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The Arlberg Snow Report 2012/2013 (Update on Lech)

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Markymark29,
sah,

Thanks for the info
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
ST ANTON FIRST-TIMER HERE.

Hello all, I have been learning a lot from the thread. Will be my very first time in St Anton next week. Looks like the snow is only middling, but I'm mentally ready for that. We're a skier and a snowboarder, Americans with a lot of Rocky Mountain experience, can handle most of Jackson Hole, Whistler etc. With that in mind, three questions:

1. Which parts (lifts?) of St Anton should we focus our efforts on?
2. Is there anywhere in St. Anton, or in Lech, where there's tree skiing? Love me some trees.
3. Best on-mountain lunch spot?

We're super-excited for the trip. France (Les Arcs) was great but we're really hoping Austria raises the bar.

-Kevin
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
smoovek wrote:
Looks like the snow is only middling ..


180cm is normally enough base for St Anton and there's a big dump forecast for Friday.

http://www.bergfex.com/stanton-stchristoph/wetter/
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The forecasts I'm reading are pretty far from middling, there's a good base and a lot of fresh on the way so I think you are in for some good times.

All the areas are good, no one area is really worth focussing on or avoiding for that matter. The Valluga is the obvious must-do though, a run down Schindlerkar or Mattun will pretty much beat anything in JH or Whistler Happy (don't get me wrong, I love both those places too).

There's not a lot of tree skiing on marked pistes, but there is quite a bit off piste and on ski routes, especially below Galzig. Just be aware that a lot of the forest is protected so check the piste map. Other areas where you can look are lower parts of Rendl, some lower parts around Stuben, the off piste run to Langen.

Lunch... lots to chose from. I'd say (in no particular order) Griabli, Rodel Hutte, Hospiz Alm, Rud Alpe (in Lech), I'm sure others will add to this list:-)
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DB, thanks for that weather link, the official St Anton site's link isn't so great.

Sah, that's great stuff. On the tree runs below Galzig, do you end up in Oberdorf or back at the lift?
Quote:

Just be aware that a lot of the forest is protected so check the piste map.


So, uh, what does that mean? In a place like JH or Whistler, they only rope off the stuff that will kill you upon impact. If it's "protected" on the map, does that mean extremely dangerous or "probably great snow days after the storm"?
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It means it's against the law to ski there.
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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
smoovek, definitely spend time in Zurs. Get yourself a decent guide. Have a night out at the Underground.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
smoovek,

I see you have skied Europe before and so take it you have the offpiste safety equipment (Shovel, probe & transciever) and you also realize a lot less is avi controlled in comparison to the states. Near the pistes, most is tracked out quickly. There is however a massive backcountry at St Anton that isn't so quickly tracked out but as others has said, you need a guide.

Heard that avalanche air bags are hard to find (to buy or rent) in st Anton / Lech / Zurs at the moment. After dutch Prince Johan Friso got caught in an avalanche there last year there has been a run on the airbags.


Last edited by After all it is free Go on u know u want to! on Tue 8-01-13 21:28; edited 1 time in total
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Noza..... I'm assuming you can only ski to Zurs from St Anton with a guide? Doesn't look like there is any connection on the map.

Timmaah, "against the law but people do it all the time" or "against the law because it will slide and you'll die"?

-K
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smoovek wrote:
DB, thanks for that weather link, the official St Anton site's link isn't so great.

Sah, that's great stuff. On the tree runs below Galzig, do you end up in Oberdorf or back at the lift?
Quote:

Just be aware that a lot of the forest is protected so check the piste map.


So, uh, what does that mean? In a place like JH or Whistler, they only rope off the stuff that will kill you upon impact. If it's "protected" on the map, does that mean extremely dangerous or "probably great snow days after the storm"?


The runs from Galzig rejoin the main blue run which takes you back down to the base. The runs that appear to head towards Oberdorf would be the off piste ones I think - on these runs you need to traverse back to the piste, I don't think you can get to Oberdorf.

The closed areas are closed for the protection of the trees not the skiers wink The fines are pretty heavy, several thousand euros I believe.
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smoovek wrote:
Noza..... I'm assuming you can only ski to Zurs from St Anton with a guide? Doesn't look like there is any connection on the map.


Correct, you can from the very top of the Valluga, but you can't take that very top lift unless you are with a guide. You can get a bus though.

