St Anton
The pedigree of St Anton am Alberg as a premier ski destination is difficult for other resorts to rival. St Anton is a sizeable Austrian ski and snowboard resort which is particularly popular with expert skiers, but is equally enjoyed by families and intermediates. The village of St Anton is cosy and has retained a distinct Tyrolean charm, but the resort is also renowned for possibly having the most vibrant and lively
après and night life in the world.
St Anton is in the Arlberg region of Tirol in Austria, nestled in a very tight valley surrounded by numerous avalanche fences. In the actual resort of St Anton there are a lot of runs, but further terrain is accessed by skiing to the nearby resorts of St Christoph and Stuben.
Zurs and Lech form part of the Alberg region and are covered by the same lift ticket as St Anton, but these areas are not interconnected via skiing with St Anton (except for backcountry skiers). The access to Lech and Zurs is via complimentary buses. The whole Alberg region provides a massive ski area with a total of 84 lifts.
St Anton is especially trendy for advanced skiers, although there are very few black runs on-piste, and most of the vast expert terrain is off-piste. For extreme riders, the off-slope runs and tight chutes below the Valluga summit will scare the pants off most. In good snow conditions the off-piste skiing is superb, but unfortunately due to the south-facing aspect, these quickly become sun affected. For intermediates there is great skiing in any conditions due to good grooming and snowmaking facilities, and there’s a huge range of runs to choose from. The beginners runs are relatively challenging, and as St Anton has a tendency to be crowded, these “green” runs can quickly become mogulled making them even more difficult.
The lift system is state of the art, which includes the new 24-person ferris wheel gondola, a cable car, an 8-person chair and various fast and comfortable chair lifts (many with hoods and heated seats!). However, even with the modern lifting system there are still lift queues, and the Austrian culture will necessitate some incredibly assertive behaviour, and possibly even elbows, whilst trying to line up! The main slopes can also get very crowded on weekends, but the upside of this is that it can make for some entertaining viewing.
You may think that a trendy resort like St Anton will be incredibly expensive, but the cost is not too bad. As a guide, we stayed in a lovely pension for AUD$1,280 for 2 persons for 7 nights, and paid $355 per person for a 6 day lift pass. The expense of your holiday will largely be dependent upon how much you want to spend in the bars and restaurants.
St Anton is worth every cent though, because it’s a great experience. The only problem is that it’s no secret how fabulous it is, and it’s probably the busiest resort in Austria. St Anton is an ideal choice for the hard-drinking, action-loving holiday maker who can hack the pace. It’s less suited to those who like a quiet skiing holiday, and gentle, uncrowded slopes.