Spring Ski Picking, Austrian-Style

Skiing with Andre, Matt and the Pioneer Midwest crew on the Dachstein Glacier

“Hey Kuzz, you around 5/19 - 20? Altenmarkt and glacier?”

When this cryptic message arrives in the WhatsApp group with Matt Liebsch and Andre Watt, I know exactly what it means: Matt and his team from Pioneer Midwest will be traveling to Austria in May for their annual ski picking pilgrimage, where they pick hundreds of skis for their customers, directly from the Salomon, Atomic and Fischer factories. Andre, Salomon Nordic Race Manager for the US, will be there too, helping to make sure Matt has access to the best skis. Matt, Andre and I all skied together for the CXC Team from about 2006 - 2011, so it’s always fun to meet up, share stories and make new memories, whenever we’re near – especially when they’re in Austria.

Matt Liebsch testing skis in the Atomic factory

Lumi guests visit the Fischer Ski Factory in Ried, Austria

Behind the Scenes of Ski Manufacturing

The tradition to meet up in Ramsau for adventures on the glacier and ski picking started in 2019 when Matt and Pioneer Midwest co-owner Adam Johnson made the trip to Austria and we met up for a few days of hiking, skiing and picking skis in the factory in Altenmarkt. That first meet-up in 2019 inspired Lumi’s Factory Tour Trip, where guests visit ski Salomon, Atomic and Salomon ski factories, learning how skis are made, plus a visit to the 500 year-old Loden Wool factory, discovering the art of producing Austria’s famous loden wool jackets. Of course, a trip to Ramsau has to include skiing on the Dachstein Glacier too!

Skiing on the Glacier

Exploring the Dachstein Glacier

Friends, Skis & Spring on Snow

Testing out the equipment

From where I live in Innsbruck, it’s a scenic 3-hour train ride to Altenmarkt, home of the Salomon and Atomic ski factories, riding through valleys surrounded by peaks still covered in snow. It’s exciting to know I’ll soon be skiing on that snow! Skiing with Matt and Andre on the glacier is always a highlight and a great way to extend the season into May. They also share secrets into the newest skis and insights into the latest news on the World Cup. Skiing in May is a combination of reflection on the past season and getting excited for the season ahead, and time best spent with friends.

Learning to produce Austria’s traditional loden wool

Discover Austria on Skis

Want to ski in Austria next winter or learn how skis are made? There’s still space on several Lumi trips, including our Seefeld & Seiser Alm Sight-Skiing trips (no racing, just skiing in beautiful places), the Marcialonga & König Ludiwg Lauf trip (two Worldloppet events in 10 days, including several days of skiing in Seefeld!), the popular Finlandia & Tartu trip (which includes a tour of the Peltonen ski factory) and the Factory Tour trip in August 2027. Reach out to reservations@lumiexperiences.com for a detailed itinerary or to sign up.

See you on the trail,

Garrott Kuzzy
Founder & Olympian
garrott@lumiexperiences.com