A Ski Season in the Austrian Alps

A second-hand eighties ski jacket, one pair of thermals, and a beanie. That’s about all I had with me when I hopped off the train in the ski village of St Anton in the Austrian Alps. I had a visa and a job sorted, but no clue what to expect as I dragged my things into the empty town full of closed restaurants and retail stores. The five months that followed would include about eight different jobs, from bar work and waitressing, to cleaning apres venues, to nannying. You name it, I probably did it. It was an eventful time to say the least. But worth every moment… Nothing beats a morning on the slopes of St Anton on a fresh powder day.

The friendships and experiences of my time in St Anton are really one in a million. Meeting so many people with the same love for travel and adventure, from all over the world was my biggest highlight. As someone coming from a corporate background, I was in awe of the seasonaire life - winters in Anton, summers in Ios (or wherever in the world they wanted to go!). Travel in between. So many beautiful people living wholesome, fulfilling lives.

Now the lifestyle of the seasonaire is not for the faint hearted. You’re working six days a week, pretty wild hours (some hospo workers were on shifts until 4am or so!), and you’re partying and skiing/snowboarding and probably not sleeping nearly enough for five months straight. All of this aside, it is an incredible experience. Waking up surrounded by beautiful snowy mountains every day really didn’t get old for me. Most companies also provide accomodation for season workers so the $$$ stress of being able to live in a ski village for a whole winter are actually quite manageable.

There are some pretty significant expenses when arriving, such as ski gear (if you don’t already have it) and a lift pass (which was about 1,200 euro for the season), but with some quick girl math on how many ski sesh’s you need to make it worth the money, it all evens out! Not to mention, if you work atleast 90 days, you receive 40% back on your lift pass - WINNING. You are also covered for health insurance through the company you work for, so doctors visits and such are all sorted.

For those thinking of trying out a ski season, definitely be cautious with what job you end up with - some of the companies I came across were not very kind to their staff. I had a horrible experience at the beginning of the season, but in the second job I went into, I was treated so incredibly well, and would recommend the company to anyone (shout out to Anthony’s)!