Originally published on Tuesday, 1st May 2012

Snowbombing Leap of Faith

Here at UJ HQ, we weren’t so sure about Snowbombing. The name, the youthful logo, the photos of people partying in – gasp – costume. Twice we declared it wasn’t our bag and declined attending. But then we thought, why not. Live a little.

And after just returning from a memorable trip to Mayrhofen, we’re definitely glad we took the Snowbombing leap of faith. We’ll be the first to admit, we were wrong. We loved it!

Below are our SB highlights. Take it all in, and pencil next year’s dates in your calendar. It’s good clean fun – half sport, half party – and it doesn’t take itself too seriously. We could all use a bit of that.

The Town: Mayrhofen
There’s nothing better than a ski town where the lifts and hotels are all in one place, and Mayrhofen ticks the hassle free box. The town is extremely quaint – think sheepskin throws on outdoor restaurant chairs lining the streets, local haunts like Hans the Butcher and enough bars (more barn with lights, or racquet club converted into warehouse rave) to have a good time in… ‘til six in the morning. The festival is small too, so you can never really get lost and there’s no need to hail a taxi.

The Hotel: Manni's
We heard of self-catering apartments (no thanks), and saw some of the more populated hotels (eek!) but Manni's is where you’ll find us. Tartan-clad sofas in the reception, indoor-outdoor pool and hot tub on the roof (champagne encouraged), with individual patios off the rooms all round: this is a sophisticated place to lay your head.

The Party: Arctic Disco
We didn’t read our tickets (dress for the elements – you will be in an igloo for three hours), so when we turned up in ankle grazing jeans and vans we were worried. One hour in at the arctic disco though, and we were derobing. This was our highlight of SB (thank you Loren for getting us up there!): a real igloo with fire pits outside and full on functioning bar inside – it was a club like no other. We loved the DJ booth made out of ice, the XXL cable car ride up and down, the select number of attendees: a perfect intimate night to witness global DJ talent like Seth Troxler and Damian Lazarus. We’d go back in an instant.

The Piste
We’ve decided to be fairweather skiers from now on (hail, fog, negative temperatures –we’ll pass!), meaning the April spring skiing conditions during SB suited us perfectly. The runs were great – enough steeps and bumps, roads and cruisers to appease a diverse level of abilities, and there didn’t seem to be any queues (this is their low season). But as we are UJs, what we especially loved was skiing with a side of partying. From the Norman Jay Board Park party (complete with Good Times Notting Hill carnival bus) to music pumping from almost every rest station café, there was a party vibe reigning over both the day and night festivities. We like!

Snowbombing Mayrhofen, Austria
Tickets now on sale for 2013 www.snowbombing.com

Special thanks to Snowbombing, Mission PR, Gone Fishing, Sorel, Westbeach and Breo watches.

by TR