Upward Bound Course Information

Because of limited space, and also for traveling convenience, we suggest that you bring along only what is essential. As the course will involve spending extended periods of time in the mountains, with a typically fair degree of temperature variation and precipitation potential, as well as at Tauernhof, you should bring the items listed below. Bearing in mind you will often be above 2000m and may experience snow!

 

Equipment for Tours

• Large backpack (approx. 50 – 60 liters, padded hip-belt, with rainproof cover that fits over entire pack)

• If available: small backpack (day pack, approx. 25 – 30 liters)

• Sleeping bag (comfort zone 0°C and less)

• Sleeping bag liner

• Sleeping mat (light weight)

• Head torch

• Pocket knife (small)

• Cup, bowl and spoon

• Water bottle or Camelbak (min. 1l, max. 2l)

• Sport – Sunglasses (100% UV rating, CAT 3) and sunscreen (factor 30 or higher)

• Band-Aids, moleskin or second skin (compeed)

• Toothbrush, small toothpaste, small shower gel, personal toiletries

• Hand Sanitizer (small bottle around 100ml)

• Light microfiber towel

• Water purification tablets (25x)

• Any required personal medication

• Small umbrella

• Camera is recommended (NOTE: mobile phones are NOT permitted while on tours and can’t be used as a camera)

 

• Mountaineering Boots ( No Hiking Boots): Proper footwear is your most important piece of safety gear while in the mountains. Quality Mountain Boots will reduce the likelihood of slips, trips, and falls. Your boots must have strong ankle support, a ¾ shank, VibramTM or equivalent soles, and compatible with Semi-Automatic crampons. If you don’t have the required boots we strongly recommend buying them at the beginning of Upward Bound in Austria. We will take you to a local shop and help you buy the right boots.

 

Clothing for tours:

• Waterproof rainwear (jacket, pants) breathable fabric is preferable, 2 or 3 layers (e.g. Gore-Tex)

• Warm softshell jacket (preferably merino or fleece inside)

• Lightweight insulation jacket – Small packing volume (e.g. Primaloft)

• Underwear

• Long underwear (it can snow in July!)

• T-shirts

• Swimwear

• Softshell Hiking pants (not jeans)

• Tracksuit bottoms

• Cap (for sun protection) and warm hat (wool or fleece)

• Gloves (windproof and warm)

• Thin work gloves 

• Shorts

• Socks

• Running shoes

• Hut slippers – Small packing volume)

• English Bible (small, translation – not paraphrase)

• Small notebook

 

 Equipment/Clothing for school:

• Writing materials

• Clothing for various activities at Tauernhof (church services, special events, lectures, practical work, recreation) Note: Participants should maintain a general neatness in appearance.

• Dressing gown (optional for graduation)

• Towels

    Ø We also recommend easy care clothes that may be put in a dryer

    Ø Label your clothes for easier identification

 

Optional:

• Personal climbing equipment (harness, helmet, climbing shoes, via ferrata set)

• Hiking poles (telescope)

• 1 heavy-duty garbage bag, 1/2 dozen large Zip Loc™ freezer bags – excellent for watertight packing

• Musical instruments

• Big Sauna towel (there is a sauna at Tauernhof)

• Headphones (you may only listen to music with headphones)

• Gaitors

 

Note:

The electrical current in Austria is 220 Volts AC 50Hz, so if you intend to bring any electrical

appliances, you may need to bring a voltage converter as well as an adapter plug.

Ausrüstung für Touren

•  großer Rucksack (ca. 50 – 60 Liter, gepolsterter Hüftgurt, mit passender Regenhülle)

• falls vorhanden: kleiner Tagesrucksack (ca. 25 – 30 Liter)

• Schlafsack (Komfortzone 0°C oder niedriger)

• Hüttenschlafsack

• Isomatte (leicht)

• Stirnlampe

• Taschenmesser (klein)

• Camping Trinkbecher mit Griff, Müslischale und Löffel (Plastik oder Alu)

• Wasserflasche oder Camelbak (min. 1l, max. 2l)

• Sport- Sonnenbrille (100% UV-Schutz, Cat 3) und Sonnencreme (Faktor 30 oder höher)

• Blasenpflaster

• Zahnbürste, Zahnpasta (klein), Duschgel (klein)

• Hand Desinfektionsmittel

• leichtes Mikrofaserhandtuch

• 25x Wasseraufarbeitungs-tabletten 

• persönliche Medikamente

• Kamera wird empfohlen (HINWEIS: Mobiltelefone sind während der Touren NICHT erlaubt und können nicht als Kamera verwendet werden)

