St Anton & Arlberg Ski Area

St Anton

St Anton is almost universally rated among the world’s top resorts and lies in the middle of the excellent 260km Arlberg Ski Circus comprising neighbouring Lech, Zurs and St Christoph. Despite its big reputation, built as much on its reasonably intensive complement of black standard (though not necessarily marked or graded as such on the piste maps) runs on a great mountain and some of the better off piste skiing around – which has ensured it has become a magnet for a cosmopolitan mix of dedicated Antipodean and European skiers – it retains a core village atmosphere. It is home to the Arlberg Ski Shool – one of the most prestigous ski schools in the Alps, which rather rested on its pre-sixties reputation for popularising the ‘feet together’ Arlberg technique, but is much improved in the last five years. Here also Sir Arnold Lunn established the first Arlberg Kandahar race her in 1928. The choice of nightlife is broad and it is vibrant and fun; on the mountain there is an excellent choice of mountain restaurants. Much of the famed advanced skiing is off-piste, starting from the Valluga mountian sector which is known the world over, and local qualified guides will ensure optimum routes and enjoyment in safety. It is not a resort for shaky intermediates nor beginners.

Accomomdation & Après Ski

Some say this is the apres ski capital of the world. If you are looking for a party, then St Anton really is the most fun resort on the planet. There are so many great après bars but notably the most famous ones are the Krazy Kangaruh and the Mooserwirt.

The Moosewirt sells more beer than any other bar in the Alps. They are delivered by immensely strong barstaff carrying up to 30 large beers to your table (that you are dancing on) and come with shots of Jaeger or Schnapps with a ball of Pear in the shot glass). Many partiers walk up the slopes to get to the Mooserwirt or the Krazy Kangaruh just to join the party. At 3pm everyday the DJ at the Moose starts the party by playing ‘The Final Countdown’ by Swedish Band, Europe, and has been doing so since 1986.

St Anton is a pedestrianised village centre and offers plenty of activities away from the piste including a cinema, ice skating, bowling, curling, sleigh rides, tobogganing and the ‘Arlberg-well.com’ leisure complex. The 4.2 km long illuminated tobaggan run from Gampen via the Rodelhütte to “Rodelstall” in Nasserein has to be the best in Europe. Non skiers can also make their way to many of the après ski bars and lunch restaurants to meet their groups on the piste.

There are plenty of cafes and restaurants to choose from in St. Anton. You can find a great range of cuisine including traditional Tyrolean fare. Some notable eateries are San Antonio, Rosanna’s, Pomodoro, Dixies 1 and 2, Nassereinerhof and Bobo’s. There are 18 ski huts and mountain restaurants in the area from self-service to gourmet cuisine. The Verwallstube at Galzig has been awarded two coveted Gault Millau toques.

Special mention has to go out to Pub 37 which is one of our favorites.

Lech

Lech Am Arlberg is a very special Ski resort and one that I have been skiing since 1990. Many changes have taken place during this time but one thing never changes – the Charm Sophistication and fantastic skiing you will find in this Top Ski Resort. I have spent many happy days ski guiding in Lech and Zurs and skiing the famous ‘White Ring’ ski circuit. The Route which is 22 Kms long and Celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2005 and also has an altitude difference of 5500 m. I certainly Recommend Lech and the entire Arlberg ski area to all my Clients at Born2ski.

Accommodation & Après Ski

Lech has many Excellent Hotels Including The Hotel Elisabeth, Hotel Garni Antonius and the famous Hotel Pfefferkorn. Born2ski Also offers some excellent Catered Chalets in Lech including the fantastically located Chalet Alexandra and the ever popular Chalet Sonneck in Lech. Born2ski can help customers who are looking to reserve one of the Top class Hotels or Chalets and also the numerous local Bed and Breakfast Pensions. The New Chalet Hotel Montfort in Lech couldn’t be in a better position for the nursery slopes of Lech, being just metres from the Flühen and Schwarzwand drag-lifts. It is here that the children’s ski school runs its classes, as well as being the location for some of the adult lessons.

Lech Apres Ski – Like All the Arlberg ski resorts Lech has excellent opportunities for Apres Skis and nightlife if required. At the end of a days skiing Lech`s main street turns into one long après-ski bar, with pavement cafes running in to one another offering entertainment and great music for everyone. Lech also hosts a post-skiing tea dance and has four late night discotheques for any nightowls. There is also the possibility for a unique evening that involves a cable car ride, with Champagne, to the highest Casino in the Alps. Children can also enjoy a floodlit sledging run from Oberlech to the own as well as the ice-skating and indoor sports centre.

St Christoph

Definitely one of our favourite resorts and is home of the Austrian ski schools association. The ski resort is directly linked to St Anton by the ski pistes and by resort shuttle. St Christoph is located on the Arlberg pass between St Anton and Zurs. Being linked to the St Anton means that guests in St Christoph have a vast ski area to explore. The resort has reliable snow both early and late season given the altitude and its location in the Arlberg. The resort has ski in ski out facilities which means more time on the mountain that queuing for lifts and bus transfers. The slopes towards the bottom of the mountain are perfect for beginners and intermediates looking to learn from scratch or just to brush up on techniques before heading further up the mountain to the much more advanced runs. The ski area is joined to the vast and imperious St Anton ski region with all abilities catered for with a much larger skiing range.

Most properties are ski in ski out

Accommodation & Après Ski

St Christoph is one of the smaller resorts in the Arlberg ski area with hardly any buildings actually in the village. So as you would imagine the apres-ski entertainment is very limited here but there are some interesting things to see including the 600 year old wine celler in the Arlberg Hospiz Hotel.The restaurants are mainly hotel based but non guests can also enjoy the food and beverages on offer. If after a week of skiing your looking for other winter activities to enjoy guests can also partake in cross-country skiing and winter hikes.

If you are looking for lively apres-ski we would suggest heading to St Anton as the ski resort is renowned for its great nightlife with many bars and restaurants, live music, ski huts and much more! The neighbouring ski resorts of Lech and Zurs are easily accessed by road through the dramatic Arlberg pass.You can party in St Anton after skiing and take the free bus back to St Christoph. You can also take a taxi which isn’t too expensive.

St Christoph is a very popular lunch destination  and lunch on the terraces is a must.

Zurs

One of the most exclusive ski holiday resorts in Austria, Zurs is located in the heart of the Arlberg and offers an attractive village and fantastic skiing in a vast skiing area.

Sometimes described as a ‘diamond in the snow’, the prestigious resort of Zürs is one of the most exclusive villages in the Alps. Nestling high up on the sunny side of the Flexen Pass summit, Zürs enjoys an idyllic location, in the Arlberg ski region, close to Lech & St Anton. Zürs is renowned for its great snow record and dramatic scenery. The resort offers the highest quality of hotels which is enjoyed by highly profiled visitors and royalty from around the world who seek a discreet, first-class service.

Accommodation & Après Ski

Apres in Zurs is a bit quieter than others in the Arlberg area.

There are plenty chic, fashionable bars and first class lunchtime restaurants plus mountain huts, many of which offer award-winning cuisine.

The village shuttle bus service operates between Zürs and Lech and is FREE (until 7.00 pm daily); snowboarding; helicopter skiing; paragliding; squash; small, exclusive range of boutiques, sportshops; cafes, bars, restaurants; bank; selection of nightlife in the exclusive hotels; walking trails on the Flexenpass.