St Anton am Arlberg Guide
Beloved of the world's ski bums, pretty St Anton is top of the Alpenpop charts with a wild après-ski scene. With equally fierce terrain to match, the Austrian resort is one of the all-time greats of the ski world.
Spread along a narrow valley at the foot of the Arlberg pass, St Anton is a charming Tyrolean town with good shopping and a legendary nightlife. Just down the valley, Nasserein is a good alternative base not far from the main lifts and resort centre. If you can, however, stay around the church in the centre of town. The satellite resorts of St Christoph and Stuben are beautiful villages well-linked into the ski area.
St Anton is part of the Arlberg region which includes Lech and Zürs as well as the far-flung but charming Sonnenkopf. Together they comprise 273km of pistes, of which 120km belong to the main St Anton area.
It is the off-piste terrain which is the true hero of the Arlberg. The powder options are almost endless, with iconic bowls, descents and itineraries. The pistes form thin ribbons of grooming across vast expanses of diverse and snow-sure all-mountain terrain.
Both boarders and freestyle skiers will find plenty of natural jumps, cliffs and drop-offs in the off-piste terrain but a more formal approach is taken on Rendl mountain with a relatively well-equipped terrain park.
The food on the mountain is a real treat, and comes in gargantuan portions. Think huge knuckles of pork, entire racks of ribs, delicious Tiroler Grostl (fried potatoes, onions and bacon with a fried egg on top) and dumplings.
St Anton sits at the very summit of the pinnacle of après-ski partying. In true Austrian style, après-ski begins early and from 3pm the terraces of two of the most famous bars in the Alps are jam-packed with rowdy revellers. There are still plenty of people left over to fill the bars down in town.
When the railway station was moved from the centre of town, the resort built a large Wellness Centre with indoor and outdoor pools, complete with jet streams and Jacuzzis. Upstairs is a large sauna and steam room complex with a wide range of treatments on offer. You can also skate on an outdoor rink or indulge in sleigh rides out through the forests.
St Anton, more than anywhere, is a place for strong skiers to hire a guide. One of the most iconic descents is from the top of the Valluga Mountain; you are only allowed to carry your skis up the final cable car if you are accompanied by a guide. From here the run off the back of the mountain down to Zürs is a great off-piste descent.
