Snowboarding at Snowbombing 2018!

I love snowboarding! I first started when I was in Uni and went on Uni ski trips in the winter. Since then I’ve been on quite a few trips with family as well as spending five months in the Alps working as a chalet host. I’ve also got some snowboard related “to dos” on my bucket list that I’m keen to tick off. 

Although I love the sport, I’ve recently been trying to broaden my holidays so I haven’t been on a snowboard trip for a while (they’re pretty expensive). So when I saw a post from a casual staffing agency who needed bar staff to work at the Austrian ski / snowboard festival Snowbombing, I obviously jumped at the chance!

Here is my review of Snowbombing with a few tips for people thinking of going. 

What hand luggage to pack before Snowbombing

I know what I like to take with me when I go on family trips but packing for this one was a little different. As it is a lot later in the season than I usually go, I had to keep this in mind when deciding what clothes to take to wear in the town. The alps in the spring can get quite warm (when I did my season in Morzine, the weather could reach the high teens in March!) so spring attire is what you need. 

I never leave the country without decent travel insurance. Make sure that you are covered for “winter sports” activity as standard.  As I was travelling within the EU, I also made sure I had an up to date EHIC card. Apparently a lot of these have expired in the past year so check yours to make sure it’s still valid.

With my snowboarding equipment and clothes all packed, I then went to ensure I had everything I needed for the epic 22 hour coach journey to the Alps.

Yep, you read right, I got a COACH to AUSTRIA!

As I was working the event, I didn’t get to choose my mode of travel. Anyone who has been on a Uni ski trip will probably be used to the massive coach journeys to the Alps. It’s one of the cheapest ways to get large groups to the mountains and at my Uni it would always mark the start of the holiday.

If your budget allows it, I would always recommend flying to a ski resort. I just cant think of any reason people would want to spend nearly a full day travelling on a coach!

I get travel sick really easily, so one of the first things I packed in my hand luggage was some anti-nausea bands.

Other key items for my coach journey were –

• Headphones
• Travel pillow
• Slides for the coach journey
• Portable chargers
• Kindle
• Water
• Snacks

Earlier last year, I discovered a brand called Fact + Fiction and I absolutely love their bags. I took their Lea bag* with me on the coach and was able to get everything I needed in it.

22 Hours Later

After an epic journey punctuated with some random, drunken antics from the stag party who were also on our coach, we finally arrived in Mayrhofen. Another short train ride took us to our hotel slightly out of town. 

I love alpine towns! The fresh air, slower pace of life and the beautiful scenery really do it for me. Mayrhofen and Hippach (where I stayed) looked amazing. Sometimes I think I like the spring even more than the winter as the greenery looks lush and the snow capped mountains in the distance provide the most picturesque backdrop!

What to expect at Snowbombing

I arrived in resort on the Monday and luckily for me, that night was my night off. I didn’t have enough time to get up the mountain so I chilled out and had some food at Hans the Butchers.

Hans The Butcher

In every ski resort there is at least one notorious pub/club/restaurant that you must go to and in Mayrhofen, it’s Hans the Butcher. Located right before the gondola to get to the mountain, Hans is an amazing butchers (obvs!) who serve meat, salad, chips and pasta to the masses of hungry skiers and boarders. With great portion sizes, speedy and friendly service and food that will keep you full well past apres – make sure Hans is on your list of things to do!

For my first Austrian meal, I went for the classic chicken schnitzel and a really tasty salad.

Oh,  and let’s not forget that occasionally they like to have a bit of a party themselves. Never seen a rave in a butchers? Neither had I until I went to Hans!

On the mountain

Snowbombing has something for everyone. So much is going on that you might have to make some hard decisions about where you want to be (David Rodigan or Gorgon City, Alpine Yoga or Boarder Cross) although some acts (like Mista Jam) have more than one set spread across the week.

Some of the regular events which help to make Snowbombing the amazing festival it is include activities like Mr Motivator’s Calypso Stretch. Held at the top of the gondola on the Mountain Stage (which you can access without skiing or boarding to the venue) this was without a doubt one of the funnest parts of the on mountain entertainment.

At 4pm every day, the legendary Mr Motivator was on hand to help you stretch down after a long day on the slopes and also give you a mini pep talk to keep you energised for the rest of the week.

One of the days I was there…there was also a bale of Ninja Turtles as well! Where else but at Snowbombing would you be able to watch 10 ninjas (and a few hundred others) do a choreographed routine which included the funky chicken at the top of a mountain?

As I mentioned before, I usually prefer to ski a bit earlier in the season to ensure that the snow conditions will be good. However, the past few months have been amazing with regards to snow with lots of heavy snowfall across most of the European resorts. Mayrhofen is no exception, and the snow cover was pretty good actually.

Boarding in the spring does have its advantages though and one of them is that the slopes are nice and quiet. The warm weather also means that you may see the odd person on the slopes in a t-shirt / shorts and if you’re unlucky a man in a mankini!

While the runs can be clear, the on mountain entertainment is pretty busy. If you want to get some decent mileage in when skiing or snowboarding, then Snowbombing is probably not the event for you! I reckon I did fewer than 10 runs a day as a lot of the time was spent getting from one event to another to make sure we saw as many DJs as possible. On the last day I was back and forth between the Snow Park Terrace for Idris Elba and Rompa’s Reggae Shack to see My Nu Leng.

Mista Jam, Rascal and Rudimental do The Racket Club

As I mentioned, I was working the bar in order to come to Snowbombing. My only night off was the night we got there (Monday). This worked out pretty well for me actually as it meant I could go out and watch Mista Jam’s set and a live performance by Dizzee Rascal.

Snowbombing’s description of The Racket Club is –

The throbbing heart of Snowbombing, its apex, its raison d’etre. A true ravers’ paradise that gives clubs worldwide a run for their money. Our subterranean rave mecca is loved by music fans and artists worldwide.

This venue was by far my favourite of the whole festival. That first night, the atmosphere was absolutely amazing! It was a great way to set up the rest of the week.

NME’s review of the evening was pretty spot on.

On the final night at The Racket Club, I was lucky enough to be working when Rudimental played their DJ set. I actually can’t think of a better way to end the week than that. They played their huge catalogue of chart topping songs and ensured that the crowd were having as much fun as they were on stage.

The Forest Stage

A short stroll away from the main bars was the Forest Stage, another great venue for acts at Snowbombing where Friction, Pendulum and Liam Gallagher had their sets. Set in (you guessed it!) a forest, this outdoor location was also where Craig Charles and AJ Tracey performed.

I really enjoyed the Craig Charles set, hearing some funk and soul was a nice respite from the dance, and drum and bass that I had been hearing for the majority of the festival so far. While I’m not a big fan of AJ Tracey, I’m glad to see that even smaller artists can get the opportunity to play to some decent sized crowds in beautiful venues.

This was just a taste of some of the events I went to last week…and I missed so many more events than I made.

I didn’t get to go up to the Ahorn and experience all that was on offer on the other side of the resort. I missed out on events like boarder cross and the professional competition in the day time, there was no way I could fit in a trip to the Fun Haus for any apres and I never even set foot in The Arena. Acts I missed included Heartless Crew, Big Narstie, David Rodigan and so much more.

I had an absolutely amazing time working Snowbombing this year! It is a great way to get some snow time and see some a broad range of acts without breaking the bank.  It had been three years since my last snowboarding holiday, and while this wasn’t all play, Snowbombing and Mayrhofen have made me fall in love with the mountains all over again!

Have you thought about going on a snow festival holiday? 

*If you use my referral code you get 10% off a fact + fiction backpack.