St. Anton am Arlberg

St. Anton am Arlberg, Austria

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St. Anton am Arlberg

St Anton is unique amongst ski resorts in holding three legendary reputations simultaneously; for its world class skiing, for the hedonistic nightlife, and as a key pioneering resort in Alpine skiing. The ski area is especially popular with expert and advanced skiers.

Summary

The Austrian ski resort of St. Anton am Arlberg is in the Austrian Alps at an altitude of 1,300m4,265ft, with 260km162 miles of marked runs.

St. Anton am Arlberg is part of the Arlberg ski area with access to 340km211 miles of downhill skiing, with 248 marked pistes, served by a total of 97 ski lifts. In addition to the skiing in St. Anton am Arlberg itself (260km162 miles of pisted ski runs), the appropriate ski Lift Pass will allow you to ski or snowboard in the other Arlberg ski resorts of Lech, St Christoph am Arlberg, Stuben and Zürs.

With ski lifts as high as 2,810m9,219ft, skiing and snowboarding is assured throughout the season.

Ski Area Stats

St. Anton am Arlberg Overview

This is a resort of contrasts; the timeless, peaceful village centre against with the buzzing nightlife (although at the same time, the two seem to complement one another); the prepared trails which cover in excess of 280km (177 miles) of marked runs in the Arlberg and then the incredible 180 km (115 miles) more of 'un-pisted routes' for experienced skiers to explore.

All this together, but particularly the off-piste opportunities, makes St Anton a magnet for serious winter sports enthusiasts of all ages the world over, in the same unique way as Chamonix in France, Crested Butte in Colorado or Jackson Hole in Wyoming.

When the snow is good, nothing much else matters.

 Notable Ski Runs

The most difficult run is the 'Valluga - St Anton'.

Skiing

The soaring mountain panorama above St. Anton is dominated by the Valluga, the highest point at 2811m (9222 feet) and accessed by the Galzig and Valluga cable cars from the edge of the village. The biggest vertical served by a single cable car system is 1500 metres (almost 5000 feet).

The Arlberg Ski Pass today gives the holder the use of over 80 ski lifts in the Region which together access the runs of St Anton and its neighbours of St Christoph, Stuben, Klösterle and the exclusive resorts of Lech and Zürs. The area is indeed vast and truly the 'skiers paradise' that many resorts claim but few actually deliver!

St. Anton for Beginners

Beginners have nursery slopes right next to the village and some gentler blues on the Gampen above (reached by a chair lift, so no falling off T bars), and should not be put off by the hard-core reputation of St. Anton.

St. Anton for Intermediates

Intermediates are spoilt for choice. The sunny Rendl ski area reached by a gondola from the outskirts of the village accesses an area of almost exclusively Red grade trails (medium difficult trails, not exceeding a steepness of 40%).

St. Anton for Experts

Few ski areas can offer advanced and expert skiers the limitless opportunities of the Arlberg.

For those for whom a 40% gradient is not enough, there are abundant fast Reds and tricky Blacks. Piste highlights include the Mattun and Schindlergrat (both famed for their bumps/moguls) and Stuben trails.

Off the pistes, there are endless variations of unmarked trails you can access (with a guide). There are legendary off-piste descents (not on the map and not to be undertaken without a guide) from the Valluga peak itself, and extensive options across the ski area - from mellow to extreme.

There are a variety of pistes to suit all levels of skier ability, from Beginner to Expert.

Snowboarding

As with skiers the main attractions for serious boarders are the endless powder routes, but there is also a fun park on the Rendl and further snowboard parks in Lech (bus trip).

Aprés Ski

One doesn't want to over use the word 'legendary' but the Krazy Kangaruh bar on the slopes directly above the resort falls in to that category and has spawned many other Krazy... bars in top ski resorts around the Alps. Today the Kangaruh is challenged and some say beaten by the equally packed-out Mooserwirt. Both are the meeting points for the returning exuberant skiers and 'boarders at the end of the day. In other words the point where vast amounts of human energy and excitement all meet directly after the experience has occurred. Usually mixed with a little alcohol the result is the famous ski jumps from the verandah. No one wants it to stop there, and fortunately it doesn't have to, as the resort is chock full of lively bars and nightclubs that are usually buzzing right through until 3am closing.

Of course it is possible to have a quieter evening in a sophisticated cocktail bar such as Platz'l Après or the St Antoner Hof's bar.

History and Development

St. Anton is the home of one of the very first ski clubs in the Alps, the Arlberg Ski Club, which was established here in 1901.

Suitably, St Anton hosted the World Alpine Skiing Championships a century later in 2001.

St Anton, as far as its marketing is concerned, encompasses the high altitude hamlet of St Christoph (1800 m / 5900 feet) and half a dozen small villages nearby. St Christoph, right next to the historic Arlberg Pass, is particularly noteworthy as there was a monastic settlement here for 500 years. Travellers could shelter here when caught out by the weather front changes at this point: Arlberg is geographically significant as the dividing point between the watersheds of great rivers like the Danube and the Inn to the east, and the Rhine to the west.

Today the Hospiz Hotel on the site is one of St Anton's two five star hotels and claims to have Austria's best wine cellar: it was also the spot where on January 3rd 1901 the Arlberg Ski club was founded.

The Arlberg is where, in the early years of the twentieth century, Austrian skiing pioneer Hannes Schneider perfected the downhill skiing techniques recreational skiers adopted in their thousands. His fame in his own life time was such that the Japanese imported him to teach them technique and modern ski construction and thousands came to learn at his ski school.

Some early epic silent movies of mountain drama were shot here also, helping to spread Schneider's fame to a greater audience and turn skiing from a 'crank sport' to the worldwide leisure pursuit it is today. One mustn't forget that the art of piste grooming was begun here too! Back in 1949 a couple of a blokes with a roller began the process that so many resorts, particularly in North America, have since elevated to a mechanical art form.