What’s the skiing like? St. Anton is part of the giant Arlberg ski region (340km), the biggest connected ski area in the country, with links to Lech-Zuers, St. Christoph and Warth. St. Anton also has a very impressive snow record as well as a fast, modern lift system. Freeriders are in their element here with 200km of off-piste itineraries (marked but ungroomed pistes). The big Stanton fun park is ideal for all levels of freestyler.
Best suited to? Advanced skiers
Beginners will find the nursery slopes at the base of the mountain and a very popular children's ski school. A little further up the mountain are gentle blue runs. Intermediates have a good choice of more challenging blues and reds. St. Anton is also the perfect place for confident intermediates to dip their toe into freeriding, thanks to the off-piste itineraries of varying levels.
Advanced skiers will find plenty of challenging pistes as well as a huge number of exhilarating steep, ungroomed off-piste itineraries - many of which are located on the wide valluga bowl. After fresh snow it's best to hire a guide to find the best powder spots as competition is high.
What’s the resort like? A pretty, Tyrolean mountain village with a pedestrianised main street and family-friendly restaurants and hotels. The apres-ski scene is legendary largely thanks to the Mooserwirt and Krazy Kanguruh bars where dancing on tables in your ski boots is the norm.
Off the slopes? For a relaxing afternoon, take a stroll to the wellness cente, Arlberg-well.com, with indoor and outdoor pools, steam rooms, saunas, treatments, gym and range of fitness classes. There's also tobogganing, indoor and outdoor climbing at the Arl.Rock Center, and lunch at the top of the Valluga.
Downside? Tentative beginners may find the terrain a little limiting as the blue runs here are more challenging than most resorts.
Nearest airport(s): Innsbruck Airport 95km/75 mins
The White Thrill race that takes place on Valluga each spring is one of the most exciting and testing races in the skiing world. The race starts on an agreed date in late. The race isn’t downhill all the way: the race includes a 150 meters ascent.
Airports
There are four airports within two hours drive of St Anton and two others (Salzburg – 300km, and Munich – 250km) that are three hours away.
Innsbruck (104 km/75 minutes) Fürstenweg 180, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria. Austrian Airlines, British Airways, easyJet, and Monarch fly from London Gatwick; easyJet also fly from Bristol and Liverpool; Monarch also fly from Manchester.
Bodensee Airport (Friedrichshafen) (130 km/90 minutes), Am Flugplatz 64 88046 Friedrichshafen, Germany. Monarch fly from London Gatwick and Manchester.
Allgäu Airport (Memmingen) (170km/120 minutes) Schleifweg, Am Flughafen 35, 87766 Memmingerberg. Ryanair fly from London Stansted and Dublin.
Zürich Airport (200km/120 minutes) Flughafen Zürich AG, 8058. Both BA and Swiss fly from London City and London Heathrow to Zurich; easyJet fly from London Gatwick and London Luton; BMI fly from Edinburgh; Swiss also fly from Birmingham and Manchester. Many other major scheduled airlines offer connecting services from other UK regional departure points via their European hubs to Zurich – eg KLM via Amsterdam.
Airport Transfers
By bus: The only airport served by a direct bus service is Zurich, which has four services a day departing the airport from 10 am to 7 pm, courtesy of Arlberg Express (+43 (0) 55 82-226) Tickets are €50 one way; €80 return.
Shared/Private transfers: Available from all airports with Ski Express St Anton (+49 (0)8382 27 35 880). Expect to pay €48 one way, €84 return from Friedrichshafen; €55/€80 from Innsbruck; €80/140 from Memmingen; and €95/180 from Munich. Max waiting time is 45 minutes, minimum pre-booking time, is usually 48 hours, and discounts for groups of six or more. Other companies include Innsbruck-based Transfer Tirol (+43 (0)512 7272-0). My Transfer Service GmbH, (+43 (0)5523 590 959) and Airport-Drivers (+43 (0)664 341 05 09) both operate from Friedrichshafen.
By train: St Anton has a rail station close to the village centre and you can reach the resort by rail from virtually all points in Europe, including via the Channel Tunnel on Eurostar from London. Railjet services from Zurich Airport (station at the terminal) take between 2hr20 and 2hr40. There are also stations in Innsbruck and Friedrichshafen, a bus or taxi ride from the airports. For more prices and timetables, visit Austrian Rail; Swiss Rail and German Rail.
By car: Hire cars are available from all airports. Ensure your car is equipped for winter driving and carry snow chains. Although roads are normally kept clear, if there is excessive snowfall, particularly on access passes such as the Arlberg Pass, these may temporarily be closed. If you drive from the UK, an Austrian road tax sticker "Vignette" is obligatory in order to drive on motorways and on the S16. This can be purchased at the border, at petrol stations and at many "Trafik" shops.
The very centre of St. Anton is closed to traffic. Most accommodations offer parking and there are approximately 2,000 parking spaces available at locations around the resort centre including on the bypass, on the secondary school square, at the former Rendl station, at the “West” and “Mitte” car parks and on the outskirts of the resort. Parking is free after 3 pm but otherwise is €7 per day.
Getting Around:
The pedestrianized centre of St Anton means that many facilities and the ski lifts are within walking distance of many parts of the village. The free ski bus to Lech leaves from Alpe Rauz, and the public bus from St. Anton has to be paid for. A night bus runs from 7 pm to 3 am between St. Anton, St. Christoph, St. Jakob, Pettneu and Flirsch.
There are also seven taxi companies operating in the village including Taxi Arlberg-Car/Taxi Griesser - Tel. +43 (5446) 3730.
Kandaharweg 9
6580 St. Anton, Tyrol
Austria