•  Kleiner Regenschirm

 

Kleidung für Touren:

• Bergschuhe (keine Wanderschuhe!): Richtiges Schuhwerk ist ein wichtiger Teil der Sicherheitsausrüstung in den Bergen. Gute Bergschuhe reduzieren die Wahrscheinlichkeit von Ausrutschen, Umknicken und Stürzen. Die Schuhe müssen eine starke Knöchelstütze, einen stabilen, hochgezogenen Schaft, eine griffige, feste Profilsohle (VibramTM oder gleichwertig) haben und mit halbautomatischen Steigeisen kompatibel sein. Wenn Du nicht über die erforderlichen Schuhe verfügst, oder dir unsicher bist welche Du kaufen sollst empfehlen wir dir dringend, diese zu Beginn von Upward Bound in Österreich zu kaufen. Wir begleiten dich zu einem lokalen Geschäft und helfen dir, die richtigen Schuhe zu finden.

• Wasserdichte Regenbekleidung (Jacke, Hose am besten atmungsaktiv) 2 oder 3 lagig (z.B: Gore-Tex)

• warme Softshelljacke (innen vorzugsweise Merino oder Fleece)

• leichte Isolationsjacke (z.B.: Primaloft oder Daune)

• Unterwäsche

• lange Unterwäsche (im Juli kann es schneien!)

• T-Shirts

• Softshell-Wanderhose (keine Jeans)

• Trainingshose

• Shorts

• Schirmkappe (als Sonnenschutz) und eine warme Mütze

• Handschuhe (winddicht und warm)

• Arbeitshandschue 

• Socken

• Laufschuhe

• Hausschuhe

• Badesachen

• Englische Bibel (klein, keine Paraphrase), kleines Notizbuch

 

Ausrüstung/Kleidung für die Zeit am Tauernhof:

• Schreibmaterialien

• Kleidung für verschiedene Aktivitäten am Tauernhof (Gottesdienste, Sonderveranstaltungen, Vorträge, praktische Arbeit, Erholung) Hinweis: Die Teilnehmer sollten eine allgemeine Sauberkeit im Aussehen beibehalten

• Kleid (optional)

• Handtücher (groß, es gibt eine Sauna am Tauernhof)

    Ø Wir empfehlen auch pflegeleichte Kleidung, die in einen Trockner gelegt werden kann.

    Ø Tipp: Beschrifte deine Kleidung!

 

Wenn vorhanden:

• persönliche Kletterausrüstung (Klettergurt, Helm, Kletterschuhe, Klettersteig-Set)

• Wanderstöcke (Teleskop)

• tragbare Musikinstrumente

• 1 großer Müllsack, 6 große Zip Loc™ Gefrierbeutel – hervorragend für wasserdichtes verpacken

• Gamaschen

• Kopfhörer (Musik darf nur mit Kopfhörern gehört werden)

 

Hinweis:

Der elektrische Strom in Österreich hat 220 Volt AC 50Hz, also wenn notwendig bitte Spannungsumwandler und Adapterstecker selber mitbringen.

You will also need to have personal spending money to cover additional expenses such as stationary and postage, telephone calls, toiletries, snacks and sightseeing. Remember of course your travel expenses to and from Tauernhof, as well as any additional travel plans you may have. Austria is fairly expensive. You may conveniently obtain cash through numerous local ATM’s with the use of a qualifying debit or credit card (PIN number required).

Here is your mailing address and telephone number during the course:

Your Name

Tauernhof

Coburgstrasse 50

A-8970 Schladming

Austria

Student Phone: 0043-3687-24190 (dial 011-43-3687-24190 from North America)

Office Phone: 0043-3687-22294 (dial 011-43-3687-22294 from North America)

Phone calls for you can be received only between 7:00am – 8:45am, 12:30pm – 5:15pm, and 9:00pm – 10:30pm Central European Time. Please note the time difference, for example Austria is 6 hours ahead of Toronto, and 9 hours ahead of Seattle.

For students from overseas:

If your families and friends intend to send you a package during your stay in Europe, they should know and take into consideration the following:

The value of the package should not be higher than 50 US Dollars, as the receiver will need to pay for import tax (customs) otherwise. The custom law has become very strict these past years, and we had many students in the past that got packages from home and because the value was above 50 US Dollars, they needed to pay customs on top of it, even if the content of the package were personal belongings (such as cameras, clothes, sports equipment, etc). Also, it is forbidden to send medicine from overseas to Europe (even vitamins have caused problems in the past!).

In Brief: Care packages from home should be kept small and the value of it should be less than 50 US Dollars.

