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Ski Trip to Zell am See

By Ty Malcolm

Glacier View

It's Sunday evening, and I'm back from our 4-day trip to Zell am See, a huge alpine tourist destination in central Austria. Nestled between Lake Zell and several 2000m peaks, this small town serves as a major base-camp for skiing and snowboarding, with taxis, shuttle buses, and cable-cars bringing visitors to their destinations.

Hotel Schütthof

Our hotel had a great location - around the corner from the bank, the grocery store, the bus stop, and a few bars.There was also sauna and a rental shop for ski equipment on-site, making our weekend very easy. Breakfast and dinner were included in the price of the trip, and the meals were served for 3 hours each, leaving us free to plan our days how we wanted. 3 people to a room kept things fun, and didn't feel cramped.

Skiing

Learning to Ski

As I had to explain a million times over the weekend, my family always took vacations in the summer when I was growing up. And so even though we usually went to Colorado, we were always hiking or rafting or horseback riding... no skiing! Not even once! So this was going to be a learning experience. Luckily, there were plenty of other students on the trip learning to ski. With Austrian students from the WU Student Union as our instructors, we signed up for a few days of lessons.

The first day was not pretty! Just strapping on the skis seemed to erase my ability to stand up or move around without sliding to my death... Crazy! I think most important was to have a positive attitude - if I wasn't trying to smile and laugh, I think I would have just wanted to quit. It's especially funny (or disheartening, maybe) to see 5 or 6 year-olds rocket past you with perfect control and form, and meanwhile you can't even come to a controlled stop yet. Luckily, by the middle of the second day, we were able to go down the slope. Of course, everybody looked awkward and fell a few times, but it was a lot of fun! I think if we had been given an entire week, we would be up-to-speed, so that was an uplifting thought.

Apres Ski

Aprés-Ski

One great thing that even beginners could enjoy was the traditional post-skiing parties on and off the mountain. After a day of stress and concentration, it felt great to meet up with friends and have a good time. Our group, between 50-75 students, had a blast together, and it was honestly one of my favorite parties on my Austrian exchange. The combination of fresh air, mountain views, and friends nearing the end of their exchange made for a great time.

The weather was sunny and 40ºF, so the snow was mostly artificial and we shed a lot of our layers. We all came back with the classic skiers' tan, sore legs, and lots of great stories. Although it was the most expensive trip with the Erasmus Buddy Network (€299) we all agreed that it was worth the price, and much cheaper than we could have done, had we gone independently.

So, to sum it all up:

Even if you don't know how to ski yet, sign up for the EBN trip to Zell am See!