Amazing Race 14
Episode Two:
Your Target Is Your Partner’s Face!
The subtle differences continue as we are told that previously on the Amazing Race…eleven teams set out on a race around the world…train rides…Bernese Alps…cheesy racks…Stechelberg…mandatory rest period… A typical description of the previous episode but without the “...who will be eliminated next...”
So a little housekeeping. By my guestimates, the teams completing the first leg covered approximately 6,300 miles in 55 hours spread across three days, so given my assumption that the Race started on a Saturday, the next leg will start on Monday. The first team, the Mother and Son, arrived at the pit stop at 2:56 PM, and the last non-eliminated team, the arguing dating couple, arrived 1:16 later at 4:12 PM.
Route Info: Ruhpolding Germany
As they leave the pit stop we learn that the teams have $585 for this leg of the Race, and the first thing they have to do is get to Ruhpolding, Germany by way of Zurich and Muenchen (Munich). Once they get to Ruhpolding, they will ride a cable car to the top of the mountain where they will find their next clue.
This map shows the approximately 115 mile trip from Stechelberg to Zurich, and given that most teams were doing this between 2:00 and 7:00 in the morning, it probably took between two to three hours.
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Surprisingly, the flights mentioned on the Race are still listed at Expedia. Swiss Air flight 1100 leaves Zurich (Zur) at 7:10 AM, arriving in Munich (MUC) at 8:15 AM. The trip costs $1,270 (for two passengers), takes 1:05, and covers 163 miles. Lufthansa flight 3739 leaves Zurich at 8:45 AM, arriving in Munich at 9:45 AM. This flight costs $1,280 (again for two passengers), takes five minutes less (1:00) to cover the same distance.
The smart teams all borrow the taxi driver’s cell phones to call ahead to book flights. In the end, only two of the teams end up on the later flight. This map shows Zurich, Switzerland in relation to Munich, Germany.
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Ruhpolding is a big (6,500 residents), enchantingly romantic village in Upper Bavaria, serving up nature at its finest in every season of the year. A map of the ski areas helps identify the location of a gondola (scroll to bottom of page for the ski area map and look on Vorderer Rauschber). A Canadian Web site also has Ruhpolding information in English.
It appears that the Gondola is actually located between the towns of Ramsien and Fritz am Sand, and the route from the Munich Airport to the Gondola is approximately 92 miles.
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This second map shows a close up of the mountain, and if you zoom in you can see the pathway from the top of the mountain, back to a field near the Gondola terminus, a distance of about five miles. You can also see some branches in the path that would take one to a different end point if they did not notice the Race-themed markers showing the correct route.
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Roadblock: Who’s Ready to Fly Like an Eagle?
A team member must now, as Phil says, quite literally ‘take a flying leap’ by paragliding 6,000 feet below to get the next clue. Because the wind conditions have to be just right before paragliding, the team member can choose to follow the path down the mountain on foot. Hiking down the path is estimated to take about an hour. We get a look at a clue which reads:
Who's ready to fly like
an eagle?
Important Note:
For safety reasons the
person performing this
task MUST be able to
hear verbal clues.
The paragliding is run by Tandem Fliegen, as you can see the name on the helmets that the leaping team members wore.
This leads to an interesting Race dilemma: when the first teams arrive, the wind is too high to paraglide, therefore more and more team members choose to start down the hill on foot. The Father of the ‘Father and Son’ team, hurt his groin on the previous leg, so he does not feel that he could make the downhill hike (which is still stressful on the legs and joints). So he feels that he is hurting his team as all the other teams decide not to wait for the wind to drop, but instead start down the hill.
But shortly after the last team leaves, the winds become acceptable and the Father is the only person who gets to experience the paragliding. It also moves them from last to fifth place—and isn’t that what makes watching the Race so much fun. One of the hardest things to do on the Race must be to not let temporary set backs make you stop trying your hardest to pass another team and not be last.