Quote:


Timmaah, "against the law but people do it all the time" or "against the law because it will slide and you'll die"?

-K


Against the law. People do do it, but not many and people get caught. None of those areas are avalanche controlled but I don't think they are any more dangerous than other areas. The trees are very dense, to be honest I don't generally look at those areas and wish I could ski them, they are mostly pretty thick forest, not tree skiing terrain.
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
I appreciate your candor and insight, everyone.

DB, not bringing any safety gear, not even looking for "sidecountry" action on this trip. I am not as ambitious as even the good Prince Johan. I just like ducking into tree runs when the slopes are beat up by lunchtime. But it looks like the options for lift-serviced trees are limited. I'll look into hiring a guide and avoiding the multi-thousand-euro fines.

Finally, as I'm, a snowboarder, are there any dead-flat runouts I would be wise to avoid if I want to avoid a long hike?
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smoovek, European Tree runs are off piste, well apart from pistes cut through trees.

Europe is very different to the USA. As soon as you step outside the pistes you are off piste, the US equivalent of out of bounds, ie not patrolled and could slide and kill you, as demonstrated here

http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=95774
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
smoovek wrote:
I appreciate your candor and insight, everyone.

DB, not bringing any safety gear, not even looking for "sidecountry" action on this trip. I am not as ambitious as even the good Prince Johan. I just like ducking into tree runs when the slopes are beat up by lunchtime. But it looks like the options for lift-serviced trees are limited. I'll look into hiring a guide and avoiding the multi-thousand-euro fines.

Finally, as I'm, a snowboarder, are there any dead-flat runouts I would be wise to avoid if I want to avoid a long hike?


Don't confuse "lift served" with "on-piste". You can get to lots of "interesting" places without any hiking. If you have saftery gear and know how to use it I'd bring it, if you don't then I'd recommend a guide for sure, you'll get a lot more out if it with a bit of local knowledge. Well worth doing. [If you know how to use the gear but don't have it you can rent transceivers, probes, shovels etc at Sport Pete, aka the "Arcteryx Shop"]

I really wouldn't worry about the fines, the protected areas are clear enough and easy to avoid:-)

Lunchtime.... if only. Sorry to break this to you, things get tracked out there way before lunchtime. Sad Seriously, if there's a storm and you want fresh tracks on the marked ski routes then you'll need to be on the first lift, and you'll get one run in. It's crazy.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
smoovek

Be careful about where you go. If you get caught on a closed piste or in a protected zone they will take away your lift pass, right there, no matter how far you have to walk to get out, and no matter how many days are left on it...

As for off-piste, I'm not sure about the rules, but nearly 100% of the skiers off-piste are fully kitted out with airbag, beacon, probe, shovel, and often lots of other stuff. If you don't have that then I would stay on piste if I were you.

This is just my 2 cents, of course it's up to you what risks you want to take, but it's kind of a "respect for others" thing. Most of the stuff you carry is to save others, or to make saving you easier, and less dangerous for those who try...

I'll be in St Anton all week, in a guided group.

It should be GREAT!!!

Ciao,
Bob
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DB wrote:


Heard that avalanche air bags are hard to find (to buy or rent) in st Anton / Lech / Zurs at the moment. After dutch Prince Johan Friso got caught in an avalanche there last year there has been a run on the airbags.


There were plenty on sale there in December. (I mean you could buy them, they weren't "on sale" as in cheap).
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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kitenski, thanks for that link. I have never considered that ducking off the side of the marked piste could end in an avy. In the US the big fear is tree wells, which are absolutely terrifying, but are always very well marked by, you know, a tree. We almost never have in-bounds avalanches.

Quote:

Seriously, if there's a storm and you want fresh tracks on the marked ski routes then you'll need to be on the first lift, and you'll get one run in. It's crazy.


Well that's depressing. Glad I'm getting this reality check from you guys. Still fired up for the trip.

K
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
sah wrote:
DB wrote:


Heard that avalanche air bags are hard to find (to buy or rent) in st Anton / Lech / Zurs at the moment. After dutch Prince Johan Friso got caught in an avalanche there last year there has been a run on the airbags.


There were plenty on sale there in December. (I mean you could buy them, they weren't "on sale" as in cheap).


