A Christmas Ski Holiday for Young Travellers
Have you always dreamt of a white Christmas but thought
skiing in Europe was only for investment bankers, movie
stars and royalty? Many youth travel specialists offer great
skiing package that will allow independent travellers to join
the jet set and experience the magic of Christmas in the
Austrian Alps.
White Christmas
The 7 night Ski Hopfgarten Xmas package, which departs from
London on the 23 December, costs R3 280 per person on a B&B
basis. In addition you need to add on your ski pass (R1 350) and
equipment hire (from R375). If you are a beginner, then ski or
snowboarding lessons are strongly recommended, and these cost
from R750. Anybody purchasing a ski package will also receive
the following discount options from Snowscape: 10% discount on
shop purchases, 15% on clothing hire, first lesson free and 20%
on extra lessons booked. Add in your flights to London
from R3825 (ex Jhb, student and youth fare excl airport taxes)
and you are looking at around R9000 for your most memorable Xmas
ever!
On the Slopes
The idyllic Austrian village of Hopfgarten lies at the
foot of the Hohe Salve Mountain, which rises to a peak of 1829m.
It is everything you'd expect a ski resort in the heart of the
Austrian Tyrol to be: traditional fairy-tale wooden chalets
cluster around a twin-turreted church, snow-laden fir trees
nestle beneath the impressive Austrian Alps.
Youth travel specialists have been taking skiers to Hopfgarten
for over 20 years and now with a large investment by the Ski
Welt region, Hopfgarten and its neighbouring villages are part
of one of the largest network of artificial snow making machines
in Europe - ensuring the best possible snow conditions over all
250km of piste.
Hopfgarten is great for all levels of skiers and snowboarders
and the friendly and informal atmosphere of the village makes it
the perfect destination for young travellers. In addition, if
racing down a mountain is not enough to get your adrenaline
pumping then you can try some of the optional excursions on
offer which include tobogganing, sleigh rides, tandem
paragliding or ice skating on a frozen alpine lake. And after an
energetic day on the slopes the fun really starts with the
town's infamous nightlife offerings.