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St Anton, Austria. 4th to the 11th of Feb 2017

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Mrs HD's 50th birthday is on the 11th so what with kids ski trips, an impending grandchild and half term to contend with we picked this particular week.

The team consisted of MrsHD, her brother, my parents and myself.



As it was the aformentioned event we pushed the boat slightly further out than normal and opted for the 4* Karl Schranz hotel and booked through Crystal Ski. Part of the reason for choosing this hotel was the spa facilities for wifey and mum who being 68 doesn't ski all day so at least there are other things to do in the hotel.

The good thing about Austria is that the flight times are reasonable and you don't have to get up at 3am for an early airport run. Our flight was about 5.30pm so we had a leisurly airport lunch and arrived at the hotel around 9.30pm.

Obviously no hot food at this time but a very nice platter of cheese, meats and fresh bread was ready in our room. Combined with some airport Rioja it made for a very nice supper.

Transfer to resort was quick and painless with the rep trying his best to convey (read whisper) the typical resort info that we didn't really need.

Lift passes were brought to the hotel early on the first ski day and the hotels own shuttle bus dropped us about 150 yards away from the first lift, the new Galzig Cablecar which is an engineering marvel.

Unfortunatly for a few days of the week the weather was against us with thick valley fog sticking around however decent clear pockets were found and the higher lifts were OK.



The skiing in St Anton is probably suited towards intermediates but we did see a lot of people going off piste with ABS bags aplenty and we were quite happy on all the runs.

The Arlberg area itself is quite spread out and whilst it's possible to ski to all resorts on the pass we found it easier on the Friday to get the bus over to Lech and make the most of the day there without having to rush back. The runs there are fatastic and we mak make a return trip there next year as there is a possibility of one group member being a complete beginner.

Coffee stops did seem expensive, around 4e for a cupp on the slopes and on one occasion MrsHD wanted a brandy in her coffee and anded up with a little bottle of acid/fire/molten lava/blood of the devil as it was 80% volume.



Not for the feint hearted.

Back to the hotel, the food was fantastic. Breakfast was a fairly typical fruit, sausage, streaky bacon & egg affair with lots of fresh juice and fruit smoothie shots available. But the evening meals... Excellent. Six courses but all very small - Salad buffet, soup, small starter, main course, dessert and cheese. I didn't manage all six in one sitting though tending to skip dessert in favour of cheese.

The hotel staff were fantastic who couldn't do enough and the facilities were spot on. Rooms were comfortable and refreshed daily with towels etc as you would expect.

The downside was the wine was expensive, 32e for a house red and water on the table had to be paid for which I thought was a bit out of order.

Dining area is very formal with a dress code of no sports wear, ski wear (you are excused for breakfast) or shorts which everyone stuck to and appreciated. One group of four rowdy Americans where told several times to cut the noise out and had to be asked to moderate their language.

Back to the travel times, a 3.15pm pick up meant we had enough time for a last half day skiing on the birthday day. Buy an hourly day pass and take it back for a partial refund when you've finished, I think ours totaled about 35e each for the morning. A great day with the fog staying low so we went up high and over to another village.

As the hotel had spa facilities there was no problem using them to shower and change after a mornings skiing and they had a small secure room for luggage.

Overall we all had a great time and would highly recommend the hotel, the resort was OK but seems to be out at the end of the area. If we visited again then we'd aim for Lech or Zurs as a base.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Quote:

the resort was OK but seems to be out at the end of the area


Disagree, its a huge area right at the centre of Arlberg ski area, one lift and you are in Rendl, Gampen and Galzig ski areas plus Stuben is 2 lifts away, and Zurs 3 lifts from central St Anton. If you want to ski Lech and Warth more then you get up early.....not an issue imo, even more so with the new Flexenbahn lift, why use the bus? wink
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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?
@homers double
Nice report.
Looks like Schindlerkar or Mattun (can't make out which one it is in the picture) is being groomed currently?

@Markymark29,
What's there to disagree?
Already from the skimap it is rather obvious that St.Anton is situated at the east end of the Arlberg area. And Warth is at the other end.
Obviously Stuben and Zürs, and even Lech, are more central. (Even apart from the fact that @homers double group turned out to prefer the skiing around Lech)


Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Mon 13-02-17 15:47; edited 4 times in total
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@homers double, I can recommend a very nice hotel in Stuben for future years!! Dead easy to get to Lech/Zurs with the new lift.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
@Markymark29, We did get up early on a day on which the weather was kinder to us so ski over to Zurs, and all of Austria seemed to have the same idea as the queues were horrendous.

No point arguing the fact but to ski all the runs we did at Lech skiing over was not possible.
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homers double wrote:
No point arguing the fact but to ski all the runs we did at Lech skiing over was not possible.


First Lift in St Anton & skiing/Flexenbahn is quicker than bus to Lech.

Why pay more for Buses (Its Lazy Happy

Nice Report.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Quote:

First Lift in St Anton & skiing/Flexenbahn is quicker than bus to Lech.

Nonsense
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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!
stanton wrote:
homers double wrote:
No point arguing the fact but to ski all the runs we did at Lech skiing over was not possible.


First Lift in St Anton & skiing/Flexenbahn is quicker than bus to Lech.

Why pay more for Buses (Its Lazy Happy

Nice Report.


Quicker to Zürs, but longer to Lech.
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Little known fact: The Madloch 2-banger alone takes exactly the same time as the bus from stanton to Lech.

That said - you would have to be in an ALMIGHTY hurry to want to get the bus rather than do it on skis
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Pickup "Free Town Bus" No 3 from Trittkopfbahn or Wiesele to Lech .

First lift (Galzigbahn) St Anton 08:45
Ski...Tanzbodembahn
Ski..Arhlemaderbahn
Flexenbahn (middle) ski in Zurs 09:30 .......Warmed UP!!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
So that's about 10 minutes slower than by postbus St.Anton-Lech..... Puzzled
But actually the OP is going to book a hotel in Lech next year....wise decision Very Happy Very Happy
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