Travel Eye on St Anton (Austria)

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Overview:

St Anton am Arlberg was the host for the 2001 World Alpine Championships and is arguably one of the best ski resorts in the world. It sits more than comfortably in the 'Big Boy' league that includes Chamonix, Zermatt and Whistler.

Despite its standing as an internationally famous, cosmopolitan ski-resort, St Anton lacks the charm, visual appeal and air of friendly informality that one might expect to find in this alpine location.

St Anton is mostly an experts' resort, with awesome off-piste, moguls and powder. Its pistes are generally undergraded, but with great guiding and instructors the skiing and boarding can be enjoyed by most levels.

St Anton remains a fairly simple, quiet village, measuring only 1¼ mls NE to SW, and with only 1 main street, most of the action is confined to its pedestrianised area.

It is perhaps not the most ideal place for beginners or lower intermediates. Feature analysis shows that boarders have only recently been welcomed here but, now that they are, there's great variety on offer. All this is supported by a big ski area, good snow, improving lifts and lots of snowmaking facilities. St Anton is only an hour from Innsbruck, has its own station and, with the 'Arlberg Ski' pass, you can ski at Lech, Zurs and St Christoph as well. Because it is so well-known, there can be crowds and high prices.

The resort attracts mainly middle- to upmarket skiers of all ages. More adventurous skiers appreciate the vast network of challenging pistes but enthusiastic beginners are also well catered for. Those seeking lively apres-ski will not be too disappointed. It tends to be more mature clientele in summer.

The majority of accommodation is all budgets. From pensions and apartments to 5-star hotels. Many of the better establishments have their own leisure facilities.

There are many ski-rental and sports-equipment shops with ski-storage facilities, mostly on the main street. There are centrally located boutiques, souvenir shops and some supermarkets.

Overall, St Anton is one of the real 'big boys', with tough skiing and loads of hectic nightlife.

Locality:

St Anton is situated in the extreme W of Austria, on the W edge of the Tyrol where it meets the province of Vorarlberg (65 mls W of Innsbruck and its airport, 156 mls SW of Munich and its airport, 125 mls E of Zurich and its airport). St Anton is poised at the foot of the Arlberg Pass, at the top end of the narrow, steep-sided, 15-ml Stanzer Valley.

Entertainment/Facilities/Attractions/Things to do:

Snowboarding - Snowparks: 1, Halfpipes: 1, Boarding on all pistes.

Other Snow Sports - Cross country: 38km, Cross country equipment available, Snow shoeing, Snow shoes available, Telemark, Telemark equipment available, Sleigh rides:

2 ski-schools offer courses in skiing, snowboarding, guiding, touring and cross-country skiing; mainly English-language instruction. Kindergarten operates Sun to Fri for children over 2½ yrs. Special children's ski-school.

During the daytime: a range of winter activities, including cross-country skiing, 2½-ml natural toboggan run from Rodelhutte, winter walking (9½ mls of cleared paths), sleigh rides, open-air ice-skating and curling rink. There is also a sports/spa centre with indoor and outdoor pools, sauna and gym. You will also find 3 indoor tennis courts, a squash court, and a bowling alley in Nasserein.

In the summer, mountain hiking, biking and climbing, golf, river-rafting and canyoning are all popular activities.

The club and bar scene in St Anton is very lively, and less expensive than some of the other European ski resorts. The 'in' places are the Krazy Kangaroo Bar on the mountainside, and the Moosewirt Bar, both usually packed with skiers and snowboarders after a day on the slopes. Alcohol flows freely to the tune of rock and hip-hop. The night is long at the numerous other discos and clubs, but for those seeking something more sedate there are quieter, sophisticated watering holes in the hotels.

There is a wide variety, from pizzerias to haute cuisine. All outlets are generally reasonably priced. Reservations will be necessary for big groupsas this is a very busy area. Some of the best is served up at the Sporthotel, where a variety of sausages are served up with potatoes and sauerkraut for a reasonable price. Game and dumplings also appear on most local menus. Fondue can be enjoyed at The Montjola, one of the oldest restaurants.

Local half day excursions can be taken to Liechtenstein, or some duty-free shopping at Samnaun (Switzerland).Further afield full day excursions can be taken to Bregenz and Lindau, visits to Innsbruck for sightseeing. Visits to to the larger towns of St Moritz and Pontresina (Switzerland); Oberammergau (Germany).