7 Nights St Anton, Austria - 3* Pension Tirolerhaus

St Anton ski holidays

An authentic mountain village with advanced skiing and world-famous après.

• Explore Austria’s biggest linked ski area, the Arlberg.
• Huge snowfields below the Valluga peak – a powder hound’s dream.
• For the ultimate post-piste party, don’t miss visiting the Mooserwirt bar

From tricky gullies to snow-filled bowls, St Anton’s a top pick for expert skiers. And with 305km of seamlessly connected slopes, intermediates can pack in as many kilometres as they can ski. One of the best ways to take in the area is to tackle the Run of Fame – a 85km route that starts in St Anton and ends in the resort of Warth-Schröcken, on the far side of the Arlberg.

PART OF THE SKI ARLBERG SKI AREA

Snow range -  1,304-2,811m

Resort height -  1,304m

Ski Arlberg -  305km

(St Anton, St Christoph and Stuben 128km)

Piste type -  Km of piste

Easy  - 130km (57km)

Intermediate -  124km (45km)

Difficult -  51km (26km)

Skiing in St Anton

On the edge of the 305km Arlberg ski area, St Anton’s one of the world’s top resorts for advanced skiers. Check out the area below the Valluga peak to tackle bumps, gullies and huge powder-filled bowls. And for some of the best intermediate terrain around, head to the often-overlooked Rendl area with its wide reds and long, tree-lined home run.

Beginners

You can make your first turns on the nursery slopes in the Nasserein area of the resort. But venture up the mountain, and you won’t find much beginner-friendly terrain, so stick to the gentle draglifts in the valley bottom to build your confidence instead.

Intermediates

The wide-open pistes at the top of the Galzig gondola are perfect for warming up the legs. Then for a long, scenic run that’ll test the thigh muscles, try the linked reds and blues from the top of the Schindlergratbahn chairlift to the nearby hamlet of Stuben. And later on, check out the Rendl area to enjoy easy-going cruising on some of the quietest slopes around.

Advanced

There is no shortage of challenges for advanced skiers in St Anton. Kicking things off, you’ve got a slope that’s used for World Cup ski races from the top of the Kappall. ‘Ice fall’ is the spiciest section on the course – you’ll need sharp edges and sharper technique here. Elsewhere in the area, you’re never far from a bump run or challenging ski route (a slope that’s marked but left un-pisted). Try the one in the wide Mattun bowl to work the legs on moguls that are often waist high.

Snowboarding

St Anton’s hard to beat if you’re a boarder with a bit of experience under your belt. There’s heaps of easy-to-reach powder between the pistes, and the area below the Valluga peak is one of the top spots for freeriders in the Alps. For freestyle fun, check out the St Anton Park at the top of the Rendl gondola – it’s filled rails and huge jumps, and there’s often even an airbag too.

Off-piste

When conditions are good, there are few better places for fans of the soft stuff. World-class off-piste is often just a lift ride away, with everything from narrow chutes, powder fields and tree skiing on the cards. A confidence-boosting intro to the St Anton freeride scene is Mainplatt on the Galzig mountain. You’ll have heaps of space to find your powder flow on its wide-open slopes. At the other end of the spectrum is Valluga North Face. This wish-list descent starts from the resort’s highest point and keeps things steep and deep from the moment you drop in. There’s plenty more to discover and teaming up with a local guide is the best way to ski the best bits – and stay safe of course.