include a mixture of traits from the various categories, or firmly rooted in just one of them. Here we put the different winter personality types under the microscope.
A typical Lower Austrian: The temperatures fall, but our hearts get warmer. The longing for those first snowflakes increases, as does the desire to trudge through the fresh snow, reflect over a steaming cup of mulled wine, and wander into the distance from high above – either with your eyes, on skis, or on foot.
1. The pretender
# The type of person who only packs their skis as an alibi
Someone’s telling porkies! Skiing is cool… Or rather, taking your immaculate, unused and pristine skiing equipment with you on your winter holiday is. As the saying goes: “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” When your conscience has been calmed, your skis stay in the storage room. After all, you never know when you might need them again, and that new ski suit makes you look good. The magnificent view can also be thoroughly enjoyed from the terrace outside a mountain hut, with a hot mug of Glühwein (mulled wine) or Jagatee (tea with rum) in hand.
2. The searcher
# The type of person who is always on the lookout for the perfect view
“Griass di!” “Servus!” “Bergheil!” “Helloooo!” We are all under the same sky… In the wintry alpine meeting area between ascent and descent, you will hear plenty of friendly greetings. After all, everyone has the same goal in mind: to reach the towering summit. This is best on a clear, cloudless winter day with all-round visibility and the feeling of being closer to the sky than the ground. But less is often more, because not every rocky ledge can be reached without the right climbing equipment. Therefore, it is best to stick to marked paths or skywalks for a long-distance view.
3. The solo adventurer
# The type of person who likes to enjoy the natural world alone
Peace and quiet at last! I could stay here forever... We all know the feeling of longing triggered by these images: A thickly snow-covered winter landscape in Lower Austria, where a pristine white blanket glitters in the sun and sometimes, the Danube pushes ice floes along – a wonderful natural spectacle. But even without the white splendour of the sky, the forests, mountains and villages can be explored in the winter on a solo hike. They are all perfect places for spotting birds and wildlife!
4. The eager beaver
# The type of person who is always at the front of the line when the Glühwein stall opens
Chug, chug, chug! Down in one! Baby, it’s cold outside... A kind of cryophobia (fear of cold) is probably responsible for our need to have a hot mug of Glühwein (made of wine, cinnamon, star anise, cloves and orange slices) in our ice-cold hands on a winter’s day. Whether you arrive at the Glühwein stall on a snowboard or in winter hiking boots, the Christmas spirit suddenly gets stronger after your second mug. You may even find yourself repeatedly singing “Last Christmas”. Secretly, we think it's great – and it gets better every year.
5. The photographer
# The type of person who just *has* to film or take pictures of everything
It’s all so beautiful! Make every day count... Or every shot, at least. If you press the button on your camera or mobile phone at the right moment, you can create a work of art – especially in the winter months, thanks to the low sun, calm nature and some stunning architecture. With an eye for the perfect angle, the golden ratio, or just a “feel” for the extraordinary, sometimes #unfiltered photography is a good way of capturing the beauty of an effect, the light, or even just a landscape.
6. The styler
# The type of person who likes to attract everyone’s attention on the slopes
Yoohoo – over here! On the pistes, the focus is no longer on the cutting-edge, conspicuous “snow cannons”, but rather on “ski hooligans” and “snow bunnies” – people who move in a particularly self-confident and casual manner on the skiing and snowboarding slopes, and stand out from all the “riff raff”. You can usually see them from the lower station. They stand out from the crowd with their freestyling, weaving and jumping, as well as their fancy clothing. If too little attention is paid, they like to “rock” down the slope with a loud cry.
7. The exercise-hungry
# The type of person who is always the first to take to the slopes, and the last to leave them
Up the mountain we go! A ticket to ride... This person is an early riser and a tough cookie, and uses their ski lift ticket for every second of its validity period, right until the last ascent of the day. Experienced skiers who carve up the slopes do not feel like taking an extended break when they are in their element. Instead, they see queuing at the lift station as sufficient relaxation for body and mind. But woe betide the ski hooligans if the ski lift has to stop because one of them has gone off track...
8. The manager
# The type of person who takes the reins during the holiday planning phase
Your llama awaits! Let’s get together and feel all right... Out of the ordinary and a little bit different. After all, winter holidays are not just about skiing and tobogganing. Leave everyday life behind and make great memories by doing something extraordinary. Llamas like to walk at a leisurely pace. The question is: who is walking whom? So that your fluffy and self-confident new friend will follow your faithfully through the snow and ice, you automatically turn your attention to creating a sense of togetherness. That is something that is forgotten about in our world of phones and obligations.
9. The ravenous foodie
# The type of person who wakes up thinking about which mountain huts they would like to visit today
Germknödel (yeast dumplings), Kaiserschmarrn (scrambled pancakes), Williamsbirnenschnaps (pear schnapps), Dirndlschnaps (cherry schnapps)... Watch your step… A tray packed with delicacies sways dangerously, the hard soles of your ski boots slide on the tiled floor, and the mountain sun has made your nose look red - just like Rudolph’s. This is how to have fun in a mountain hut during a skiing trip! All you need is a hearty meal and a convivial atmosphere, because the descent to the station, from where you will take the cable car back to the valley, is exhausting.
10. The sun worshipper
# The type of person who always comes home from holiday with a tan – even in winter.
Awesome! Here comes the sun… Stock up on vitamin D, admire the glittering snow crystals, hear the sound of fresh powdery snow crunching under your boots or skis, and spend a perfect day under the bright blue, sunny Alpine skies! The Maldives? Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. And without the obligatory display of red, brown and white headband, sunglasses and laughter lines on your face, you might say that Lower Austria’s wellness and sauna landscape is easily more relaxing than the summit sun.
