St Anton Ski Resort, Austria

Overview of St Anton

St Anton ski resort, otherwise known as the ski capital of Austria, is one of Europe's top resorts and a mecca for off-piste skiing. A hefty list of accolades, St Anton is one of the world’s best places for competent skiers and especially those with the energy to après like it's 1999.

Yet despite the party atmosphere, there is also a chic but wholesome air to the place. Spread out along the valley floor, the resort is actually a large working town, easily accessible by road and rail, which retains a traditional charisma and a pretty car-free village centre in a beautiful local style. The locals’ sunny disposition must have at least a little to do with the resort’s sunny position, but it almost definitely has something to do with the heavy snowfalls that are commonplace on the high snow-sure slopes.

It is said that if you learn to ski in St Anton, “the cradle of alpine skiing,” you will be comfortable skiing anywhere. This is because, while there are a lot of nursery slopes along the village, some runs have a habit of proving to be harder than you first thought and busy pistes can get mogully. However, intermediate and advanced skiers couldn’t pick a more invigorating destination than St Anton ski resort. And if it all looks a bit familiar when you arrive, it could be because you’ve seen it all before in one of the many films made here. Think Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, Chalet Girl and one of the first-ever ski films, Die Weisse Rausch (The White Thrill), shot here in 1931 (you could even join the race based on the film every April).

3 Things We Love About St Anton

1. One of Europe's top resorts for skiing- Perfect for expert skiers and boarders, with plenty of challenging runs and unlimited off-piste options.
2. Party town - Famous for the incredible après scene, but with a very traditional and chic town.
3. Large ski area - Lifts link with Lech and Zürs, make the Arlberg the largest ski area in Austria with 305km of piste.

Skiing and Boarding in St Anton

Like all the best resorts, St Anton skiing offers gentle wide nursery slopes at the bottom of the hill, especially in the Nasserein and Gampen areas. Unlike other resorts, St Anton’s skiable peaks ascend to dizzying degrees of vertical pretty quickly, with the toughest skiing at the top of Schindler and Valluga being close to vertical.

Once graduating from the choice of nursery slopes, beginners should make for the blues from the Ostang chair or take the Gampen lift up to the Plattiwald trail. The Nasserein and Rendl side also offers some lovely pistes on which to find your ski legs.

Cautious intermediates, too, will enjoy the quieter Rendl “beach”, although much of the best skiing, including some classic reds and blacks, is accessed via the Galzigbahn. Intermediates looking for a challenge can choose from St Anton skiing’s miles of groomed but demanding runs. The longest being the 10.2km descent from Valluga – Ulmer Hutte – St Anton.

The new World Cup downhill slope is a technique-testing red from Kapall or catch first lifts to hit the runs either side of Gampen for steep and deep early morning carving.

Advanced skiers should not leave a St Anton ski holiday without skiing the number 34 piste from Kapall to Mattun and the number 3 under the Galzig. Schindler and Valluga offer the most accessible off-piste itineraries, with open bowls, steep chutes and narrow gullies to work your way through, or head to Stuben and float through the powder capital of the Arlberg area. The big one, of course, is the north face of the Valluga, which is seriously steep at the top before giving way to open powder fields down to Zurs.

The large St Anton snowpark on Rendl boasts jumps, boxes, obstacles, rails, tabletops and kickers of varying sizes, plus a smaller area for beginners and a half pipe.

Lift Passes in St Anton

The Arlberg is a huge ski area encompassing both St Anton and Lech along with other resorts such as St Christophe and Stuben. This upcoming season the ski area is set to expand further with a new Gondola connecting the neighbouring ski area of Warth/Schrocken from the Lech side of the Arlberg. The full area pass available covers all of these areas and offers great value for money. It is ideal for intermediate and advanced skiers looking to cover as many runs as possible.