One other point, at the top of the mountain is a sign which reads:
Landeplatz zu Fuß
Landing Field by Foot!
The exclamation point is actually a boot print, and below that is a yellow sign with a red arrow marking the correct trail—an indication that may you should watch for other arrows along the way.
Route Info: Schönau am Königssee
Once the team member had run down the mountain (or paraglided in the case of the Father), teams had to make there way 25 Phil miles to Schönau am Königssee. Again we see a clue, and can see it reads:
Drive yourselves to
Schönau am Königssee.
Then, find your next clue
near the area of the
bobsled track.
The Mother and Son impressed me by pulling out a map, and making sure they knew the route before they jumped into their car and headed for Schönau am Königssee. This map shows the approximately 25 mile route, but given the fact it is mountain driving it could be any where from a half-hour to an hour drive.
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The town is actually in the Berchtesgaden National Park. A description of the skiing in the area is available here. The bobsled track is described at Wikipedia, which helps locate it on the map.
Detour: Bouncing Dolly or Austrian Folly
Phil says teams have to choose two tasks which depend on precision:
In ‘Bouncing Dolly’ team members must use a Segway Personal Transporter to traverse a two-mile obstacle course—as Phil says, “a test of skill and balance.” Balancing the Segway could be tricky, but according to Phil a team that “masters the controls can scoot ahead.”
In ‘Austrian Folly’ team members must throw pies made of traditional Austrian Schlag at a target until they find one with a cherry filling. The only advice Phil provides about this task is to “move fast or you could get creamed.”
But what is ‘Austrian Schlag?’ According to Dictionary.Com, now the official dictionary of these summaries, schlag is a noun related to Viennese Cookery meaning whipped cream, used especially as a topping for cake or coffee, and is short for short for Schlagobers. Oregon State University confirms that Schlagobers is a sweet, typically vanilla flavored whipped cream although it also appears to be the title of a ballet by Straus.
It is only after a team selects ‘Austrian Folly,’ and have entered the tent with all the cakes that they see a sign in an Austrian or German font that reads:
Achtung Baby!
Your target is
your partner’s face!
Route Info: Proceed to Woodcutters
Teams must now make their way on foot to find a mechanical set of Tyrolian woodcutters. We see a clue which reads:
Time to Hoof It!
Make your way on foot to
the “Hotzsager” near the
Königssee boat landing and
get a piece of wood.
It will then be stamped
with the name of your
next destination.
It is not clear when you zoom all the way in on the town in previous map whether there is a boat landing on the same side of the river as the bob sled run or whether the teams had to cross the river to get to the main boat dock, but the view of the lake was likely worth the short walk.
Route Info: Schloss Hellbrunn
Teams must now drive to the Austrian city of Salzburg, and find Schloss Hellbrunn, the second pit stop, and therefore, Phil tells us "that the last team to arrive may be eliminated..."
The distance is only about 15 miles, so it shouldn't take more than a half hour to drive from the lake to the castle.
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Phil also tells us that Schloss means castle, and the castle's main Web site has lots of pictures. The castle was built between 1612-1619, by the Italian architect Santino Solari. According to the site, “the story of Markus Sittikus von Hohenems was simultaneously a prince and an archbishop; a man of power with a wealth of gold and salt. His vision: to create such a place that had never previously existed.”
“The power of Markus Sittikus reached far beyond Salzburg. He ruled a region from Carinthia in the south to Regensburg in the north. But why did he have Hellbrunn built in only three years? Well, it was simply his love of life. You can still feel this passion today: Hellbrunn is more than a summer palace with a park and the unique trick fountains—Hellbrunn is a love of life.”
The Lawyers are the first team to arrive at the pit stop, and win a pair of hybrid go-carts. They are followed by the Father and Son, the Dating Couple, the Mother and Son, and the Married Couple. It is dark by the time that the Cheerleaders arrive, followed by the Sisters, the Stuntmen, and finally, the Flight Attendants. The Hillbillies are the last team to arrive and are eliminated.