A Waltersdorfer in America – from the Zittau Mountains to the slopes of the Rocky Mountains
A number of people from the Löbau-Zittau region have moved abroad, where they have taken unusual paths in life. The SZ has tracked down some of them. Christian Otto from Waltersdorf lives in the USA.
By Andrea Thomas
5 Min.
Christian Otto with girlfriend Jen climbing near Las Vegas/Nevada.
© private
Utah promotes its top ski resorts in the Rocky Mountains with the promise of “Greatest snow on earth”. Winter sports enthusiasts dream of enjoying “Champagne Powder” once in their lives. It is said that when you breathe it in, your nose tingles slightly, like the noble drink it is named after. Although this pleasure has long been part of Christian Otto’s everyday life, he still raves about the other dimension of skiing: “It really is by far the deepest, coldest and powderiest snow I have ever experienced. So fluffy that the lightness is transferred to the skiing.”
For five years, the Upper Lusatian has lived in Park City, in the middle of the largest connected ski area in the USA. But the journey there required a lot of self-discipline and perseverance.
A life without skiing is unthinkable for the Waltersdorfer. Regular training at the Bertsdorfer SV was rewarded early on with top places in cross-country skiing competitions. At the age of 14, the talented boy went to the elite winter sports school in Oberwiesenthal to get closer to his dream of competing at the top of international competitions. From then on, hard training determined the young man’s life. He was taught that the only goal that counted was to be the best. There was nothing else except skiing, school, eating and sleeping. Here, everyone fought for themselves and became each other’s competitors. In competitive sport, there was little room for fun and deep friendships. The isolation at the sports school was a challenge, and homesickness was ignored.
Sporty travel in America
Christian Otto in Utah.
© private
Christian Otto skiing with his girlfriend.
© private
Mountain biking in the New Mexico desert.
© private
Christian Otto with his parents on Mt. Elbert, the highest mountain in Colorado at 4,401 meters.
© private
From today’s perspective, Christian Otto speaks of extreme pressure to perform, discipline and drill, with the team spirit playing just as little a role as the psyche of the individual athlete. When he moved from middle school to high school, it became even more difficult for Christian to meet the high sporting demands of the elite training facility. After four years, he suddenly became disillusioned with the harsh assessment from his coach: “You’ll never be a World Cup runner.” He advised him to give up sport and focus on school instead.
“It took the ground from under my feet,” remembers Christian, who trained over 700 hours a year and gave everything to the sport. “For nothing!” Even after 15 years, he still hasn’t gotten over what happened back then. He speaks of a deep crisis because up until then he had defined himself exclusively through sport.
He moved out of the elite school’s boarding school, concentrated on his A-levels and trained for the long distances of 30 and 50 kilometers. In this way, he not only gained athletic strength, but also mental strength and began to believe in himself again. “Perhaps I needed this negative experience to grow from it,” he concludes.
After his military service in the ski train with the mountain infantry battalion in Mittenwald, he applied for a scholarship to the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, where he was able to ski alongside his studies. He says with a smile: “Even though it is unimaginable to ski in the desert of New Mexico, there was a ski team at the university that naturally lived a shadowy existence behind the prestige sports of basketball and football. A little further north, near Santa Fe, there were even good training conditions.”
Life in a sophisticated winter sports resort
Here, the Waltersdorfer gained some of the best experiences of his life. He now saw skiing as a team sport, where the focus was not on the individual, but on the team, which included French, Finns, Norwegians, Germans and Americans. The desire to be successful together at national championships brought the students together and made them friends.
The Saxon remembers with gratitude a wonderful time in which he learned to appreciate the hospitality of the Americans. He and other European teammates were welcomed into American families with unexpected ease. Christmas and New Year felt almost like home. He was never met with prejudice, the Saxon emphasizes.
The student completed his studies in business administration with a focus on data analysis with a master’s degree. Because the previous coach of the ski team went to Utah, the Waltersdorf native took over his position until the team had to be disbanded two years later due to a lack of money. Christian Otto points out with pride that “his boys” said goodbye with honorable farewell to the national championship title.
In the fashionable winter sports resort of Park City, where people like to show off their wealth with luxury cars and exclusive properties, he found a job as an analyst at Backcountry.com, a ski and mountaineering outfitter with online sales, whose German branch is bergfreunde.de He worked here for several years in the marketing team, where advertising strategies were optimized to attract new customers by analyzing statistics. Employees were also rewarded with generous discounts when purchasing high-quality goods. The Waltersdorf resident feels at home in a beautiful apartment. He enjoys every free minute in the unique nature of the Rocky Mountains – on skis, climbing, running or cycling.
He is looking forward to his upcoming move to Victor in Idaho with some sadness. He will miss the place that has been the center of his life for five years and where he has made friends. But he also wants to support his girlfriend Jen’s career plans. The computer scientist with a doctorate wants to take on new challenges at the Idaho National Laboratory.
Her partner will continue to work for the insurance company where he has been employed for two and a half years. The young couple will soon be moving into their own house, but it will be smaller than their current apartment, says the 35-year-old. “In our house, unnecessary luxury was not important. A fulfilling family life was much more important. That has shaped me,” he explains.
He hopes that they will feel at home in the tranquil town, which is no bigger than Waltersdorf, and that they will find new friends. Jackson Hole, a world-class ski area with dry “champagne powder”, awaits the sports-loving couple.
