Once I had skiied the majority of what the French Alps had to offer I began to think I was beginning to exhaust the best of Europe’s skiing. Le Trois Vallee hit every mark in terms of variety of slopes, challenging piste and off piste, and the all important apres ski scene. Having three major resorts nestled in the valleys means that there is a resort for literally everyone. So, when I was posted to work in St Anton,Austria, there were to be some serious judgements.
In the last few years I have become increasingly addicted to scaring myself through skiing. If I have a day where I haven’t had a cold sweat then I don’t feel as though I have skiied. Before leaving for Austria I had done my reading into the ski area and I had noted that much of the pistes were listed as reds and blacks, perfect for taking the leap from the intermediate plateau to advanced. There were also mentions of apres ski of a whole different league.
The resort itself is quintessentially alpine with a modern twist to accomodate the younger generation of skiiers. The main road still has a majority of traditional chalets which now house ski shops, burger shops,restaurants and of course,not to forget the Apres Ski, bars.For those of you with a sweet tooth then make sure a visit to the Backerei Ruetz is on your list, proceed to eat all contents behind the counter before heading home. Off the main road you will find the newly built glass Wellness Centre, complete with indoor and outdoor pools, saunas, an aggressive whirlpool (I suggest wearing an all-in-one swimming costume or you will join the bikini bottom chasers) ,cafes and restaurants.Although it is slightly more expensive to be used daily it is still a valuable asset to the resort and perfect for relaxing those calf muscles after a hard day on the mountain. St Anton is conveniently located an hour from Innsbruck and has a central train station with frequent trains to Innsbruck and Zurich.
O.K so lets get onto the more important business of the mountain. There are two main gondolas in the resort which take you to two different mountains, the Rendl and the Galzig. The Rendl lift was only constructed in the last three years and gets a lot less attention than the Galzig. On the Rendl side there are a lot less pistes than the Galzig but still plenty to keep yourself busy, the slopes are best in the morning as the main lower piste has a tendency to get icy by the afternoon ( I would suggest swallowing your pride and take the lift back down when the snow gets sketchy). There are a number of nice bars and restaurants at the top of the gondola, alongside Rendl Beach, rows of deckchairs situated above the snow park for the chance to catch some sun and watch the pros kick it. The snowpark is well maintained and has graded kickers and box rails for every ability.
At the weekend part of the runs get used for racing so you are forced to check out some of the other pistes and itinerarys. The itinerarys on the Rendl side tend to consist of waist high moguls which can sometimes be unpleasant without recent snowfall, none the less they are challenging and can be ticked off the piste map. For beginners Rendl can be daunting and perhaps overly ambitious, there is only one run back to resort and this is under graded as a red. There is a nursery slope beside the snowpark with a button lift serving as the only lift.
On one of our many off piste lessons we were taken down the North Face of Rendl, and I would not suggest attempting it without a guide. There is plenty of oppurtunity to descend too low and be completely stranded on rocky ledges with no way up or out. Our guide took us over the R2 run and drops down beneath the avalanche barriers, from here there is an itinerary, but we go beyond the marked off piste, and down to the treeline where we traverse across to ski down between the trees. There was only one point on this route that I grew wary, when the instructor stops the group and warns us “we do not ski anymore, we climb, NO SKI” .
Which is what happened, we scaled down a rocky face with our skis on, listening to the unbearable grinding (of both my teeth and my skis), not bringing myself to look down at the miniature resort below (knowing only how I could be down there in quick time if I looked). If I could make one recommendation it would be to wear a lot of deodorant and no thermals on the off piste lessons, you sweat more than a pig in a wetsuit. By the time you cross back onto the piste you are more than ready for the ever available apres ski at the Mooservert or the Krazy Kangaruh (K.Ks to the locals).
The Galzig has far more runs and has links to other ski areas around St Anton such as Stuben, Sonnenkopf and Lech (the latter two can be reached by bus from Stuben), and so offers a greater variety of terrain. The itineraries, which I mentioned before, are marked off piste and are patrolled and protected from avalanches. They have often been skiied by many before you and so do not offer the powder perfection of unmarked off piste, but still they allow you to work on technique and are a safer alternative too. The mountains around St Anton are steep and avalanches are a too familiar scene, especially around Stuben and Schindlergrat, so I would approach the off piste with caution.
We made a day excursion to Sonnenkopf, commonly called the “Powderbowl” and we were surprised at what we were to find. Its’ position is awkward and the best transport to the area is by taxi,making it far quieter than the rest of the Lech-St Anton area. The slopes were deserted and we arrived on a white out, making it difficult to differentiate between the piste and the off piste because of the powder. I had to be rescued by fellow skiers after falling off the piste into a ditch. We ventured into the off piste after noticing some children playing on the natural kickers and spent very little time on the piste there on after. The off piste around the tree line offers plenty of powder to perfect your technique and the only problems to be aware of is dropping down below the main lift, meaning a skis-off-sweat-inducing-hike back up.
St Anton is linked up to Lech,by a free bus which runs between Stuben and Zurs, another huge ski area well worth skiing. Above Zurs and Zug are many challenging itineraries and are often less skied than those around St Anton. Once you have dropped into Zug you will notice the Mercedes practice track for the affluent skiers keen on purchasing a 4x4 or two, between a leisurely ski in the morning and champers in the afternoon
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A great way to get an idea of what Lech has to offer is to ski the White Ring route, which thousands of skiers race in each year. The White Ring will take you to every corner of the Lech ski area but you can do it at which ever pace you like. Some ski guides will reward their skiers with badges and medals for participating but for everyone else, the knowledge of your achievement is merit enough.
Regardless of where you choose to ski, whether it be on or off piste, in the park or in the bars, you are sure to feel as sense of accomplishment by the end of your stay. There is simply no room for complacency in the Arlberg, you either rise to the challenge or you sit and watch from the security of your deck chair. By the end of your day there will be an icy cool Radler (the only word of German I learnt in three months, and it means “shandy”) in the tap and many,many people to enjoy it with. If you like to unwind with an alcoholic beverage or ten whilst simultaneously dancing on a table then you will be sure to love the Mooservirt or the Kangaruh. Or, if you prefer to unwind with a massage and a swim then drop into the Wellness Centre. But, if you are like me then I will find you in the Backerei Ruetz consuming a week’s worth of calories and justifying it by the number of calories burnt through skiing way beyond your so-called-ability.
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