St. Anton

The ski area of St Anton is legendary, with terrain that attracts skiers and boarders who enjoy a challenge. The majority of pistes are red and black with a smattering of blues, and some nursery slopes close to town. One of St Anton’s highlights is the 200km of marked off-piste runs.  Ski access from the town is provided by 3 focal points, first is the Galzig gondola which offers very quick and easy access thanks to a state of the art installation. Close to the Galzig is the Gampen chairlift, which takes you up the slopes that link to Nasserein at the other end of town. In Nasserein there is a gondola, along with some lifts that serve the nursery slopes.  On the opposite side of valley from Galzig and Gampen is Rendl, a separate ski area which intermediates will enjoy.  The Stanton snow park is also found here, close to the gondola station.  Here you’ll also find Rendl Beach, a lively bar with amazing views from a sunny terrace that overlooks the snow park – great for relaxing with a drink and watching the action in the park.

The pistes are kept in good condition on the whole, although some are purposefully left untouched to ensure keen mogul skiers have enough to keep them happy. St. Anton is part of the Arlberg ski area and lift passes include access to the linked villages of St Christophe and Stuben, and also by bus to Lech/Zurs and Sonnenkopf.  We strongly recommend at least one day in Lech which is a 20 minute bus ride away. It offers a great alternative to the St. Anton “steep and deep”, much more wide open blues and reds, a little more reminiscent of the skiing found in the high altitude French resorts such as Courchevel and Val d’Isere.

Beginners:

St. Anton isn’t the best place for beginners but there are some pistes that will suit the inexperienced skiers very nicely. For first timers, the nursery slopes next to the Nasserein gondola are perfect, with a lovely green piste at the perfect gradient within easy access of most chalets in the resort. After this, the next best piste is the Number 8 piste that ends up in St. Christophe. The area around Alpe Rauris as well as Lech itself provide welcome alternatives.

Intermediates:

Plenty for intermediates, the Rendl area is great and often relatively quiet in comparison to the main ski area. Another highlight is the run towards Stuben, a lovely piste that runs through an enclosed valley.

Experts:

Where to begin? Perhaps the descent from the Valluga summit into Zurs, this can only be attempted with a guide but its well worth the expense. You haven’t truly skied St. Anton until you can mark off this run. Another favourite for the powder hounds is the Sonnenkopf ski area, whilst this does involve a bit of a journey to get to, its very much a hidden gem and therefore keeps powder very well in comparison to the main ski area. Locals tend to make this their first port of call after a large snowfall which speaks volumes.

Nowhere truly does apres-ski in the same way as St. Anton. The main stalwarts are two bars on the mountain itself which are in very close proximity of each other. The most famous of which is the Mooserwirt which truly has to be experienced to be believed. An oft cited Alpine myth suggests this bar serves more beer than anywhere else in Austria. No small feat considering it is only open for half the year! The music is very “Euro” and every song has its own actions but before you know it, you’ll be joining in too. The Krazy Kangaruh offers a very different alternative with live music, free flowing beer and conversation being the order of the day here. Very much the locals choice, the KK offers a cheaper alternative to the iconic Mooserwirt.

Once the apres-ski on the mountain comes to a close, some will adjourn to their chalet for dinner before settling in for the evening. Those that are feeling energetic head back out again to sample the many night spots that St. Anton is justifiably famous for, highlights include Scotty’s Bar, Bar Cuba for live sport or the Piccadilly for live music. Just be sure to change out of your ski or board boots first, many bars now ban people in boots in the evening!  The party can carry on till the early hours, with nightspots such as Kandahar and Post Keller ensuring the pistes are relatively empty first thing in the morning.

Ski Schule Am Arlberg: www.skischool-arlberg.com

Alpine Faszination: www.alpine-faszination.at

Ski Akademie St. Christoph (St. Christoph ONLY) www.skiakademie.at