Helmut's Chalet

A group of us went skiing in Vail for New Years' and had a fabulous time, thanks in part to some of the fun decorative things we found scattered throughout the Bavarian-ly decorated rental house. If you're looking for a place in Vail, and have an extra 2.5 million to throw around...good news, it's on the market. It was hardly a trailer, however, we were very disappointed to find that there were no pens, oven mitts, spoon rests, stainless steel appliances, working ice makers, drink holders on the balconies, or outdoor heat lamps. So buyer beware. Guess you have to step it up to 2.6 for those goodies.

The other great thing I re-learned about the mountains, is that in addition to the cloudy tap water, earaches, bloody noses, excessive gas, and water taking too long to boil due to the altitude....when you get winded in under a minute on the ski slopes because you are completely out of shape, you can blame *that* on the altitude as well.

A few photos of the house oddities at the Cortina Chalet...

You had to lock the door from the inside with a key.

No key required for the door window, however...

look out for peeping Steves

The stuffed animal collection in one bedroom, and the morning after...

Just the statue I've always wanted for my entry foyer!
A cute boy. With a dead hare between his legs.

And some of the fine art adorning the walls.
Who doesn't love fallen trees? And shipwrecks?

Bedside statues...

The kitchen had ceramic pigs, and ceramic lemons.

And who doesn't need an outlet on the ceiling? or wooden shoes filled with fake flowers?

We found a photo of the house owner, Helmut, and his Austrian Party Posse, and left it on the table to pay homage to our fabulous host throughout the week. (The house came fully stocked, and with no rules list)
But hands down, our favorite find was the ass photo...

Oh, and we had *nothing* to do with that guy falling out of his chair and losing his pants. Pinky swear.
Happy 2009!