St. Anton am Arlberg

In 2001 St. Anton hosted the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships. Although a single ski pass is valid across the whole Arlberg, in reality St. Anton, St. Christoph and Stuben in Tyrol have no ski link with the resorts of Lech and Zürs on the other side of the Valluga massif. Ski buses run regularly between the two parts of the Arlberg. St. Anton's main ski slopes are on the Galzig and the Gampen. Most of the alpine events of the 2001 World Championships were held on the Gampen. The skiing hub of the whole Tyrolean part of the Arlberg is the Galzig, where most pistes require considerable skill and good technique. For seasoned skiers there is also superb freeride terrain (including the Schindlerkar and Mattun glacial cirques). Skiers of moderate ability will feel more at home on the pistes of the Albona, which is usually less crowded than other areas and has gentler runs. The same goes for the Rendl, which also has a speed-measurement piste and a special beginners' area. Slopes suitable for learning are found at practically every valley station. For snowboarders, the Arlberg offers, besides outstanding off-piste terrain, varied snow parks and convenient lifts (lots of gondolas and chairlifts). Cross-country skiers have almost 40 km of trails, most of them (30 km) near St. Anton. Without much exaggeration, the Arlberg can be called heaven for skiers, and especially for freeriders. At the same time the area is one of the most expensive, and its villages among the most snobbish places in the entire Alps. This applies least, perhaps, to the hamlet of Stuben; that is where (or in the villages of the Stanzertal) you can look for cheaper accommodation. St. Anton offers its guests the widest range of après-ski of all the Arlberg villages: from afternoon tea gatherings to disco parties that end at dawn. Some of the local venues, most of them exclusive, have achieved cult status over the years.