I'm also in St Anton next week for a few days and a friend has tried to hire an airbag without sucess. It could be hype but the Austrian papers have said Airbags are really on the up in St Anton since last season.
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In Europe, only the Pistes are secured. Between the pistes is "off-piste", there is also a question of insurance in case of accident and rescue. If you have an accident off of the marked piste, get someone to drag you back onto it so the lift-ticket insurance will pay for rescue.

If you want to access the great stuff, get a guide, you'll have a super time and see stuff you would never find otherwise!

Ciao,
Bob
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smoovek, nothing middling about the snow in Arlberg, also make sure you take proper av gear, and know how to use it ,keep out of the protected area and get yourself a guide is my advice
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smoovek, if your budget runs to hiring a guide or joining a guided group then you're likely to find good snow for far more than one run in the morning. At least if it does snow at the end of this week.

If you're willing to hike or to tour, you'll certainly get even more.

Joining Piste to Powder will cost 110 Euros / person / day including all the avy gear. Contact them ahead of time to make sure they have the space. The Powder Club run by the ski school is around 90, I think (you'd need to check if they include the avy gear).

A very good guide if you like hiking / touring is Pio Jutz. Last week we skinned for two hours and then had all to ourselves a descent from 2,800 m to the valley floor at 1,200. All untracked.

I also liked skiing with Torben (who was mentioned above, I think) and with Hubi Klimmer.

I would NOT recommend going offpiste without the gear.

The trees I like best are in Stuben. Several routes there, some requiring only a 5-minute walk or less from the top lift. But you may be traversing some semi-exposed terrain so again, without someone knowledgeable and the right gear it's not a good idea.

Enjoy!
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DB wrote:
sah wrote:
DB wrote:


Heard that avalanche air bags are hard to find (to buy or rent) in st Anton / Lech / Zurs at the moment. After dutch Prince Johan Friso got caught in an avalanche there last year there has been a run on the airbags.


There were plenty on sale there in December. (I mean you could buy them, they weren't "on sale" as in cheap).


I'm also in St Anton next week for a few days and a friend has tried to hire an airbag without sucess. It could be hype but the Austrian papers have said Airbags are really on the up in St Anton since last season.


Try Jenneweins. Not sure about rental, but they had a load on display for purchasing. They are certainly very popular, I'd say at least half the people I saw going o/p had them. Might be time to raid the piggy bank.


Last edited by Then you can post your own questions or snow reports... on Tue 8-01-13 22:40; edited 1 time in total
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
smoovek wrote:
kitenski, thanks for that link. I have never considered that ducking off the side of the marked piste could end in an avy. In the US the big fear is tree wells, which are absolutely terrifying, but are always very well marked by, you know, a tree. We almost never have in-bounds avalanches.

Quote:

Seriously, if there's a storm and you want fresh tracks on the marked ski routes then you'll need to be on the first lift, and you'll get one run in. It's crazy.


Well that's depressing. Glad I'm getting this reality check from you guys. Still fired up for the trip.

K


Don't be too depressed, its a great place even with the draw backs. There don't tend to be many tree wells - no idea why, but it's much less of an issue here. They occur but they tend to be small.

If you are not with a guide then look for the "ski routes", marked with dotted lines and orange diamond symbols on the map. These are marked runs that are avalanche controlled but are not groomed, you'll have fun on these even if you don't get many fresh tracks. The ski routes in Lech are good too as they get less traffic.
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sah wrote:
DB wrote:
sah wrote:
DB wrote:


Heard that avalanche air bags are hard to find (to buy or rent) in st Anton / Lech / Zurs at the moment. After dutch Prince Johan Friso got caught in an avalanche there last year there has been a run on the airbags.


There were plenty on sale there in December. (I mean you could buy them, they weren't "on sale" as in cheap).


I'm also in St Anton next week for a few days and a friend has tried to hire an airbag without sucess. It could be hype but the Austrian papers have said Airbags are really on the up in St Anton since last season.


Try Jenneweins. Not sure about rental, but they had a load on display for purchasing. They are certainly very popular, I'd say at least half the people I saw going o/p had them. Might be time to raid the piggy bank.


