Many dream of becoming a ski instructor in Austria, and Erik made that dream a reality six years ago. His journey began with a Snowminds ski instructor course, filled with language challenges and unforgettable experiences. In this blog, you can read more about how Erik overcame language barriers, his life as a ski instructor, and how he fell in love with the magic of the Alps. Enjoy the reading ❄️
A few days ago, my mom reminded me of the day I told her I was going to become a ski instructor in Austria. That was six years ago now, and since then I’ve learned two languages fluently, picked up several phrases in other languages, and worked six full seasons as a ski instructor.
STARTED WITH LIMITED LANGUAGE SKILLS
I came to Austria with what can be called limited knowledge of German. What I had learned in school felt like it had gone in one ear and out the other. Luckily, I wasn’t alone in this and received great help from my newfound friends, team leaders, instructors, and the Snowminds German course that helped me lay the foundation for teaching skiing in German.
Me and my colleague during my first season in Ischgl
MASTERING AUSTRIAN GERMAN AS A SKI INSTRUCTOR
When I arrived in Austria, I realised that German is more than just a language. Austrian German differs somewhat from the German spoken in Germany, and the dialects vary from valley to valley, and sometimes even from village to village. I ended up in the Paznaun Valley, specifically in Ischgl, and let me tell you, there you don’t understand anything, or at least I didn’t when I arrived six years ago. Luckily, most Austrians can “refine” their German so that others can understand them.
In the beginning, we newcomers received a lot of support from colleagues who had already done a season or two. They helped us translate what the boss was saying. As the weeks went by, we started to grasp more and more of the language and dialect spoken by the locals. It was no longer difficult to speak German with guests. It was still a challenge, but a welcomed one, and if I made a mistake, it didn’t matter. The guests appreciated it regardless of my level. When you speak, listen, and read German every day, your language skills develop incredibly fast.
Going to après-ski with all the colleagues and singing along to every German après-ski song helped too! 😉
Some after-work shred down to the après-ski
I got hooked!
My experiences during my first season in Ischgl were absolutely incredible, and they made me do another season, and another, and another, and another, and another! I’ve completed six seasons, each one unique and all fantastically fun. You could say that Austria and the Alps really left me wanting more, so much so that I decided to move to Austria full-time and study in Innsbruck, right among the snow-covered alpine peaks and ski slopes.
Bonus: Learned Danish, Dutch, and Made Friends For Life
An extra advantage of working as a ski instructor in Austria was that I met many Danes and Dutch people. I was the only (and thereby the best) Swede in the ski school and quickly had to learn Danish. Within a few weeks, I also understood what my Dutch roommate was saying when he talked on the phone. The ski school noticed this, and soon I was teaching both Danish and Dutch children. “Goed gedaan!” or “well done,” I would shout when my students did something well. I also made friends with whom I still keep in close contact and whom I have visited several times in Denmark and the Netherlands, and they have also come to visit me in Sweden. Being a ski instructor together really forges strong bonds, and the friends you make are friends for life.