St Anton ski resort is located in the Arlberg region on the border between the Tyrol and Austria's westernmost province, the Vorarlberg. In the 1930s St. Anton opened its first ski lift, the Galzigbahn. Today it is one of the largest and most popular ski resorts in the Alps with a mind-boggling variety of pistes...
St. Anton am Arlberg ski area
Skiers and snowboarders can access the high slopes quickly and easily via the new Galzigbahn lift, which whisks visitors from the village of St. Anton to the most diverse section of the resor with not only easy wide slopes for beginners but also fabulous views of the surrounding mountains. Further lifts give intermediate and expert skiers the option to travel all the way up to the Schindlerkar and the 2,811m Vallugaspitze, the highest point in the resort. For freestyle skiers and snowboarders there are several funparks, including the famous Stanton Park.
Further highlights include a permanent race course as well as countless huts, restaurants and après-ski bars. In the Rendl area of the resort there is even the only via ferrata fixed-rope climbing route in Tirol open in winter. This climbing trail with a steel rope anchored into the rock for safety and a series of steel handholds and footholds leads all the way up to 2,732m. It is hard work, but the views at the top more than make up for the effort. And the best thing is that from the top you can ski back down into the resort through wide powder fields.
St Anton is a haven for off-piste skiers and boarders, with endless high-altitude routes, couloirs, hidden valleys and lots of steep, narrow gullies. The Valluga North Face is known for its legendary descents, but be warned, you can only go to the summit if you're with a guide. The Galzig area is also popular, and can be reached by a gondola. It has marked off-piste routes and challenging lines between the trees. Many of the off-piste runs are labeled red or black “ski routes” (black ones being extreme). While they are signposted and do receive avalanche control they aren’t patrolled so are best skied with a guide.
As already mentioned, St Anton is just great for experienced and ambitious intermediate skiers. If you are a proven and hardened black run veteran, opt for the steep slopes just beneath the Valluga summit. The only problem is that due to its south - facing orientation, some of the greatest spots often get sunny.
The rapid reds stretching from Albonagrat to St Christoph are great for those who wish to improve their carving. The runs stretching from Valluga to St Anton are only for skiers of excellent physical condition. Don’t miss the astonishing descents on the north - facing Albonagrat, the seemingly effortless tree runs in the Langen woodland, or the thrilling itineraries from Rendl to Pettneu.
Intermediates
St Anton is indeed a great choice for enthusiastic intermediates who truly wish to take their skiing or riding to the next level. Rendl is a good place to start, and it will help intermediates that need to find their feet first.
Less confident intermediates may be a bit daunted by many of St Anton’s blue runs, some of which become serious mogul hills by the end of the day and those back to the village can be steep and crowded. There are some nice, cruisy runs in the Galzig area – which also has a new six-seater chairlift.
Beginners
Beginners will find things hard in St Anton. The constantly crowded slopes don’t help either, making the few green runs much more difficult than would appear at first.
The best area for beginners to start is probably around Nasserein and then they could check whether they can handle some spots of Rendl. Later on they can also try the beginner's area on Gampen.
St. Anton snowpark
The "STANTON PARK" has a sensational selection for the riders - spread over 3 areas with varying levels of difficulty (beginner, advanced, and pro). The obstacles include various rails and boxes, kickers with 15 m tables, pipes, a wall ride and a big tube, and much more.
Next to the "STANTON PARK", a funslope with waves, steep curves, a tunnel, speed boost and two "high five" with sound effects can be found in the ski area. Here, everybody can let off steam, without previous knowledge.
If you want to detour to other ski areas from time to time, you don't have to miss out on freestyle fun. In Lech and also on the Sonnenkopf there are further parks to try out. On the Sonnenkopf beginners will find lots of space for practising: the beginner fun park offer 5 medium elements, as well as a kicker line (3 - 5 m).
St. Anton apres ski
Après-ski in St. Anton is legendary and known far beyond the borders of Austria. St Anton is the ultimate destination for skiers that love wild parties, vibrant bars and good restaurants. St Anton indeed has the lion’s share of exquisite restaurants, elegant cafes, lively bars and wild clubs, and it seems that an important percentage of its visitors come there primarily for the excellent food, the incessant razzle and the legendary Après ski experience.
The choice of ski huts is huge, the names such as "Krazy Kanguruh" or "Heustadl" are well-known everywhere. No one should miss a visit to the "Mooserwirt" - après-ski has cult status here! Late at night, the party goes on in various bars, pubs and discos.
St. Anton village
St. Anton ski resort
St. Anton