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Studying Abroad/Skiing in Austria

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T-Love
Posts: 176 - Karma: 22
I am looking to study abroad the spring semester next year and really hoping to break the east coast norm for skiing and go somewhere with great skiing(see pow) close. I am looking into Austria, specifically Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration...Can anyone tell me any info about the closest ski resorts, the type of skiing nearby, the people, honestly anything helps. I searched around for a while but found nothing conclusive....

Thanks alot
Feb 24 2009 1:07AM
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miketheskier88
Posts: 749 - Karma: 66
Vienna is on the eastern part of Austria, by Slovakia.. and kinda away from all the good mountains. But, you can easily just train into the ski resorts or you could rent a car and drive over. The salzburger area of Austria is sick, with places like Zell am See, Sölden, Neustift am Stubai, Hintertux (those are all glaciers), then you got Saalbach am Hinterglemm, Obertauren, Lech and more and more.

The people there are alright, seem friendly enough to me. The food there is good, definately check out "kaiserschmarn" it's this apple pancake fry up kinda thing. Then obviously all the sausages and so forth.

There was a thread on tgr asking the exact same thing, might be an idea to check that out.
Feb 24 2009 5:26AM
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rupert_pupkin
Posts: 454 - Karma: 225
I can only recommend Innsbruck. Vienna is too far away of the alps, salzburg doesnt have any Ecomomic studies (as far as I know) and skiing isnt as good as in Innsbruck (again, havent been there)
I study in Innsbruck by myself and I gotta say its perfect for skiing. There is a resort with a park right above the city, the lift up there starts right in the center of the city, you dont have to use a car at all. There are quite a few nice resorts in the closest area like Axamer Lizum, and the Zillertal with Hintertux in summer and Mayerhofen (pretty much best park in a 400km radius, Austrian open take place there) in winter is an hour drive away. Innsbruck is quite the Center of the German speaking Skiing and Snowboarding industry. Burton, Armada, Orage and quite a lot of Brands have their main facilities in Innsbruck, which is awesome. So many pro riders and shops around, I love it.
If you need any informations, PM me, heres the website of innsbrucks university www.uibk.ac.at
of mayerhofens park www.vans-penken-park.com
and of innsbrucks home resort www.nordpark.com
Feb 24 2009 6:46AM
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michael_bc
Posts: 1386 - Karma: 720
Vienna is 4 hours away from any decent skiing.

Innsbruck is definitely the way to go, good university, amazing city, lots of parties, good skiing everywhere... whether you hit Nordpark from city or travel 1 hour to St. Anton or Mayrhofen. Oh and with Kaunertal, Stubai and Hintertux near by you have year round skiing in Innsbruck. 365/days per year.
Feb 24 2009 8:13AM
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johnnypsunami
Posts: 5024 - Karma: 221

I studied International Business at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, and I was able to do a year abroad in Austria.

I studied at the university of innsbruck. If you can get there I would highly recommend it. IF you are a skier, you need to study there. Vienna is a really nice city, but it is far away from the alps. Innsbruck has close access to over a dozen solid mountains and is the only way to go if you want to study in Austria.

Feb 24 2009 1:39PM
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T-Love
Posts: 176 - Karma: 22
Wow, seriously thank you all very much for the insight. This has really helped and I will definitely be looking more into Innsbruck. Its currently not a program supported at my school so I'm gonna have to see if I can make that work...
Feb 24 2009 2:45PM
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Dustin.
Posts: 13839 - Karma: 7,704
Vienna is pretty sweet, but Innsbruck is where it's at for skiing.  I lived in Europe for 5 years and we used to head down there quite a bit.
Feb 24 2009 4:20PM
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Vinci
Posts: 701 - Karma: 1,472
I c...
So the pictures in my profile arn't decent skiing.
Sry to hear that.

If you need some advice about vienna and the skiing options feel free to contact me.

