Ski Austria with Contiki

I had one of the best weeks of my life on Contiki snowboarding in Austria. We stayed at their private snow lodge which housed 115 crazy people, got fed everyday 3 course meals and had wild themed parties at their basement bar every night! I would recommend doing it to absolutely anyone.

This worked in a similar way to the Topdeck tour however was a totally different experience. You have the option of meeting in London and taking an overnight Contiki bus to Austria (which most people did). Despite being a long journey, this was a great way to get to know everyone fast as we bonded over ice breaker games.

Contiki organised all the ski passes, lessons, equipment and clothing for us. They also had extra activities planned like paragliding and traditional Austrian pub performances.

Paragliding over Hopfgarten

The mountain and snow

The Hopfgarten mountain was quite large and suited all levels of skiers or snowboarders. There is a great atmosphere on this mountain with many lively restaurants and apres ski events everyday. There was a small learning mini mountain which the lessons were held on which was great for beginners.

Drinks on top of Hopfgarten mountain

Nightlife

Contiki hosts crazy themed parties every night and most people stayed up until sunrise each morning. Drinking was a big part of the week and it was incredible fun to let loose after a long day on the mountain. As it was such a large group this was a great way to get to know everyone and I still keep in touch with most of the people I met.

Shotski of schnapps

Cost

The entire week cost me €2100 all inclusive, with the tour itself costing around $1000. This is not a budget friendly option, however most of my cost went towards lessons, extras like paragliding and drinks at the bar, which could be avoided for others. Although they’re not expensive for Australian standards, you are drinking from 5pm until 5am most nights and this adds up very quickly!

Is this option for you?

This was incredibly fun, however you didn’t get much immersion in the Austrian culture as you stay in the chalet most of the time. Contiki did organise a few dinners and nights out in the town which were great, however when a giant Contiki bus rolled up to a small pub with 100 drunk Australians, we kind of killed the local buzz.

If you want to experience an awesome week on the snow and party crazy hard with new and fast friends, this is the tour for you.

Click below to see dates and prices of the tour!