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Austria

Austria is the home of skiing considering that some of the Tyrolean resorts had a pioneering role in the development of alpine skiing. An Austrian snow holiday provides an opportunity to soak up some fabulous European culture, and enjoy Austrian cities, friendly villages and traditional resorts. The skiing and boarding is world class, and it could be argued that après doesn’t belong to France. Austria is the real home to some of the best après in the world – the Austrians (and Germans) certainly know how to party!

There are lots of options for skiing in Austria. There are many ski areas accessible from the city of Innsbruck, great skiing at Kitzbuhel, and significant terrain in the Alberg region which includes St Anton, Lech and Zurs. All these resorts are easily accessed via Innsbruck airport, Zurich airport, or via the well connected European train system.

The food is part of the enjoyable culture to be experienced, although this is not the place to visit if you’re trying to lose weight and you’re not prepared to burn some calories on the slopes. Some may say that the food is stodgy, whilst others would describe it as fabulously scrummy. Every type of gourmet sausage imaginable is available, there’s the classic wiener schnitzel and fries, and beautiful rösti with potato and cheese guaranteed to clog up your arteries. There are healthier options available too, but the food is way too nice to evade. There are also lots of opportunities for beer drinking as there are a plethora of beers available for tasting.

If your ability to speak German isn’t great don’t worry too much as the resorts are well populated by British tourists, so some degree of English is spoken in most places. You’ll recognise a lot of common foods, you’ll know how to order a bier, and if you say danke for your meal the locals will be happy. You may think that Austria is an expensive place to go skiing. The main expense will be related to the flights to get to Europe (the cost may be approximately AUD$2,000 depending upon timing, the carrier and a bit of luck). Lift passes are reasonable at about AUD$50-60 per day, and there are many accommodation options to suit different budgets. As a price indication, we stayed at a lovely pension (Pension Gamberg) in St Anton for AUD$1,280 for 2 persons for 7 nights (including breakfast). In Innsbruck we stayed at the very well located 3-star Hotel Maximilian which cost AUD$150 per night (including breakfast) for 2 persons. There are also cheaper options available.

Considering the exchange rate, the other main expense may be associated with food and drink if you eat out a lot. Ski and boarding clothes can also be expensive but that’s generally just because they only sell the spiffy brands.