Member of the Month

KilaTsunami
October, 2024

Online

Welcome to the Newschoolers forums! You may read the forums as a guest, however you must be a registered member to post. Register to become a member today!

Season in Europe

profile picture
caljo
Posts: 5 - Karma: 56
Yo, I am from NZ and am thinking about doing next season in Europe. I am just not sue where to try and get to.
Anyone have any advice or ideas? Also I am looking for a place with a pretty good park.
Jul 4 2013 12:51AM
19 1
profile picture
HolySchimmel
Posts: 1601 - Karma: 1,297
Just look into resorts around the city of Innsbruck. All connected via the "tirol card" (670€ per season I think) , lets you ski a billion resorts from october up to may.
Jul 4 2013 12:55AM
5 0
profile picture
C-Wal
Posts: 185 - Karma: 1,370
I'd recommend Val d'Isere having done 2 seasons there and planning on going back next season for a third. It's linked to neigboring resort Tignes so the ski area is huge, loads of off piste, 2 snowparks. It also has so of the best apres ski, with so many bars to choose from. There are a lot of events that go on throughout the year and the Euro X games takes place in Tignes so you will be able to ski across and catch that too.

Other popular resorts are any of the 3 valley resorts, Zematt, St Anton, and I've heard that the snow park at Laax is pretty good too.
Jul 4 2013 1:16AM
1 1
profile picture
HolySchimmel
Posts: 1601 - Karma: 1,297
Yeah, but switzerland is ridiculously expensive. I would recommend either going to Austria (for example Innsbruck are, as I mentioned before) or maybe France. I like the Inssbruck area with the tirol card a lot more, since there is so much variety and stuff to choose from. You could probably ski a different resort almost every day. + you have several glaciers, so you can ski from the beginning of october up until mid july if you really want to (thats when the parks usually open/close, you could ski slopes for 365daays in Hintertux, thats not really worth it though :P )
Jul 4 2013 1:42AM
3 0
profile picture
caljo
Posts: 5 - Karma: 56
Thanks y'all.
Is it easy to pick up work over there (as someone who only speaks english) or am I better off trying to sort something before I get there?
Jul 4 2013 3:06AM
1 0
profile picture
cameron_taylor
Posts: 325 - Karma: 446
I would say the best place i've been for park would be Meribel or Val D'Isere. I'm pretty sure last time i went to Meribel, they had four parks and a mass of backcountry last time but the pass was incredibly expensive. Val d'Isere is also great with two snow parks and also a lot of backcountry, with Tignes just across from it, and Les Arcs (where i normally ski) where you can get to La Plagne from, Sainte Foy and La Rosiere where you can ski into Italy from.
Jul 4 2013 3:40AM
0 0
profile picture
ESB
Posts: 9274 - Karma: 10,648
Austria is the shit and the Tirol card is the real deal, and living and skiing is more affordable than in CH or France.

The Vorarlberg area is also renowned for its snowfall and has a good park at Silvretta Montafon. Just saying, if I were to do another winter in Europe, I'd be trying to do it at Montafon.
Jul 4 2013 4:48AM
3 0
profile picture
HWW
Posts: 3084 - Karma: 3,436
Where I ski in southern Austria (not Innsbruck), I worked with lots of foreigners who only spoke English (and their own language i.e. Slovenian, Italian, Hungarian, etc.). This was ski instructing, and it was absolutely fine for them, seeing as there are plenty of people who come from abroad for a skiing holiday. There was even a guy from NZ who worked nearly the whole season.

I don't know how it is at other resorts but I imagine it's very similar, and you shouldn't have a problem finding work (depending on what you're looking for). If you're looking for something like a restaurant job, then I doubt you will need anything other than English either.
Jul 4 2013 5:05AM
0 0
profile picture
C-Wal
Posts: 185 - Karma: 1,370
I would say try and sort out a job before you get there, obviously there are loads of hospitality jobs and ski rental jobs going. If you don't manage it, it shouldn't matter too much, you could get something out there, and some people quit their jobs or get sacked so there are jobs available throughout the season.
Jul 4 2013 8:11AM
1 0
profile picture
caljo
Posts: 5 - Karma: 56
Dope,
Thanks for all of the help.
Now I just need to get riding here in NZ!!
Jul 4 2013 8:16AM
0 0
profile picture
maximiliaan
Posts: 7711 - Karma: 2,857
austria has the best vibe, so i would also suggest the innsbruck area. just the fact that its a medium sized city with all the resorts.
Jul 4 2013 9:21AM
0 0
profile picture
ILB15
Posts: 39 - Karma: 21
Done seasons in Val d'Isere, St Anton, Chamonix, and Verbier. All awesome, most all round resort was Val d'Isere, 2 decent parks with with Val Park and Tignes just over the hill, also some killer freeride there as well. It also has a town thats good fun to be in, but expensive. And if you needed to get round a bit the links to other ski areas in the Traentaise are not too bad with some big resorts in the mix. St Anton would be a good choice as well, has more or less everything you need with access to two decent parks in the ski area (one in St Anton one in Lech), plus Austria is awesome. And you wouldn't be disappointed with Verbier, that pace kills it,but the park is not that amasing.
Jul 4 2013 11:00AM
0 0
profile picture
HolySchimmel
Posts: 1601 - Karma: 1,297
I skied in those big resorts (like verbier, Val d'isere and so on) but I have to say that nothing really beats the snowcard tirol.
Its 83 resorts (about 4000km of piste) and all of it from 01.10 - 15.05 for 670€. And there are some resorts with awesome parks (like mayrhofen, the glacier parks in fall/spring, fiss-ladis, and so on). Plus there is a ton of variety you wont find in any other pass (at least I havent found it yet) and you also have the option to ski smaller and less crowded resorts on weekends.
Jul 4 2013 11:19AM
1 0
profile picture
JibbaTheHutt
Posts: 2132 - Karma: 1,597
i'm doing my first season this coming season in val d'isere, super stoked. espace killy is a huge area, loads of off piste, 2 sick parks, EURO X GAMES, good nightlife, and not ridiculous transfer times from the nearest cities/airports.
Jul 4 2013 11:46AM
0 0
profile picture
S.Ki
Posts: 2220 - Karma: 3,630
Regarding your question about getting a job.
As long as you are friendly and outgoing and have a good work ethic you should be able to get a nice job. I've worked with a guy from NZ before, he wasnt here for skiing but he was pretty chill and was doing the dishes in the restaurant i worked back then.
You might be able to be a ski instructor for english-speaking people aswell.
I'd recommend hitting up the Innsbruck aswell ,even though im from Germany and Germany is way better than Austria haha.
Jul 4 2013 12:28PM
2 0
profile picture
sNaubi
Posts: 1633 - Karma: 2,357
Sweden, hehehehehe
Jul 4 2013 1:17PM
0 0
All times are Eastern (-5)