The Course Fees cover tuition, accommodation, meals, tourist tax, e-mail access, class picture, a T-shirt, the use of washing machines, tumble dryer, washing powder (one load per week) and various social activities (personal outings are not included).

A room deposit of 50 Euros is also included in the course fee and will be refunded at the end of the course if you leave your room neat and tidy.

If you have not yet paid your full balance, please do so as soon as possible and in no event later than the first week of Upward Bound.

Please note that the deposit forms part of the course fees.

There are 2 possible ways to pay:

1. Bank Transfer: Please use the Account Number 17400007708 at Tauernhof’s bank “Steiermärkische Sparkasse”, A-8970 Schladming, Austria (International Bank Account ‘IBAN’: AT25 2081 5174 0000 7708, Bank Identifier Code ‘BIC’: STSPAT2G).

2) . Visa/MasterCard: It is possible to pay online by Visa or MasterCard. Please see the payment window that you can access under Payments and ensure that you give details of the course you are attending as the “order number”. It is possible to select “English” as the language by clicking on the British flag at the top right.

ROOM DEPOSIT: There is a room deposit of 50 Euros included as part of the course fee that will be returned at the end of the course, subject to the room and other facilities used by you being left in a suitable condition.

OUTINGS: For safety reasons (based on past experiences) you should NOT hike alone in the mountains unless you have informed an Instructor where you are going, when you are going and when you will be back and then the Instructor has approved your plans. Whenever going up into the mountains, go in groups of two or more, inform an Instructor (as above) and never beyond the tree line (1900m) without authorisation from the Principal.

Hitchhiking is strictly prohibited.

You must have your own health and accident insurance coverage and you must bring a copy of your current insurance card or similar evidence with you. If you require medical treatment while you are in Austria, then (unless you are a European) you will have to pay when you have the treatment and then make a claim from your insurance provider.

IMPORTANT: You also have to have a helicopter mountain rescue insurance. This is essential to take part in the course!

The Course Fees also cover tourist tax, an Upward Bound manual, weekly gym usage, e-mail access, class picture, a T-shirt, the use of washing machines, tumble dryer, washing powder (one load per week), a room deposit (see below) and various social activities (personal Saturday outings are not included).

MEALS: For practical reasons you are required to attend all meals unless you have signed out (only permitted for evening meals), or you are signed off as being sick (see below).

SICKNESS: You are only signed off as being sick when you or a roommate have reported your sickness to the Principal or one of the Instructors and they have confirmed your sickness.

If you are confirmed as sick in the morning, then you are considered sick for the whole day and must stay in your bedroom for that day.

When you are sick, you are required to find (or ask a roommate to find) a replacement for any duties (see below) that may have been assigned to you to ensure the continued smooth running of Tauernhof. As soon as you are well again, you are required to catch up on any missed lectures and required reading.

DUTIES: All students will be assigned practical duties to be carried out in accordance with the instructions and times informed to you.

ROOM TIME: For safety and practical reasons, outside doors of the buildings are locked at 11:30pm. You are required to be in your room at the scheduled lock-up time when at Tauernhof (or the Hut Rest hour when in a hut) and to keep quiet so that everyone is able to sleep and get a good rest for the next day.

PARTICIPATION: As a participant in Upward Bound, you are expected to take part in all of our scheduled activities (lectures, meals, etc.). This includes co-operative and punctual adherence to the timetable and guidelines unless exceptional permission has been given by the Principal.

CONDUCT: While living in a community, it is essential to be aware and respectful of the different backgrounds and cultures of other people and therefore you are expected to conduct yourself in a manner appropriate to the directives and examples of God’s Word.

The use of alcoholic beverages and tobacco is not permitted for the duration of Upward Bound.

MEDIA: We ask you not to watch any movies from Monday to Friday in order to provide time for personal study, reading and quiet times. Movie viewing (permitted on Friday and Saturday evenings) will be approved by the Instructors.

Music may be listened to during free time WITH HEADPHONES only.

Laptops will be removed when misused! Movie Nights will be organized by Staff.

APPEARANCE: We ask you to maintain a neat and tidy appearance.

Please be dressed appropriately for meetings (lectures, meals and other activities).

Casual attire is allowed for Worship or Sunday Services as long as it is clean, neat and tidy (e.g.: no torn jeans, shorts or sweat pants).

Do not go shirtless or barefoot in our buildings.

In order to promote a healthy and wholesome community life all students are to dress appropriately in consideration of the opposite sex.

Drastic hairstyle changes, body piercing (with the exception of standard ear piercing for ladies) and/or tattoos may not be undertaken during your time at Tauernhof.

