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ST ANTON, AUSTRIA – St. Anton is the skiing equivalent of golf’s St. Andrews. The Arlberg region, centered in St. Anton, is the birthplace of alpine skiing and is partly responsible for the way we ski today. Thanks to the exceptional quality of the mountains, St. Anton’s star has never faded. Other ski resorts have since dominated the world scene, but St. Anton remains in the top five for seriously challenging skiing and luxury accommodation resorts.
The percentage of snowboarders here is lower than in most European resorts, largely because the steep and usually heavily-mogulled main pistes are suitable only for the extremely proficient rider. However, the free-riding in the powder and among the trees is quite sensational. St Anton is twinned with the ski resort of Mount Buller in southern Australia, and the large number of Australians who work here may be either the cause of the result of this.
History of skiing in St Anton
Skiing came to Arlberg in the late nineteenth century. St Anton became accessible to the outside world in 1884 when the railway tunnel under the Arlberg Pass was completed. As early as 1895 the pastor of Lech visited his parishioners on skis. In 1921 Hannes Schneider opened the Arlberg Ski School.
Generations of Europeans grew up with the distinctive St Anton alpine skiing technique – skis clamped together, shoulders facing down the hill – a contrived yet elegant style that dominated the sport until the French, and Jean Claude Killy, declared stylistic war during the 1960’s.
Getting to St Anton
St Anton is as easy to get to from Zurich as from Munich or Innsbruck. One major drawback has been that the village was bisected by the railway line. To reach the main ski area you first had to cross the tracks.
However, in preparation for World Ski Championship the railway line has been shifted 200 m to the south side of the valley and a giant sport hall is being built on its former site.
The undistinguished village architecture is a blend of old and new that owes little to planning and much to those who recognized an opportunity and seized it before the current strict zoning regulations came into force. A fierce policy of no outside ownership, no holiday homes and no expansion in the number of beds has saved St Anton from otherwise inevitable blight.
St Anton orientation
The center of St Anton is a relatively peaceful pedestrian zone lined with shops, cafes and St. Anton’s most handsome traditional hotels: the Post, the Alte Post and the Schwarzer Adler. The rest of the town straggles along the road in both directions, towards Mooserkreuz at the top of the resort to the west, and towards the satellite villages of Nasserein and St Jacob to the east. Nasserein is now fully accessible from St Anton, with a chairlift from the village to Gampen.
Nasserein is considered as an isolated place in which to stay because of the shuttlebus evening schedule and its nightlife. The shuttle bus does not run in the evening and the nightlife is limited to local bars unless you are prepared for a 20-minute walk.
On the snow
The Arlberg Ski Pass covers the linked area of St. Anton, St Christoph and Stuben as well as Klosterle and the more famous villages of Lech and Zurs. A free ski bus links the ski areas. St Anton’s skiing takes place on both sides of the valley, but the most challenging area is on the northern slopes dominated by the 2.811 m Valluga. The old lifts on the Galzig and in St Christoph have been systematically replaced by covered quad – chairs, which have done much to improve mountain access.
The high-speed quad-chair to Gampen takes the morning strain off the Kandahar funicular and the Galzig cable-car. The Nasserein chair is also a major improvement. However, the predictable result is that the volume of people has not been reduced but simply moved from the lift queue to the piste.
The large number of snow-users, even in January can be frightening busy. In the afternoon skiers and boarders jostle for position on the home run like Parisian taxi drivers. Anyone lacking in courage or technique feels wholly intimidated.
At mid-mountain level, the ski area splits into two, separated by a valley. Gampen, at 1,850 m, is a sunny plateau with a six-person chairlift rising to the high slopes of Kapall at 2.333 m. Galzig is the focal point of the serious skiing and riding.
From Galzig you can ski down to St Christoph at 1,800 m, a small hamlet crowned by the Hotel Arlber Hospiz. Above Galzig lie the more sublime challenges of the Valluga and the Schindlergrat at 2,605 m.
St Anton general Infos
Tourist information web site http://www.stantonamarlberg.com
Airport transfer Inssbruck 1 hr, Zurich 2-3 hrs, Munich 3-4 hrs.
Visitor beds 9000
Transport free ski bus
Total of trails/pistes: 260 km
Number of lifts: 41
Nursery slopes: 8 lifts
Lift passes: Arlberg Ski Pass
St Anton Restaurants
According to reporters, most restaurants in the area offer reasonable fare at high-altitude prices. The Albonagrat only seats about 25 but is highly rate with great atmosphere and cheap food.
The Bleak self-service at Galzig has panoramic views over the slopes and inevitably gets overcrowded, but it does have an adjoining table-service restaurant. The Sennhutte, Kaminstube and the Rodelhutte are all recommended. Stoppl’s at St Christoph is popular.
The terrace of the Arlberg-Hospiz-Alm is a particular favorite with attentive service from traditionally dressed waiters. Lunchtime prices match those in other mountain restaurants but by night it is transformed into a center for gourmet dining.
The Hotel Post in Stuben and the Maiensee Stube in St Christoph are both praised for warm wood-panelled atmosphere and good food.
Booking hotel in St Anton
The area has two five-star hotels the historic and expensive Arlberg Hospiz at St Christoph and the modern St Antoner Hof near the bypass. The four-star options are headed by the Post, the Hotel Alte Post and the Schwarzer Adler, all much richer in tradition and much closer to the lifts.
St. Anton has an abundance of chalets, as well as a large number of pensions and apartments. Hotel Arlberg has excellent food and rooms, and friendly helpful, English-speaking staff. Those who find themselves uncomfortably far away from the slopes can leave their skis and boots overnight in the storage at the bottom of the Galzig lift.
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