Will my wife whos a beginner be able to cope at St Anton?

A snowHead

Hi,

Im looking at booking for St Anton for the 1st April. My only concern is Ill be going with my wife whos only done about a week on snow and isnt very confident, Ive heard St Antons not for beginners really but this deal does look good.

Ive heard there are more learner slopes higher up that could be fine for her but I need to know if theres a way for her to get back down without having to ski anything too challenging, i.e. is it possible to get the lifts all the way down from the easier runs?

Thanks

A snowHead

@medlington, Yes, and yes she will be able to get lifts down

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

I got the impression that pretty much all resorts have download capacity. Cable cars up to a certain level where they can expect snow and then various chairs/drags gondolas above that.

In terms of difficulty, I think it depends massively on whether it snows much. If it snows a lot then she'll find it harder work.

Took our kids there when they were 6 and 8 and they seemed to be ok, but they had done a few weeks.

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I think you can download from Rendl, Gampen and Galzig quite easily

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@medlington,
Honestly, I wouldn't choose it for a 1 week skier. "isnt very confident" is a red flag for me. Of course she will cope but she would have more fun somewhere else for her next trip. I've made this kind of mistake with my wife when she was a beginner. Take the long view - maximise her chances of building confidence and enjoying it.

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Yes, and yes. My wife and I went to St Anton when we were both 1 week beginner snowboarders and we survived. I'd recommend going on a day trip to Lech.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Nasserein slopes are much more friendly for a learner.

After all it is free

@medlington, are you chosing St Anton partly for the apres ski? If so, note that the main bars are on the home run which I dont think is suitable for a beginner, and they cannot be reached by downloading. She would need to catch a bus or taxi from the bottom to reach them. I agree with @jedster, where my wife also found it very difficult to progress - there are many other resorts that may be better suited to you both.

Combining a couple of the recommendations above....

Of course she'd be OK, in that she'd find some slopes to ski and wouldn't get stranded up the mountain, but it's a pretty terrible resort for a nervous 1-weeker. Thinking through the 20 or so resorts I've been to in Austria, it's absolutely the last one I'd take my (nervous 5-weeker) wife to.

If the deal is really *that* good (after you've added the Arlberg ski hire premium), I'd recommend a 1 day warmup in Nasserein then 5 days in Lech.

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Thanks for the feedback although its a bit mixed.

We want Austria mainly for the nice villages and the Austrian apres but not the energetic sort just a bar with the nail game and some cheezy music is all we're after.

Im just worried about the snow in most resorts as its so late and resorts such as Obergurgle seem to be coming in at around 750-800 whereas this deal is around the 450 mark for full catering etc.

I normally only book in Jan for me and my mates who are all very confident so Im very out of touch with whats going to be suitable for her.

The things she didnt like about La Plagne were that it was so busy and really icey and she really didnt like the inconsistencies of the runs, i.e. a blue run that suddenly had a section that was more red and was really busy.

Im using a travel agent at the mo and she says pretty much all the higher resorts are fully booked for this week, can anyone recommend any sites or other agents who I could look at for good deals preferably to Austria?

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Stick to rendl to get her ski legs. Much quieter and better snow than gampen etc in st anton. Stuben also much quieter and better snow than above. The issue that nervous beginners will have in st anton is a) the quality of snow lower down in st anton at this time of year and b) the main run down via main on slope apres venues is mega busy in afternoon and therefore chopped up.
Whilst Lech is stunning and dead easy skiing, it suffers from the sun and anything from just above Oberlech and down will be chopped up, so not ideal for beginners.
Zurs is where she'll find best snow and easiest runs, apart from rendl.
If it gets colder and more snow forecast, then the above issues are no longer.

My late season banker is Obertauern - check on www.obertauern.com. Fly to Salzburg and use a transfer company.

Prices look pretty reasonable on a quick search, but I have always been too tight to actually stay in Obertauern, and have hired a car and stayed down the road in Mautendorf (you should be able to get a B&B double there for €400 for the week) - which gives you the option to ski in St.Michael, Katschberg, Obertauern, or Fanningberg, all of which are good and high for late season snow, and fine for a 1 weeker.

You know it makes sense.

As a lady (ah hem) I have skied St Anton twice, once as a novice after only a few weeks on skis and once 2 years ago as an experienced skier.

I coped with the first week, (I was skiing with a group of blokes who took no prisoners so I learnt a lot/had not a lot of choice), I remember it being challenging and a bit limiting due to my abilities and spent a lot of time on the Rendl side, but as I was trying to progress did a few blacks and survived. We also did a day in Lech which is worth doing even for the heated chair lifts!

You could look at choosing a different resort for her second week? How about Obergurgl which is super pretty and chilled and has the Neiderhutte for apres (including a skidoo down if you can't ski down or are too inebriated Happy

)

However if you do end up going to St Anton I am sure she will be fine and cope with it I am sure but it just may not be as enjoyable for her as going to a more beginner friendly resort.

I have never used a travel agent, I used to go direct to Crystal or Inghams websites. But now I DIY and book hotels via booking.com and flights with BA or Easyjet. Transfer wise we either hire a car or google transfer companies and go for the cheapest quote.

Hope you have a great week whatever you choose!

