To Ski Contiki or not to Ski Contiki?
In Jan 2016 a mate and I went on the Austrian Ski Contiki to Hopfgarten. We had both had extremely busy holidays preceding the Contiki and needless to say, we were extremely under-prepared for what was to follow. Megan, my mate, even forgot socks... I’ve been skiing before in Europe, but always around Easter time, resulting in complete oblivion regarding how COLD it can actually be in Jan. Most days ranged between -8 degrees and 4 degrees. Hopfgarten is part of the SkiWelt region, which is Austria’s largest ski area covering a 280km range of slopes. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced skier- the region is unbelievable.
THE GROUP
The ski Contiki is quite different from most other Contikis; instead of moving around you stay in one chalet, Haus Schoneck, the whole week (obviously it would be a little difficult to lug ski’s and snowboards on buses from town to town). It’s also bloody exhausting. What do you do on most Contiki’s? Walk, site see, drink, eat and party. Now add in 5-8 hours of strenuous exercise every day. The amount of partying doesn’t change; however napping all day on the bus is not an option (I recommend a lot of Barocca and at least 2 Rehydrates every morning to keep that immune system ticking).
Because the group is stationary it’s also a lot larger than most Contiki groups, with a chalet sleeping about 90 people. One thing that doesn’t change is that 90% of the group is Aussies (of course, they’re everywhere).
THE PRICE
When it comes to prices; the package is great value for money. I’ll break it down briefly, although it has increased slightly in the last 12 months.
Contiki price: R7800 (7 nights)
5 dinners included: R750
Ski hire: R750
Ski Pass: R3350
TOTAL: R12650
THE FOOD
The half board option leaves you with one dinner out on the town, and is 100% worth doing. About 80% of the guests use this option, dinner is always festive, and it’s a three-course meal that will leave you stuffed after a long day. The chalet has a chef; I must say the food isn’t something you’d find at a top restaurant, however it’s hearty and delicious. Soups, schnitzels, crumbed mushrooms, chocolate tarts, freshly baked breads- these are all things you’ll find on your table to ensure you come out of their looking nice and ‘healthy’.
The Contiki price includes breakfast that is a simple cooked dish and a couple of cold options like yogurts, cereals, toast and jams.
All in all, I’d say the food is just about perfect for a hungry student whose hitting the slopes all day.
THE EXTRAS
The Contiki price doesn’t include several extras such as tobogganing, paragliding, bobsledding, and night skiing. Most people recommend doing every extra you can afford. I was on a budget, and had tobogganed before so I chose to do the night skiing and the bobsledding. Both were between 20-40 euros. The night skiing was definitely my favorite- an experience of a lifetime. The bobsledding was terrifying. Megan went paragliding and nearly froze to death; so just make sure you take the wind chill factor into account when considering that option.
THE PARTY'S
There’s a reason Contiki is as famous as it is; they know how to throw a party. We had a quiz night, a battle of the sexes night, a lumo night, and a last night party. Every day after skiing large groups of us would meet at small authentic Austrian bars at the bottom of the slopes for gluwein and rum infused hot chocolate, commonly known as Apres-ski.
For some reason, hangovers there just aren’t the same. Maybe it’s the negative temperatures or the altitude; but after dragging ourselves out of bed at about 7 am after partying until the early hours of the morning, the hardest part was done. As soon as I hit the slopes I immediately felt ready to do it all over again.
A COUPLE OF TIPS
If you’re trying to save money, eat the goulash soup on the mountains for lunch, its unbelievably delicious and only costs about 4 euros. Also stick to beers and wine; the spirits in the bars will destroy your wallet.
If you’re going to travel with someone, travel with either one person or a lot of people. It’s hard to always make three or four people happy, to find each other on the slopes, and to all stick together when you have different skill levels- one person is easy to coordinate with.
Do as many extra activities as you can afford.
If you have the time and money, do the two-week Contiki. We did the one-week one, but that only left us with 6 days on the slopes. If you do the two week one you can actually have a couple of rest days and walk away satisfied that you got the most out of it.
We arrived on about the 8th of Jan and were lucky because the majority of the snow fell two days before we arrived. Don’t go too early in the ski season, it would be crappy to spend all that money and then only have icy slopes to ski on.
Don’t stick to only one area; explore the mountains as much as possible.