Feb 24 2009 4:29PM
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nathanielstyza
Posts: 1638 - Karma: 38
did those of you who have lived there speak german well?
if not, how was it getting around just day to day?
Feb 24 2009 7:49PM
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bikerocker
Posts: 1427 - Karma: 461
pm laurabray, she's doing exactly that right now.
Feb 24 2009 8:18PM
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nathanielstyza
Posts: 1638 - Karma: 38
was that in response to my post?
Feb 24 2009 8:35PM
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miketheskier88
Posts: 749 - Karma: 66
I speak it fluently but err, most austrians should speak broken english. Especially in big multi-cultural cities like vienna/innsbruck.

DEFINATELY try to speak german wherever you are. Even if you sound like a complete dick you will be greeted more friendly then just assuming everyone speaks the same langauge as you.

"sprechen sie englisch" - do you speak english
"wo kann ich full tilts kaufen" - where can i buy full tilts

thats all you'll need for the mean time. :P
Feb 24 2009 9:42PM
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HuckMadTrix
Posts: 448 - Karma: 138

As a resident expert on this subject I will weigh in.

I studied in Salzburg for Spring Semester of my Junior Year. VERY VERY sick. They have (hopefully they still do) a charter bus that goes to a different mountain every day of the week. It leaves from the same spot downtown and goes to one mountain on monday, another on tuesday etc, and then repeats each week. Very reasonable rate for a lift ticket and bus ride to and from the mountain (50 Euros I think when I was there 3 years ago). I brought beers, stashed them in the snow and drank them on the bus ride on the way home. The driver thought I was hilarious. I also made friends with the guide who knew each resort very well. He took me out of bounds and showed me all the dope spots. I will never forget him. He looks like Ben Bailey, the dude on Cash Cab.

I also did alot of weekend trips (Innsbruck, Interlaken Switzerland and everywhere in Austria by train. We had class 4 days a week with every Friday off so weekend trips were not an issue. Got about 25 days of ridiculous skiing. From skiing in a t-shirt through a farm in switzerland to waist deep pow in Arlberg.

I also found time to visit 13 cities in 9 countries including Munich, Prague, AMSTERDAM, Budapest, London, Corfu...the list goes on and on.

Also, went to school I guess but barely remeber that (they don't stress academics...as the shouldn't, it's about the culture. In short, STUDY ABROAD, doesn't matter where. I highly reccomend Salzburg cause it's beautiful, you'll get a great winter and some great warm weather before you leave. The skiing is out of this world, just like you see in the movies. And it's right smack dab in the middle of Europe so traveling to other parts of europe is very convienent.

Here are some basic tips for studying abroad in Salzburg. (and in general I guess)

1. Bring fat skis. I brought seths and didnt bring anything else, don't regret it (did have to have a binding replacement part mailed to me though)
2. Don't worry about money, you have the rest of your life to do that. Get a loan, get a credit card, go crazy. Work your ass off when you get back to pay it off as quickly as possible
3. Bang chicks. DON"T go with a girlfriend (to the same place or have one back home) You'll just cheat on her anyway and feel bad about it
4. AMSTERDAM (but only for 2 days, anymore and you will probably die)
5. Get black out at a beer hall in Munich
6. Have a cool roomate (if your roomate sucks, switch with someone. They will make or break your trip
7. Take pictures, you will look at them for the rest of your like going"Holy shiit I can't believe I did that"
8. Make a real attempt to learn the language, locals appreciate that and it's fun. But don't worry, everyone who's nice speaks english.
9. If you have to take summer classes or have a heavy load other semesters so you can abroad SUCK IT UP. You will not regret it. Obviously I didn't.

Sorry this post is so long. PM if you want more info on the program I went with, how it worked whatever. Happy to help. Hope these guidelines were atleast enteraining if not helpful. 

Feb 24 2009 10:07PM
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HuckMadTrix
Posts: 448 - Karma: 138
http://www.aifsabroad.com/austria/

Here is the link to the program I went with. I was a business major with an economics minor (exactly liek you) and I graduated from St. Michaels on time with an internship mixed in their. Not bragging. Just saying it can be done while skiing 75-100 days a year.

...on this I forgot to mention as a tip. Get a Euro Pass for the train. Gives you the freedom to travel anywhere without having to shell out $$ everytime you catch a train.