The Epic Pass

Activities in St Anton

• Tobogganing - The toboggan track is 4.3km long and runs from the top of the Nasserein lift down into Nasserein. Toboggans can be rented from all sports shops. Either toboggan in the daytime or in the evenings on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Combine night-tobogganing with a mountain meal at the Rodel-alm restaurant for a brilliant evening.
• Parapente / paragliding -  Glide above the slopes taking in the stunning views over the Grand Rousse valley. With a choice of a short flight which takes around 10 minutes or a longer flight which takes you all the way down the mountain Tandem Paragliding.
• Arlberg-Well - The wellness centre in St Anton has a wide range of facilities including a sauna/steam room, gym, swimming pools (indoor and outdoor), ice skating, curling and massages.  It's located in the town centre and easily accessible. Great for anyone not going up the mountain.
• Arl-Rock - Arl-Rock is the climbing & sports centre in St Anton which has a wide range of facilities including climbing walls & bouldering, indoor tennis courts, 5-a-side football, pool tables and bowling (9 pin skittles). It's located next to the train station just out from the centre of town. The sports centre is also attached to a great Thai restaurant called Skiing Buddha.
• Museum - Here you can find out about the history of skiing. Located near to the Galzigbahn gondola.

Après Ski in St Anton

On The Piste

• Krazy Kanguruh AKA  -KK’s" A special place and Skiworld staff favourite! Big portions for lunch, table service on the sun terrace and with a lively international après ski party atmosphere.
• Taps - Located next door to KK’s, Taps is a seasonnaire haunt with happy hour from 3-4pm daily. Head to Taps for a healthy dose of Europop!
• Mooserwirt - The world renowned Mooserwirt! It gets very lively in here. An essential establishment to visit for a big apres party, both outside and inside. The food here is delicious in the daytime.

• Basecamp - A large apres bar down in St Anton town. Basecamp has a great atmosphere and is easily accessible for non-skiers. If you're up at apres on the mountain, ski down to Basecamp for one more drink to keep the party going!
• Murrmel's - Murrmel bar in town has live music on each day of the week with musicians playing all the classics to sing along to.
• Fang House - Has a great sun terrace for those après rays, tunes and drinks directly at the Nassereinbahn lift.
• Keller Bar - An awesome rock'n'roll bar in Nasserein. The Vagrants rock out and get everyone up and singing and dancing in this homely ski bar.

• Anthonys - Another seasonnaire favourite. Anthony's throws themed parties every Wednesday and is a great place to party in the evening.
• Postkeller - Postkeller opens from 21.30 and there are live DJ sessions till the early hours. A popular late-night venue.
• Cuba -  Another place to watch live sport and play pool and foosball. As the evening progresses this bar gets busy and is popular with seasonnaires.
• Tom Dooley - A well-known meeting spot for locals and guests in the Nasserien Here you can catch all big sporting events on the large screen. (Smoking is permitted inside).
• Bobo's - A popular destination for a night out amongst seasonnaires and open daily until 3 am!

Places to Eat in St Anton

• Train – Try the classic fondue dish in a quirky restaurant with train dining car characters. Try fondue bourguignon, fondue Chinese, cheese fondue and raclette. Located in the town centre.
• Maximilian – Very popular with locals and tourists alike. It has a relaxing atmosphere with a traditional Tyrolean kitchen serving juicy steaks and international specialities. Reservations are recommended. Located between the town centre & Nasserein.
• Anthony’s/Happy Valley Steakhouse – Located in the centre of town this restaurant is spread over two floors. Serves Pizza and Pasta dishes on one floor and has a steakhouse on the other. Once you have finished eating relax at the bar until it turns into a nightclub after dinner service. Excellent food and reasonably priced. 
• Theo's - Located in Nasserein, Theo's is a family-run traditional Austrian restaurant with a wide selection - including vegi options. They also offer fondue options. 
• San Antonio - Located in Nasserein, San Antonio offers delicious pizza and pasta. The kitchen is closed on Mondays and takeaway options are available. 

Family Options in St Anton

• Alpine Angels - Very professional and friendly nanny service. All nannies have relevant childcare qualifications, CRB checks and first aid. Readily available and flexible to your needs.
• SkiSchul Kindergarten - Ski Schul Arlberg offers a Kindergarten service from 10am-12pm followed by Ski Schul in the afternoon until 3 pm.
• Any family tips?  - Tobogganing - the kids will love tobogganing which runs from the Nasserein lift. Toboggans can be rented from the ski hire shops and can fit one parent and one child comfortably.
  
  Best family-friendly restaurants:
  Bifang Alm - Take a piste basher ride up to Bifang Alm for one of their all you can eat cheese fondue/hot stone nights. Also, have kids prices and alternatives available. Open Tuesday, Thursday and Friday evening.
  
  Dolce Vita - Close to many of the chalets in St Anton on the main road, a delicious Italian restaurant great for kids.