SPIEGEL ONLINE: Mr. Mochalin, how is the weather with you?
Yaroslav Mochalin: Mostly stormy, it's just a bit clearer outside. Sometimes even the sun shines briefly.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: And the mood? After all, you have been stuck in Hohentauern in Styria for five days.
Mochalin: We take it with humor. Panic does not work. We arrived last Thursday and wanted to go home Saturday night, before the university and the work start again after the holidays. It did not turn out then.
photo gallery
8 pictures
Call with vacationers: snowed in HohentauernSPIEGEL ONLINE : Where exactly are you?
Mochalin: In a holiday home, about 2.5 kilometers from the center. By car and snow chains you make it to the village, but not further. Everything is tight.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: How do you pass the time?
Mochalin: We watch a lot of television, for example last night "DSDS". Otherwise we read, play "Monopoly", "mill" or "man does not annoy you". We wanted to relax anyway - without skiing. If the weather is ok, we go out with the dog, he has the most fun here. And of course we are shoveling a lot of snow.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: What are you still doing today?
Mochalin: Today we wanted to go sledding. The slopes here are pretty safe, we are in no avalanche danger area. And our snowy neighbors go skiing all the time.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Are you provided with everything important?
Mochalin: Yes. We have electricity and hot water. And there's a grocery store in the village where we bought supplies. Especially rice and pasta, but also frozen vegetables and fish fingers we still got. And snacks and chocolate. The store is currently still supplied by the farmers in the environment, it said. But it is getting close.
SPIEGEL ONLINE : And what happens then?
Mochalin : Over the next few days, a supply flight with food and medicines is expected to come from a military base in Aigen. From there, helicopters were to be used a few days ago to make reconnaissance flights, but they were canceled because the wind was too strong.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: What is the mood among the locals?
Mochalin: Pretty good, people see the situation calmly, are very nice and funny on it. Some offered us their help when we were down in the village, for example when we run out of food. On Tuesday, the volunteer fire department with about 20 people was there and has cleared the snow from the roofs.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: What are you missing at home?
Mochalin: In fact, one of us could not write his computer science exam at the university. Those of us who are already working need to take special leave. There will be no trouble for them because we get a confirmation from the municipal office that we were snowed. I can not participate in my laboratory exercises at the university. Therefore, I will have to catch up on the seminar in a year, because I have missed too much, until we are out of here.