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Wow! I have just returned from the stunning Ski Amade area in Austria, with one of our returning school groups, staying at our flagship hotel, the Ennstalerhof in Altenmarkt, an equally popular winter destination for our ski groups. Travelling with them gave me the opportunity to experience first-hand why this destination continues to impress both students and teachers alike. It's perfectly located for an action packed activity tour (enrichment week) for schools, with stunning mountain views, outdoor sport facilities (tennis, football, beach volleyball) and just a 5 minute walk to the amazing Therme Amade swimming/spa complex, with its slides, thermal baths and indoor/outside pool.
Why do schools love it so much here?
You could say that Austria has been historically overlooked as a potential activity trip destination, but perhaps that's starting to change! When engaging with many schools as I do, feedback suggests that students thrive on the unique and unforgettable experience that this destination offers - an extraordinary combination of history, culture, incredible landscapes, thrills and activities. Here at Absolute Travel we share that passion for this incredible environment - we all love this region. It's become a real home from home. It's an area we know well and in planning these trips, we have a wealth of local knowledge, local partnerships and relationships which enable us to add depth and value to each trip.
Tell us more about the activities on offer?
Alpin activity centre (Kayak, SUP and High Ropes)
With the backdrop of the mountain ranges around Flachau, we took the group to ACS AlpinCenter for a day of Kayaking, Stand-Up-Paddleboarding (SUP) and - for the thrill seekers who didn’t mind the dizzy heights - an amazing series of high ropes and zip wires across the turquoise blue colours of the lake below. The lake itself proved irresistible and the students loved the water! All activities are safely managed by the centre’s Instructors with clear guidance and briefings before any activity starts and of course safety equipment fitted and checked before heading off. The school group rotated around the activities, so that everyone had the same level of fun throughout the day.
Rafting & canyoning
With many rivers and gorges in the region, the location is ideal for rafting and canyoning which represents a fabulous opportunity for groups looking for more adventurous activities too. After a safety briefing, the school was equipped with wetsuits, helmets and shoes and then driven to the start locations for an exhilarating day on the water. Under the watchful eyes of the instructors the groups were divided into inflatable rafts to start their journeys down the river to the lunch meeting point. The remaining students were guided by the instructors to the first jump point for an exciting journey into the gorge. After lunch, the groups swapped over and were transported to the meet points to continue their adventures. Upon their return, I was taken aback by the buzz, sounds of joy & laughter. It was genuinely fantastic to see. Everyone wet, smiling, tired but absolutely elated over what they had achieved, creating memories to last a lifetime. That's what it's all about, I thought - a real standout moment for all involved!
What about education, culture and sightseeing too?
Salzburg & the famous Salt mines
The name 'Salzburg' translates to “Salt Fortress” deriving from the German words Salz (salt) and Burg (fortified settlement or castle) referring to the lucrative salt barges that navigated the Salzach River and the heavy river tolls levied on them in the 8th century. Salt has been mined here for many, many years and such was its worth, it was historically known as “white gold.”
After breakfast we took the group to this magical city for a tour around the various historic landmarks including Mozart's birthplace; the magnificent Hohensalzburg Fortress towering over the city; the elegant Mirabell Palace and gardens, followed by a leisurely morning stroll around the many bustling squares, streets and markets.
It was time to head away from the heat of the city and just a short transfer brought us to the cool of the salt mines at Salzwelten Salzburg. Wow! After watching a short video talking about the mines, your journey through history begins - dating back some 2,600 yrs! Our guide accompanied us to the start point, where we are all given overalls to wear over our clothes. This was found to be highly amusing amongst the group, with a moment for them to take the obligatory selfies of course! From this point the journey into the mines is via a small train through dimly lit tunnels taking us to 210m below the surface and 1,150m from the gallery entrance. From here we walked to different areas of the mines seeing first-hand how salt was extracted, experiencing the role of a salt miner first hand, including riding on the wooden slides - and a whole lot of fun for everyone! The feedback surprised me - so much to learn and enjoy - the students really hadn't expected to have gained as much from the experience as they did. Another great hit!
Mountain excursions & Rodelbahn
You really cannot come to this stunning area and not experience life in the mountains. Imagine how fast a downhill skier would descend the natural landscape of the imposing hills over Zauchensee. So, after a short 15-minute transfer we met our guide and reconvened at the bottom of the 6-person chairlift at the base of the Gamskogel area. The ascent would take us up to 1900m to start our walk around the beautiful area called Seerkasse. The weather once again didn’t disappoint with blue sky and bright sunshine enhancing the magnificent views from Sonnblick to the Dachstein mountains in the distance. The walk back down was fun with a stop on route for packed lunches and a drink at the Gamskogelhutte, before returning to the valley below.
The Lucky Flitzer coaster and the Therme Amade swimming complex
We finished the day with an adrenaline packed ride on the 'Lucky Flitzer' - an alpine rollercoaster boasting a descent of 1,100metres at full throttle. It was guaranteed smiles and screams al round and the students had a blast. Obviously they wanted another go as soon as they had finished. But there was still time for an evening visit to the Therme Amade swimming complex and spa. It's a wonderful indoor and outdoor water complex and just a short stroll from your accommodation after dinner. The perfect way to cool down and relax after a busy and exhilarating day!
Are all these activities risk assessed and approved?
Yes. For your absolute peace of mind, as STF (School Travel Forum) members and LOTC Quality Badge holders, we are required to obtain third-party sign off for any activities itemised as “adventurous” by the LOTC Council. In this way, you benefit from the assurance that the activities we book through third party suppliers are independently checked and approved by an external activity consultant to ensure the highest standards of safety and wellbeing for our school groups. We only work with a few, longstanding pre-approved local suppliers for this reason. As such, we are also able to pass on Risk Assessment guidelines, certification and to help with any documentation to assist with the sign-off process at your end. Rest assured, we're always here to help.
To summarise?
Austria is usually overlooked as an activity (or enrichment week) trip destination and that's such a shame. It's incredible - my favourite package of them all. I'd like to extend a massive thank you to all our schools and trip leaders who take their students on these residential overseas trips with us. We also appreciate that we couldn’t deliver these programmes without our local partners (suppliers) and our longstanding relationships are invaluable to us and our groups. The repeated feedback from our schools reaffirm that we have the perfect blend of activities to suit the age and demographic of our groups, cultural and educational learnings and the extraordinary benefits of life experiences outside of the classroom in the spectacular landscape of our natural world! My biggest thrill was seeing the students challenge themselves, build confidence, work together - creating memories to last a lifetime!
I am always happy to discuss potential trips with group leaders. Each trip is bespoke which is what makes them special, so I look forward to speaking with you sometime soon. For interest, here's just a quick quote from a Group Leader's who has recently returned from another successful enrichment week trip to Austria.
"Everything on our itinerary is just outstanding! Our kids and us, loved every minute. It is quite literally perfect! We have been going for many years and will continue to do so!"
I think that says it all.
Barry Vincent (Ski & Austrian Activity Tours Account manager).
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