My mate doesn't do so much offpiste to warrant buying an airbag but he would like to rent one, I've had an Airbag since raiding the piggy bank back in 2006.
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smoovek,

Its marked with signs in English "Its your forest also" .These are "specific" contolled zones to protect the town from Avalanches. If you get caught it can cost you upto 5000Euros.
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DB wrote:
sah wrote:
DB wrote:
sah wrote:
DB wrote:


Heard that avalanche air bags are hard to find (to buy or rent) in st Anton / Lech / Zurs at the moment. After dutch Prince Johan Friso got caught in an avalanche there last year there has been a run on the airbags.


There were plenty on sale there in December. (I mean you could buy them, they weren't "on sale" as in cheap).


I'm also in St Anton next week for a few days and a friend has tried to hire an airbag without sucess. It could be hype but the Austrian papers have said Airbags are really on the up in St Anton since last season.


Try Jenneweins. Not sure about rental, but they had a load on display for purchasing. They are certainly very popular, I'd say at least half the people I saw going o/p had them. Might be time to raid the piggy bank.


My mate doesn't do so much offpiste to warrant buying an airbag but he would like to rent one, I've had an Airbag since raiding the piggy bank back in 2006.


Ah. Maybe Sport Pete's has them to rent?
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
You guys are rockstars, I feel 10 times more informed than I did this AM.

Horizon, thank you for the guide options and Stuben tree suggestions. It's going to be a great week.
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Just a reality check on Avalanches.

Here is a small one this morning in St Anton just by the the top of the Valfagehrbahn.




This morning there was also an Avalanche in Hinter Rendl a Helicopter was dispatched. I dont know the details yet.

On Sunday in Zurs two Germans were also swept away in two simultaneous Avalanches . One was seriously injured

http://www.vol.at/skifahrer-in-zuers-von-lawine-verschuettet/3451986
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
This is why I dont feck about in St Anton, I am strictly a piste patroller!
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Can anyone tell me if it is easy to park in Lech if you have your own car please?
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Mike3000 wrote:
Can anyone tell me if it is easy to park in Lech if you have your own car please?


There are plenty of well sign posted car parks in Lech, that cost. If you go thru Lech, there is a chair lift (schlosskopf I think) with a free car park on the RHS. Well it was free last season anyhow!
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Mike3000, Zurs is easier.
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Mike3000, certainly for the day. There's a free parking called Schlosskopf at one end of Lech (10 minutes' walk from the centre) and a two-man chair from there takes you to the main domain. (There are also paying car parks closer to the centre).

I'm not 100% sure if you could leave your car in the free parking overnight, as I've never needed to.
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stanton, was the avalanche at Valfagehrbahn a controlled one or triggered by a skier? It looks like there are 2 separate layers there (or was the upper crown from a previous slide?).

It sounds pretty scary right now, and the Tirol report says that the general hazard is "only" 2 today. Just shows the importance of assessing risk locally - I'm guessing wind was the major factor in the one pictured.
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sah wrote:


Try Jenneweins. Not sure about rental, but they had a load on display for purchasing. They are certainly very popular, I'd say at least half the people I saw going o/p had them. Might be time to raid the piggy bank.


BTW, I should have been clearer, I meant it might be time for *me* to raid the piggy bank... However, I think renting (if it is possible!) is a very good idea for many reasons, not least the cost.

I saw that shops in Stuben and Klosterle have ABS for rent at about €20 per day, so if St Anton really has sold out it might be worth checking there, maybe Lech too?
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Any advice on cheap ski hire in lech? Seems way above the norm.lech can be done on the cheap but ski hire is tough.
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Cubanpete, cheapest I found was Ppffeffinger (sp!) which is a sport 2000 franchise.

Cheapest is relative - that was €160 skis only for a week rather than €240 in Stolz.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Ever since I got the Strolz hand made custom boots, they will always have a warm spot in my heart - I would have had to give up skiing without them and their desire for perfection! But they aren't a cheap date!

Ciao,
Bob
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stanton wrote:
smoovek,

Its marked with signs in English "Its your forest also" .These are "specific" contolled zones to protect the town from Avalanches. If you get caught it can cost you upto 5000Euros.


I always found that a weird translation, sounds more like an invitation than a prohibition.
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red 27 wrote:
Cubanpete, cheapest I found was Ppffeffinger (sp!) which is a Sport 2000 franchise.

Cheapest is relative - that was €160 skis only for a week rather than €240 in Stolz.



Ouch! I'm looking at 120 plus boot hire with snowheads discount. A lot more than in its costing in val d isere this week!
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