Home » Austria » St Anton
The Arlberg ski area is legendary in skiing circles. It is the place where, in the early years of the twentieth century, Austrian skiing pioneer Hannes Schneider perfected the modern downhill skiing technique most of us use today. 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. But enough history! 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 (not quite lift-linked to St Anton, a bus trip is required). The area is indeed vast and truly the 'skiers paradise' that many resorts claim but few actually deliver! There is skiing to suit absolutely everybody, and beginners, who 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), should not be put off. On the other hand most ski centres have something to offer beginners, but few can offer advanced and expert skiers the limitless opportunities of the Arlberg. Intermediates are totally spoilt for choice. The sunny Rendl ski area reached by a gondola from the outskirts of the village accesses this area of almost exclusively red grade trails ("medium difficult trails which do not exceed a lateral or vertical steepness of 40%"). For those for whom 40% is not enough take a look at the trail map and look at all the white space between the marked runs, these are the unmarked trails you may access with a guide. There is even a hair raising descent (not on the map and not to be undertaken without a guide) from the Valluga peak itself. Below that fast reds and tricky blacks fan out in all directions. For experts on piste highlights include the Mattun and Schindlergrat (both famed for their bumps/moguls) and Stuben trails; off-piste the highlights are unlimited. If you want to know just how fast you are going, check out the speed skiing timer on the Rendl. The season is divided up in to various themed months and weeks. The annual Kandahar World Cup race, which was probably the earliest ski race to be established, in 1928, at the instigation of Hannes Schneider and British ski tourism pioneer Sir Arnold Lunn, takes place in Jan/Feb. January also sees powder snow weeks, February Arlberg Ski Club Weeks and March and April have "sun and snow" weeks. A regular free ski bus runs between St Anton and St Jakob. Buses to other villages on the Arlberg pass do operate but have to be paid for in addition to your lift ticket. Over 50 snow making machines cover about 30 km (18 miles) of the key trails.
View the latest St Anton Ski Deals from our Ski Holiday partner Inghams
Country:
Austria
Resort height:
1304m
Top lift:
2811m
Bottom lift:
1304m
Sorry, there are currently no reviews for St Anton
Sorry, there are currently no transfer prices for St Anton
All of the resort information on this page about
St Anton has been provided for information purposes only. We regularly
update our
St Anton information, facts and figures but we recommend that you check
with the appropriate official
St Anton websites before travelling.
These driving times are approximate and will depend upon traffic and road conditions