OUT OF BOUNDS: Keep out of:

• Our neighbour’s property (e.g. the Planai Parking Garage);

• Bedrooms and bathrooms of the opposite sex. Also, do not have persons of the opposite sex (whether student or staff) in your bedroom or bathroom;

• The Office (Office open hours are between lunch and 3pm);

• The Kitchen;

• The Staff Lounge (unless your team is meeting there);

• The Climbing Tower (unless authorized by a staff member qualified to do so and you have registered at the Reception beforehand).

RELATIONSHIPS: Relationships (romantic attachments) that begin at Upward Bound can be disruptive, divisive and embarrassing and tend to isolate those involved. Students come and are accepted to attend Upward Bound to develop a deeper relationship with God. Relationships and physical expressions of affection or other interest (including massages) are therefore not permitted during your time at Upward Bound.

While we wholeheartedly encourage healthy friendships, our definition of a relationship (romantic attachment) is when a couple separates themselves from the Upward Bound community and/or is involved in recurring physical contact. If a student desires to initiate a relationship they are required to speak to the Principal at the earliest opportunity.

The course begins with an evening meal at 6:00pm on arrival day. Please arrive on the first day of the course.

The Reception will be open from 10 am and you can check in from then.

The course ends after breakfast on the last day of the course and so you are free to leave after 9 am. Please do not plan to leave Tauernhof before the conclusion of the course.

Please note that it is not possible to stay at Tauernhof before or after the dates of the course.

If you arrive earlier in Schladming or wish to stay in Schladming after the course has ended, you must arrange your own lodging at a guesthouse or hotel in town (please see the FAQ’s page on our website for Tauernhof approved accommodation and contact details).

You will need to bring the Acceptance Letter issued to you, this information document and your passport (make sure it is valid for the duration of your stay).

If you don’t stay longer than 90 days in Europe, and have no plans to return to Europe in the next 6 months after leaving Europe, you don’t need a Visa. Please note that if you are a non-European national, you may only spend a total of 90 days in Europe without a visa in any given 6 month period.

This does not apply for people from Asia and Africa who will always need a visa for the duration of the time in Europe.

ATTENTION: Due to recent local authority changes it is no longer possible for Tauernhof to assist you in applying for a visa from Austria unless you are attending courses that finish six months after they started. That means you will have to contact the Austrian Foreign Ministry in your home country and apply for a visa there before you travel to Austria!

Please refer to the FAQ’s page on our website for further information.

Schladming is located about 90 kilometres (55 miles) southeast of Salzburg, in the heart of the Alps of central Austria.

Flying: The nearest airport is Salzburg. From the airport take bus # 2 to the main train station “Hauptbahnhof” (travel time: 20 minutes, frequency: every 15 minutes, price: EUR €2,30). Then follow the train directions below. From North America cheaper flights may be available to London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Munich or Vienna. From all of these cities there are train connections to Schladming (See www.db.de or www.oebb.at).

Train: Schladming is easily accessible by train from anywhere in Europe. From Salzburg “Hauptbahnhof” take any train going towards Graz, Austria. It will stop in Schladming but you may have to switch trains in Bischofshofen which is approx. 30 minutes after Salzburg. There are several train connections from Salzburg to Schladming available each day. See website www.oebb.at for detailed train schedule information.

Travel time from Salzburg is approx. 1.5 hours, price: 18.90 Euros, Munich approx. 4 hours, price: approx. 57 Euros and Vienna approx. 5 hours, price: approx. 50 Euros. When you arrive in Schladming, you can call us (just dial 22294 from the phone booth in front of the station – it will cost around 20 cents) and we will pick you up if it is the first day of the course. Alternatively, you can walk – approx. 15 minutes: turn left outside the train station, and walk into town. Tauernhof is located by the base station of the Planai ski area gondola “Planai Bahn”, right next to the “Charly Kahr” ski and sport shop. Please see the FAQ’s page on our website for a map with the directions to Tauernhof marked on it.

If you are making any additional travel plans prior or subsequent to the course, or between if you are attending consecutive courses at more than one European Torchbearers’ School, you may want to purchase a Eurail pass before coming, or if you are under 26, you may buy an Inter-Rail pass, available at most European train stations. For detailed information regarding train passes, please see www.oebb.at. An International Student Identification Card and an International Youth Hostel Card are also advisable. If you are traveling in Europe for the first time, a good investment is a guidebook such as “Let’s Go” which is updated yearly (Harvard Student Agencies Inc., St. Martins Press, New York).