Remote Working + Skiing: Tips & Ideas
Updated: Jan 17, 2022
Digital Nomad or newly converted Remote worker? Lucky you!
If there's a good thing that's come out of the Pandemic, it's that those of us privileged enough to have weathered the storm well have often re-evaluated our lives and decided that the pursuit of happiness should be higher on our priority list. There really is no time to loose.
So you love skiing and you also love earning a living? I hear you, I'm right there with you, and with the Work-from-Home president set, more of us can combine the two.
Once you've decided that's what you want, there's a multitude of things to consider.
Work/Holiday Balance
Worth thinking of from the get go, it will influence your location, duration and feasibility.
Face it - Skiing is an 8:30am to 4pm sport.
Is your work flexible enough to accommodate this on weekdays? Will you be a weekend-only skiier?
Can you work shorter weeks to accommodate?
Can you spread out your Annual Leave to make the most of the area(s) you're in?
Whatever you do - Please take at least a week off to immerse yourself and enjoy it. Remind yourself of the holidays that made you fall in love with it in the first place.
Staying put or Roaming?
I simply could not fathom the idea of skiing one area for more than a week or 2, at least not on my own. Do I have ADHD? Potentially. I love exploring new places, so this was a natural choice for me. It also allowed me to choose different set ups depending on if I was going to be holidaying or working the majority of the time. If you move about every week, be prepared to loose at least a day a week to travel. The really dedicated can get up early and maybe squeeze in an afternoon ski at the other end but that depends on how keen you are and when you can book in/check out.
Speaking from week 3 of a no days off tactic right now, my legs are wrecked. You need days off, do you want to spend them travelling?
Ski Passes
Face it, they add up, if you're going to be buying daily or weekly, you're in for a big bill. Season tickets are where it's at for value, but then you have to choose your area wisely.
Austria really has multi-area passes down, most valleys have their own card to cover all resorts, or there's specialist ones covering Glaciers or Innsbruck-Area resorts. I'm using the Snow card Tirol which covers basically every major resort in the Tirol (not St. Anton though) for the season total of £876 approx. When you think the average week ski pass is £250, that's an absolute steal if you're going to resort hop, or even if you're going to do 3+ weeks in the season. Included resorts here.
The French big multi-resort players like 3 Valleys and Port du Soliel with their 600km+ of runs can be an alternative, you could even change resorts for a vibe change.
The Italians have the Dolomiti SuperSki with its 12 ski resorts and famous ski circuit.
Transfers & Transport
Anyone who's looked into a solo trip knows this is often a major expense, especially if you're going off the standard Saturday or Sunday transfer window.
If you're going for the train method, it's easy to plan a loop around from the Airport along the key train lines. Austrian resorts have amazing rail connectivity and the tickets are cheap.
I'll go more into this in my Austria specific blog.
France has major rail hubs in the mountains (Bourg-st-Maurice, Moutiers) but from there you're looking at some long bus journeys. A bit harder to join up between ski areas if you're planning to travel. Not an issue if you're not planning to do so frequently.
What about a car? Undoubtedly a car will give you a lot of freedom, you will have fast transfer times, you don't need to stress about missing connections or being strong enough to wield all your luggage around train stations and towns. You can choose accommodation in more remote areas without being inconvenienced, pick up more supplies than you can carry and quickly change resorts if the weather turns. BUT Do you really need it? Especially if you're not planning on moving around much. If it's just going to sit there and gather snow, it might be worth re-thinking. Also, you know, save the planet, use public transport. Firstly, do you own one? If you do, is it suitable for mountain conditions? You will have to invest in winter tyres at the very least, depending on where you're going you will also need the appropriate legally required winter kit (and know how to use it) e.g. Snow chains as a minimum in Austria. You will also need to extend your insurance to Europe, if you're not already here. Think about transporting your luggage, do you have a roof rack for skis & boards? or space inside? If you don't own a car... you're in for a hefty rental or lease bill, when I was looking for a monthly rental, it was setting me back at least 1200. If you're doing a full season in Europe you may be able to find longer, cheaper deals.
Choosing a resort
Honestly, this just takes a bit of research and understanding of what type of atmosphere and skiing you're looking to pursue. Personally I chose a mix of established names to try out & those less known to the English market so I could potentially find some "hidden" gems.
Size matters - Sure, it's quaint, but are you really going to enjoy those same 5 runs in an obscure little local hill after the first few days?
Fame factor - Well known resorts often come with some well formed price tags
Sprechen Sie Deutch? - Although far far more people outside of the UK and USA are proficient at English than the reverse, do not be arrogant enough to assume that everyone will be, especially in resorts not marketed to Brits. If you're not comfortable with navigating that, it's something to consider.
