Austria keeps draft so military can prepare ski slopes

[unhappycamper]

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/02/05/austria-keeps-draft-so-military-can-prepare-ski-slopes/



Austria keeps draft so military can prepare ski slopes
By Agence France-Presse
Tuesday, February 5, 2013 16:12 EST

Two weeks after voting to keep the military draft, neutral Austria has discovered why it needs an army: not for defence but to prepare the ski races so beloved in this alpine country.

Some 70 recruits were mobilised overnight to help combat severe snowfall on the courses of the World Ski Championships in Schladming, which kicked off officially on Monday.

After the famed Hahnenkamm races in Kitzbuehel a week ago, troops in brown could be seen dotted along the icy steep slopes, on skis or armed with large shovels, frantically digging up the protective race nets.

~snip~

Austrians voted in a referendum on January 20 to maintain the current conscription system rather than switch to a professional, more specialised army, bucking a European trend since the end of the Cold War of scrapping the draft.

[xchrom]

1. a good use of soldiers -- preparing ski slopes. nt

[unhappycamper]

2. Indeed.

[era veteran]

3. Skiing Kitzbuehel takes balls

I went there while stationed in W Germany. A black run at Kitzbuehel is for real.
We have/had soldiers on the ski patrol on the Zugspitze @ Garmisch-Partenkirchen for many years. Probably the best TDY Assignment in the Army. I made that ski patrol but my MOS went critical and I missed out on 180 days of the good life.

[CRK7376]

4. I jumped the border

to Kitzbuehel once with my 1SG and CO. We three were the only ski bums in the unit and had a blast. I too got ski patrol duty in Lengreiss with Army Ski School out of Bad Tolz. What a great way to spend two winters of skiing in southern Bavaria! One of my favorite assignments in the Army. I've also had the opportunities to ski in Japan and Korea courtsey of the Army.

[era veteran]

5. Frankfurt International Ski Club

Did you join? Met at the IG Farben Building, went on a weekend and got a box of KFC and a bottle of wine. I was an E-5 and skied with my Platoon Ldr and former LTC. No rank allowed on a ski trip. Was a lot of fun. In the early/mid 70's.
Got to ski at Berchtesgaden and somewhere in the Hesse Hills, never at Bad Tolz. I think the NCO Academy I avoided was at Bad Tolz.
Got to ski in Switzerland, France, and Italy too. Good times
Been a while. Prost!