For the second consecutive year the Bytown Ski Club hosted a popular and successful week-long ski excursion to Austria. Twenty-nine happy participants, ranging from eleven years old to retirees, spent a spectacular ski-snowboard week under the sunshine and warm temperatures riding over 280 acres of terrain and stopping each day along the way at a choice of over 75 mountain huts.
This resort had accumulated the most snow in more than sixty years so we did not have to use our edges, saving them for the return to Mt. Tremblant! Our base lodge was the family run Ferienhotel Fuchs in the quaint village of Soll where we were treated to daily buffet breakfasts, multi-choice Austrian dinner cuisine, a sledding evening and a happy hour evening that coincided with the liquid celebration of one member’s birthday. The trip date coincided with the famous Kitzbuhel Hahenkamm downhill race where six of our members opted to trade in their skis and go to the nearby world class race and festive aftermath celebration that took place. Many of the ski week participants spent the days with ski tracking apps and cell phone cameras humming and then exchanging stories at the hotel après ski socials and over dinner.
In addition to the sledding event, the Touringhouse Travel agency contributed two wonderful elements to add comfort, enjoyment and knowledge to our group participants. On arrival day Gabriel Eder, Director of the Soll Tourist Centre, provided an hour and half orientation of the region over welcome schnapps in the hotel lounge. On the second day sixteen members spent the day skiing over the terrain led by our young guide from New Zealand, James. A testimony to this wonderful ski week experience is that nine people returned from last year’s trip to Saalbach Austria and each is hard-pressed to rate which they preferred more. Many thanks to the guy in the green ski jacket who spent many hours in organizing this special experience and leading people around the mountain.
People are already asking where we will be going for our 2020 week-long ski trip. Suggestions are to return to the wonderful experiences of Austria (St. Anton, Mayrhofen, Zell am See, Ischgl) or look at another resort beyond Austria with suggested locations including so far, Chamonix or Portes du Soleil region in France, Zermatt Switzerland or maybe even the 2014 Winter Olympic site of Sochi Russia. We look forward to working with Don Singer and Touringhouse to bring these ideas to fruition! If you want to catch the bug and plan your winter vacation of 2020, check the photos of this year’s Soll Austria trip here on the Bytown Ski Club web site.
Winter fun in Austria!
In partnership with Touringhouse travel agency, the Bytown Ski Club is pleased to offer a week-long European ski and snowboard week trip to Soll, Austria, in the SkiWelt region, Austria’s largest interconnected ski area, from January 18 to 26, 2019. It is a radically different experience than North American ski resorts, with 90 lifts (including gondalas and many heated chair lifts) and 280 kilometres of pistes connecting nine ski villages and 77 mountain restaurants, catering primarily to intermediate level skiers and boarders. You can ski and board on different trails and lifts all week long!
The Bytown Ski Club is proud to provide high value benefits for its members at a low membership fee, and this all-inclusive winter vacation package is unmatched by any other club. The flight itinerary is from Ottawa to Toronto to Munich, the closest European gateway airport to the resort. Skis and boot bags are included without any additional baggage costs. The group will be transported to Soll by private coach, with arrival planned for mid-afternoon, allowing time to explore the area after checking in, including visiting the nearby Spar grocery store where you can stock up for the week.
Following your arrival, at the end of the afternoon there will be a group meet-and-greet/orientation session, where a local tourism office representative will familiarize you with the multitude of pistes, the nine interconnected towns within the region, and some of restaurants at which you can have lunch and sun yourself on the slopes. You’ll also learn about the various attractions accessible from the slopes, such as the Igloo Village, the Witches Home, and après-ski pubs with entertainment and the renowned Austrian hospitality. Also included in your package is an après-ski tobogganing event, during the week, where you will enjoy a thrill-of-a-lifetime experience descending the mountain on your own personal tobogggan. This was the most highly-rated activity of the Bytown Ski Club’s 2018 Austria trip.
The 3+ star hotel is well-situated on a quiet back street that is a short walking distance to the pedestrian mall in the town centre and all the shops and night life. A free bus shuttle takes skiers and boarders to and from the hotel and gondola in ten minutes. The hotel is also well-located for day trips beyond the ski region, including Innsbruck, Munich, Worgl, and Kufstein. It offers free wi-fi throughout, a spa, a ski room with heated boot pegs, daily live afternoon entertainment, a full buffet breakfast, and a four-course dinner with salad bar.
We have reserved travel and accommodations for up to forty people: 14 double rooms, 5 single rooms, one triple room, and one four-person room. A trip information and registration evening will be held in September; registration forms are available on the Touringhouse web site.
To participate in the trip, you must be a member of the Bytown Ski Club. Membership is open to everyone, regardless of age or skill level. The Bytown Ski Club hopes you’ll plan to participate in our 2019 Austria trip. We promise you the experience of a lifetime!
Summary
All-inclusive cost per person:
| Cheque | Visa or Mastercard (+3%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Double or triple room | $2829 | $2913 |
| Single room | $2939 | $3027 |
| Excluding air fare | $2029 |
Included
- Round trip air fare from Ottawa to Munich (via Toronto) on Air Canada, departing January 18 and returning on January 26
- Group return coach transportation between Munich airport and Soll hotel
- 7-nights accommodations in 3-star Ferienhotel Fuchs in Soll, Austria
- Group orientation event on arrival in Soll
- Daily buffet breakfast and four-course dinner with salad bar
- 6-day all-area ski pass (280 km of pistes and 90 lifts)
- Après-ski group tobogganing event
- All taxes and service charges
- Second bag for skis and boots included (no extra charge)
Not included
- Lunch
- travel insurance
- any associated travel document fees such as passport (must be valid for six months after date of departure)
Registration and trip information
- Reservations for limited number of group package spots will be accepted on first-come basis starting 8:30am, Tuesday, August 21, 2018 by phoning Touringhouse at 613-741-2942 or submitting an application to Touringhouse Travel by mail, delivery or email attachment.
- For registration forms and additional details, see the Soll, Austria trip page on the Touringhouse web site. The forms are available in the “Registration Information” section in the sidebar.
- An initial deposit of $350, plus optional insurance must be made by September 12, 2018 to guarantee your reservation, together with your application.
- Balance of payment is due with a post-dated cheque dated November 18, 2018.
- An information meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 12, 2018, 6:30pm at the Emerald Plaza library branch, 1547 Merivale Road.
Links
- Ferienhotel Fuchs—accommodations in Soll
- SkiWelt Soll
- Touringhouse web site