Edelweiss Training Week 2017

I’ve worked for Edelweiss Bike Travel for one year now, which means it was time for another yearly tourguide training week. Since I’m only in my second year, I have to go for a full week as opposed to the 2,5 day, shorter versions that veteran tourguides need to attend.

I’d been working on my van a lot (more on that in a future post); even though it wasn’t finished yet, I decided to take it to Mieming as a test drive. I also remembered last year we ended up sharing hotel rooms with up to 3 people, so I was sort of thinking I could just sleep in my van for the whole week.

Coming back to Mieming is always nice, and the weather was mostly as pleasant as always. It was just funny to compare this experience with last year, when I took public transport to Mieming very late at night, barely knowing where I was going or what to expect. The rest of the week would be a similar experience; much more laid back than the previous time!

As a newcomer you are subjected to a lot of theory and information, mostly all in German. Last year at times I was honestly a bit overwhelmed by all the rules and difficult situations being mentioned; laws and regulations for tachograph cards, expense report procedures, dealing with problem scenarios, etc… This time around it was all more familiar and not surprising; at times it was a bit too much repetition even for me, but from next year on I would not have to attend these sessions anymore.

There were only 4 new tourguides present alongside us second-year guides. James from Australia didn’t speak much German so he had some trouble following everything being mentioned, something I could identify with.

For the social event we went go-karting with the whole team this year, instead of the treasure hunt we did last year. I thought it was good fun, though I didn’t get nearly anywhere in the top times; some guys were just crazy on the track!

For the picnic competition I was in one of the teams again (due to a lack of newcomers); our “food themes” were much more doable than last year: Alsace and Eastern Europe. At least you could find something close enough in Tyrolean supermarkets in Mieming.

All in all it was a good week, mostly for seeing back friends and co-workers. Where last year I was the new guy with broken German who barely knew anyone, now I could reminisce about rides all over Europe and even in Australia and into Africa! A good way to reconnect and get excited about the coming season!