Enjoying the Culture 215those who wish to brush up on
their skills.
The Viennese frequent
Semmering, Annaberg,
Josefsberg and Wechsel, all
about one hour away in Lower
Austria. On holidays and during
winter vacation, they travel much farther to even better
resorts, although they prefer to stay within Austria and
rarely ski in the Swiss, French or Italian Alps. Families tend
to return to the same resort year after year. In Tyrol, Seefeld
(near Innsbruck) and Ischgl are among the favourites, while
Kitzbühel and Saint Anton are popular with the wealthier
set. In Vorarlberg, Lech and Zürs are by far the best known.
They are expensive, but offer high quality infrastructure, such
as helicopters. In Salzburg, Austrians head to Badgastein,
Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Zell am See and Obertauern. The
World Cup race has been held in Schladming in Styria,
another popular resort. Nassfeld in Carinthia is also a great
place to ski.
Make reservations well in advance and be aware that every
province has its own ‘ski week’. As part of the school year,
students take a week-long ski trip. Each province is assigned
its own week so that the runs do not become overcrowded
and every school in the province will go skiing that specific
week. All Austrians learn to ski very young, so don’t be
discouraged by the kids’ abilities.
Snowboarding is becoming increasingly popular, especially
among the young. It is considered ‘cooler’ than skiing.
Snowboarding is permitted at all resorts, and some problems
have arisen as snowboarders and skiers must share runs.
Some resorts hope to establish separate runs, but that is not
expected to happen anytime soon.
Skiing is a social activity, and after a day on the slopes,
Austrians enjoy a big meal and drink Glühwein and Schnaps.
On the downside, they often light up cigarettes as soon as
the skis are off. Heavy smoke may be the only disadvantage
to passing the evenings in ski lodges.
Summer skiing is possible in a few places in Tyrol, Salzburg
Skiing Gear
Clothing and equipment play
an important role in skiing.
Everything the Austrians use is
of high quality. This appears to
be the one time that Austrians
wear brightly-coloured, non-
conservative clothing.