Out-of-Office Adventure: the Austrian Alps
We've now had a week to reflect on our K15t Out-of-Office Adventure, and the unanimous verdict is in: We can't wait to start planning the next one!
This annual trip-taking tradition starts with a company-wide vote for an ideal location—far away from desks and chairs—where we can relax and have fun with our colleagues. St Anton in the Austrian Alps was chosen for its status as a hikers' paradise with stunning scenery, tasty food, and varied activity choices. If you haven't been, we highly recommend checking it out. An amazing time was had by all.
Following an early Stuttgart departure we drove four hours through the south of Germany and finally through the Austrian state of Tyrol before reaching St Anton mid-day. To fuel up for the hike up to our hut, we piled on the energy reserves at a restaurant perched on a mind-blowing viewpoint. It was the ideal jumping-point to get us into an Alpine state of mind. After finishing our meal we hitched up our packs and headed up, uP, UP the mountain to reach the hut at 2288m. There we kicked back with some drinks and more food, and we played cards and table games until late in the night. It was a ton of fun.
The following day, after a night's sleep that was a bit short for some, we rose early ready for adventure. First we hiked down the mountain via a new route back to St Anton. There, we had the chance to attend an archery course where we split ourselves into two teams and had a little competition. For most of us, archery was a completely new activity which we hadn't experienced before. Luckily there were no errant arrows, and we all had great fun honing our marksmanship. After so much exercise we were all naturally quite hungry, so it was off to a superb restaurant where we could enjoy the Alpine sun while eating some of the traditional food of the region.
We arrived back in Stuttgart on Saturday afternoon feeling both energized and exhausted. We all agreed how much fun we'd had together, and took value in the relationships we had built with some colleagues with whom some of us normally don’t work with day-to-day. It was an amazing team-building event thanks to a crew with an always-positive vibe and never-ending thirst for new experiences. We all wish we could do this more often, and we'll be working to make that wish a reality.
Big thanks go to Sarah and Mile who took care of all of the organization and logistics. We can't wait to do it all again!