Night skiing - Niche I know, but if I got caught up in work all day and still wanted to get out on the slopes (I use this time to pick up snowboarding) it's a good option to have.
Early/Late season - Do your research on snow conditions, altitude doesn't always tell you everything.
The Tirol website has a very handy searchable database of all the resorts in the Tirol that you can filter by size, altitude etc. I'm sure others will too.
Considering an area? You need to study 3 things carefully:
Piste Map
Google Maps
Ski Bus Stops/Timetable
Tip #1 Look for link areas / towns - Is there a Ski lift on the outskirts or maybe in the next Valley that links to the same huge area? You can often get a lot more for your money there without missing out on any skiing.
Do not assume your "Ski area" and surrounding towns will be easily accessible at all times of day or that its particularly fast.
Eg. Want to ski the Hintertux Glacier with your Mayrhofen Ski pass? Great! That's a 30 min bus.
Accommodation
There's a fair few things to consider when choosing accommodation
What is important for you to get from your trip?
The atmosphere you're staying in - are you looking to immerse yourself in the culture and community? Do you want a sense of really living there or are you happy to simply observe life from the outside.
Convenience: the amenities within walking distance, the distance to the ski area, what compromises are you willing to make?
What catering options do you need? How fussy are you with food?
Do you need a B'n'B? A half board hotel?
A studio with a small kitchen?
An apartment with a full kitchen?
Eating out is expensive and sometimes it gets boring, depending on where you stay, the options can be limited so choose wisely.
Are you working full time? Are you skiing full time? Bit of both?
Time to lifts is key if you want to maximise time on the snow whilst working.
Does the accommodation have a suitable work space? Can you separate out your work from your living space?
Do the reviews comment on the WiFi?
Are there potentially co-working spaces or lounge areas to work in?
In larger towns are there cafes that won't be rammed with tourists to work from?
Flexibility - Do you want to potentially stay longer or move on should you get bored of the area?
Check cancellation terms
Utilise high turn-over accommodation options like Hostels where you're more likely to be able to extend your stay
Eventually you will need to wash your clothes...Not every hotel will do that, not every apartment has a washing machine. From personal experience, something to check in advance.
Considering an area? Again, you need to study 3 things carefully:
Piste Map
Google Maps
Ski Bus Stops/Timetable
Tip #2 Middle of town doesn't always mean most convenient for skiing. Sure you're in the heart of it all which is great, but do you have to walk 15 min with all your gear to get to the lift? Is it on the bus route? How often do the buses come? It might actually be quicker to get to the lifts at that property a bit further out because its right at the bus stop and there's no walking involved. Options
Airbnb However this is basically non-existent in Austria, VRBO is another large site to use to find self-catering accommodation easily. I used Booking.com a lot as it seemed to have the largest selection of properties. It also gives you a good indicator of price for the area and time period. Always look at googling it and booking direct with the accommodation, you can probably get it cheaper. Only thing different is ease of management and potentially some deals or genius benefits. However, I really recommend looking at the individual area tourism sites. The accommodation listings often have smaller properties that don't list themselves on large commercial sites, and these tend to have some cheaper options which makes the hit on the wallet a lot less. I've been very lucky with my choices - although they have forced me to dig up my GCSE German skills a lot more than I was previously.
Equipment
Face the facts, you need your own kit if you're going to do a long stint in the mountains, renting is cost-prohibitive after a week. The extra you pay in luggage is worth it. My full Ski set up cost me approx. £650 and I didn't cut corners. 19/20 Nordica Santa Ana All Mountain skis, Atomic Warden 13 bindings, Atomic 20/21 Boots. Autumn is one of the best times to buy, as last season (and the season before) are often on heavy discount. (Probably the fact I was in a global pandemic that ruined the European season helped me out a bit) Technology isn't going to advance a noticeable amount in a season or 2, you don't need to get this seasons kit - but that's up to you. Not everyone cares about saving. I cannot stress enough that if you're going to do it online, only buy skis and bindings, and then don't pay for the bindings to be mounted for you. Wait and bring them to resort and get a seasoned professional to mount for your exact boot and ski style. Unless you're buying the exact boots you've had before or tried on in store, you simply cannot just know your size and YOLO it. I tried on 4 different boots to find my perfect fit, even then some might argue I should have tried more, but they thus far have been my best investment.
Finally...Social life
Well why do you think I created www.snowclans.com !
Whether you're resort hopping or spending the winter bedding down in one resort - it's the place to find others doing the same thing. There's a mix of people, some on holiday, some working, all of them looking for Ride Buddies.
We can't all be blessed with friends and partners that share our love of the mountains, or if they do, they might not be able to afford it or move their work.
