Mayrhofen

Tracing a Legend

Peter Habeler is one of the most famous Austrian alpinists to have ever lived. In 1978, he and Reinhold Messner (another legend) became the first two people to successfully summit Mount Everest without the use of supplemental oxygen - a feat that was largely considered impossible up to that point. Habeler summited several other 8,000-meter peaks around the world, and is largely credited (with Messner) with ushering in the new era of Alpine-style mountaineering: summiting huge, remote mountains without the assistance of fixed ropes or stocked camps. He once set a speed record by climbing 1800 meters up one of the steepest, most difficult routes in Switzerland - the north face of the Eiger - in under ten hours. He climbed the same route again at the age of 74.

To put it simply, Peter Habeler is a legend. Peter Habeler is from Mayrhofen. And now, we are in Mayrhofen, too.

An Alpine Playground

The small town of Mayrhofen sits in the middle of the Ziller River Valley, at the base of the Zillertal Alps. If Ramsau am Dachstein felt like walking into the set of The Sound of Music, Mayrhofen feels like being in the Olympic Village for the 1936 Winter Olympics. The cobblestone streets are lined with these perfectly-manicured, picturesque Bavarian hotels. White stucco with timber roofs and bright, colorful flowers hanging out of every window.

The mountains rise seven thousand feet above the city streets. An elaborate network of 48 trams and gondolas services more than 98 miles of groomed ski runs in the winter. Apparently, this area used to be a stop on the Downhill Skiing World Cup circuit… until the slopes were deemed too dangerous. I can't imagine what this place looks like with snow…

Out the window of our train, people are cycling, mountain biking, paragliding, and white water rafting. It feels like we're traveling into a North Face commercial.

All around the town, dense timber groves climb up the steep mountain sides. And then, seemingly floating in the trees: mountain huts. No roads connecting them to the valley. No cable cars. How do you get up there? We'd find out in the morning.

Pfeilspitzwand and Astegg

We're ten minutes from our Airbnb, strapped into our harnesses, chasing Molly up a 500-meter kletterstieg route. She's in her happy place. I can see it. I love it.

It's all about finding your flow, she tells us. Her movements are methodical, but smooth. She moves through the terrain like a mountain guide half her age, always smiling.

Before I left the 'States at the beginning of this trip, I was out with a few co-workers who were at various stages of their journey as parents. One soon-to-be empty nester was reflecting on his experience and sharing advice with a couple of younger parents; he talked about the challenge of balancing the three roles that a parent has to play for their children: the authority figure, the teacher, and the friend.

The hardest thing about parenting is knowing which one of those roles is the right one to play at any given point, he said. The one you want to play and the one you need to play aren't always the same one.

We don't have kids; we don't plan to. But, I can certainly appreciate the tension he was describing. It's interesting to think about how the "right" role for a parent to play changes over time, on both a micro and a macro level. I think about how hard it must be to reconcile the role you want to play and the role you need to play; about how hard it must be to navigate choosing the "right" role in any given moment; about how many people fall into playing the role that's comfortable instead of the role that's needed.

I've watched more people than I can count get stuck in the role of teacher or authority figure, long after those aren't what's needed anymore. I can understand how a parent gets stuck there, even after their kids are in their 30s or 40s. It can be hard to redefine relationships that have decades of history. But, there's something incredible that happens after you hang up the authority figure and teacher hats. You get to be friends.

The Proper Way to Waterslide

After we spend the morning climbing with Molly and Martin, we head back to our respective hotels to shower and change clothes before we head to what our Airbnb host calls the best part of a visit to Mayrhofen: the town's water park.

Martin's bathing suit of choice while in Europe is a speedo. It's to save weight, he tells us, scoffing at how "heavy" the waistband in my shorts is. You'll understand one day. We can't stop laughing at him, but somehow, it all fits with his character.

The highlight of the day is easily the park's waterslide, or more specifically, watching how excited Molly is to lead the four of us in climbing the steps to the top of the slide before launching herself down it. She's in her happy place. I can see it. I love it.

After we've all had a turn on the slide, Martin informs us that we were all doing it wrong. That we didn't tuck in enough. That if you want to go faster, you need to get into a luge position. He's not wrong. After a pedestrian first run, on my second trip down the slide, I carry so much speed I nearly launch off the side. By the time I hit the water, I'm laughing so hard it hurts.

Laying by the pool, surrounded by mountains, I'm thinking about what a cool experience it is that we're having: to get to be far away from home, far away from the normal roles we play, with Natalie's parents. They're twice our age, and in this place, we get to see them as friends - as people. What an incredible gift.

Ciao, Ciao

The next morning, Molly and Martin left us in true Molly and Martin fashion: they put on the backpacks they flew to Europe with, hiked up and over a mountain pass, and walked straight into Italy. We'll be in the mountains for the next few days, so we won't have Wifi, they tell us. Classic.

Natalie and I, on the other hand, would spend the day hiking through the high Alps near Mayrhofen. When we came home for the day, our host's 80 year-old mother had washed and hung our clothes and baked us an apple strudel. You're family, our host tells us.

We start learning German. Natalie is Googling How to immigrate to Austria.

I like it here, we laugh. And we do - this place feels like home.