Why the Dutch Hit the Slopes
Whenever the first serious snowfall arrives in the Alps, it is soon followed by the Netherlands’ first “gipsvlucht” — “gips” means plaster, of the sort used in casts, while “vlucht” is flight — of the season, carrying aching, broken Dutch skiers. This year, as usual, the news teams were out in force covering the special airlift as it arrived in Rotterdam from Innsbruck, Austria, on Dec. 28. It was the first of many.
Europeans from every country love to ski, but the Dutch flatlanders have an outsize love for the slopes. With the country’s highest elevation at 1,059 feet — which isn’t even fully their own, being shared at the border with Belgium and Luxembourg — they have to travel the farthest for decent skiing.… Seguir leyendo »