Feb 24 2009 10:11PM
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johnnypsunami
Posts: 5024 - Karma: 221

I studied two years of german before I went there, getting pretty poor marks, and I found it okay.

The younger people you will meet will usually speak really good english, especially if you are studying at university. Most of the time when I would even try to speak german they would switch to english immediately after recognizing that I was not a native speaker. It actually got kind of annoying at times.

If you are in some small remote town you might have trouble only speaking english, but eventually you will find someone to help you.

Feb 24 2009 10:48PM
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T-Love
Posts: 176 - Karma: 22
Thanks so much man, these insights are really helping, I will pm you when I come up with some specific questions...How far is Salzburg from Vienna?
Feb 24 2009 11:59PM
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N-John360
Posts: 835 - Karma: 8
I am currently studying German and Business at the University of Scranton (I am only a freshman, so I haven't decided on a specific business major yet). I really want to study abroad in Germany or Austria my Junior year. I love skiing and all, but I think that I would currently choose to study in Koln or Berlin, because I have visited those places and I absolutely love them. Those two places are nowhere near skiing, but for anyone that has ever been there they will know I will find something else to do. If I change my mind, maybe I'll study n Austria.
Also, you should know at least basic german when you go there. I find that people like you more.
Feb 25 2009 12:21AM
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michael_bc
Posts: 1386 - Karma: 720
could you specify at which mountain you ride and be honest about how far it is from Vienna by public transportation.
Feb 25 2009 7:04AM
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rupert_pupkin
Posts: 454 - Karma: 225
It is decent skiing, but not AWESOME skiing, as you might get in Innsbruck or even in Salzburg.
Vienna is nice, but without a car youre screwed. And as a student you always got a car, right?

I´d stick to Innsbruck or Salzburg. Innsbruck is more central though. As far as I know, pretty much everyone over here speaks pretty decent English, especially in Innsbruck where are quite a few snowboard pros and ski bums around. So I wouldnt worry about that. Quite a lot of the courses on university are even held in English if there are enough foreign students.
Feb 25 2009 9:31AM
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nathanielstyza
Posts: 1638 - Karma: 38
im curious about what things are like there in the summer.
i would like to study abroad somewhere for the summer semester.
what are the glaciers like?
how close are glaciers to innsbruck?
how are the parks?
worth it?

thanks
Feb 25 2009 6:52PM
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michael_bc
Posts: 1386 - Karma: 720
The glaciers are not as high as in Switzerland where the snow quality is good all summer long, but you have choice of SO MANY glaciers.

The most popular glacier for park close to Innsbruck is Hintertux. Throughout a summer it will have good days, and very bad days. The park is not super amazing like Les 2 Alpes or Saas Fee... but its still fun.

There are a TON of glaciers around Innsbruck that dont have a park.. Stubai, Pitztal, Moelltal, etc..

Then there is Kaunertal, which is AMAZING, but only till the end of May and from October on more or less. If you can catch the spring classics and the Kaunertal opening during your stay, it will make your entire trip worth it.

And finally there is a hidden gem which is not that far from Innsbruck, it's called Schnalstal, its right across the border in Italy... the park is open from June till July... even though it's a glacier, the park is incredible, and of a quality that is unheard of in Europe.
Feb 26 2009 6:38AM
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rupert_pupkin
Posts: 454 - Karma: 225
^exactly. U can ski the usual mountains over here untli mid April, until End of June Kaunertal (3/4h drive from innsbruck) is the way to go (really nice park and a nice contest, called the spring classics, look it up in the news section, there is always a report) July I´d go to the Dachstein Superpark (3h drive form innsbruck) which has an awesome park. If dachstein closes you can go to hintertux (1h drive) which has a nice 2hit kickerline all summer) and mid Ocotober Kaunertal glacier opens again (Kaunertal opening, again news section).
But I gotta try snalstal myself, havent been there and what michael says sounds really nice...

So, u got some decent skiing all year...
Feb 26 2009 8:14AM
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Nicko1981
Posts: 527 - Karma: 180
go to saalbach-hinterglemm. dooo it.
Feb 26 2009 8:26AM
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