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

I'd say Nasserein and Gampen and don't count on skiing with her. While there are runs at Rendl that aren't that hard they do tend to get some fast traffic.

A snowHead

A snowHead

Ive found a couple of alternatives now, the original deal Id seen was in Lech and that looked like it could be good for her, Ive found another that we can afford there now so would I be right in thinking that would be more suitable?

Also found one in Ishgle, is that a similar story with regards to beginners?

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

I found Ischgl to be similar to St Anton - there are some dark reds there Shocked

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@medlington, if you do end up in St Anton, why not book your wife into some ski lessons so she will be with an instructor who knows exactly where to take her, and with other skiers at the same level? If I was being taken to a resort I was likely to find intimidating, that's exactly what I'd want to do.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@medlington, check out Serfaus in Austria - it might suit your wife better as it's awesome for biginners looking to progress. It's in the next valley south or Ischgl - You should easily be able to put together a DIY deal there, flying into INsbruck or Munich.

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Ischgl and St.Anton both have a gnarly vibe, and could be intimidating.

Lech would be ideal. You might want to research the prices of eating and drinking there (very expensive for Austria), otherwise it's great for most standards and a lovely place to be, ski, and people watch.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

After all it is free

Yes, she will probably love it. It is difficult but once you are up the mountain there are lots of pleasant relatively easy slopes. In particular she could get down to St Christophe, you could get a bus to Lech for one or more days and there is lots of easy skiing on Gampen and Rendl as has already been said. Another big plus is that it is a simply wonderful resort with lots of atmosphere which your wife will almost certainly love. The runs back to the resort are tough at the end of the day when they may be icy and very very crowded so downloading is the answer to avoiding your wife getting a real scare. Have fun.

@jedster, you are right - traditional [working] villages of character and high altitude are generally mutually exclusive.

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@medlington, Lech will be a better bet than St Anton. Ischgl is a better option too - safer to download at end of day on gondola. Personally I prefer the Arlberg as a whole to Ischgl, but I think the piste skiing in Ischgl has better snow that St Anton (but not the Arlberg as a whole). Lech is a nicer village than Ischgl IMO too

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@medlington, I read this article. Although it was about total beginner and ski school it may help when deciding if Lech is ok for you. If not it is an interesting read Happy

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/snowandski/761546/Bespoke-traveller-skiing-for-beginners-in-Lech.html

@medlington, if lech is catered, go for it. Something very special about the place.

You know it makes sense.

Yep, go for Lech and congratulate yourself on a great choice. After last year's trip, you need to wow her, or else you'll spend the rest of your life in marital negotiations for a few short lads trips. If Lech doesn't do it, it's not meant to be!

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Plenty of beginner skiers in St Anton, both nervous and not. Either get her in to a group lesson, or a couple of private lessons early on in the holiday and she'll be fine. Easy to download from Galzig, Gampen or Rendl if needed, as has been said. Lech is also nice, a lot cruiser than St A.

A snowHead

if she's had a wobble I suggest Lech rather than St Anton.

A snowHead

+1 for Lech. Easy enough to travel to St Anton if you want to take a look at that. If your wife found La Plagne challenging then St Anton could potentially be a nightmare.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

@medlington, the pistes at St Anton are no tougher than in any other Austrian resort, but the muppetry that results from overconfident, out-of-control, testosterone and lager fuelled cocksures on rather crowded pistes (particularly the town run bottlenecks) can make it challenging.

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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

St Anton is a bit of a perfect storm - apres culture, only one way down, the route gets mogulled even though it's not steep, it's also narrow (vs number of people on it) - so you end up with a load of people on it with a range of abilities all trying to get down. As a beginner you just want to pick a route and try and traverse down, but you can't as there are people all over the place, some fast, some slow, but either way it's a right pain.

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There is a nursery slope up on Gampen. A blue cattrack all thrvwsybdown to Nasserein.

Omly problem in April you neef to ski early morning as the snow (artificial) will become heavy (potato puree)

You can download on a the town lifts

Enjoy the Sunshine. The ice cream stalls/terraces are already open in town

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

I don't think St Anton is the greatest resort for beginners. As others have said, Lech is a much better bet.

After all it is free · Last edited by After all it is free on Wed 22-03-17 8:41; edited 1 time in total

I am going to disagree with the majority... I don't think St Anton is a suitable place for a nervous beginner, especially in April. The snow will be heavy, unless there has been a freeze overnight, in which case it will be like skiing on cobblestones, until they turn to mashed potatoes.

By April, the beginner slopes will be limited, with perhaps the 2 poma lifts on the Gampen being the best of a limited lot. Yes, there are beginner slopes in Stüben, Zürs, and Lech, but snow cover could an issue, except maybe Zürs.

My advice... play the long game, and find somewhere with more beginner, easy-intermediate, and non-ski options. You want her to look forward to the next trip with joy, not dread (or worse, a veto!).

My $0.02's worth. No drama if others have a different view.

Full Disclosure: I love St Anton and the Arlberg. Have been 15 seasons; this year for 6 weeks. 302 days until I return. There is so much to offer for strong intermediate and upwards skiers. I simply do not believe it is a place for beginners to find their feet. Even during the high season, there is not much to offer to those who are making the transition from beginner runs to "light-blue".

Agree with post above

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We were in St Anton in February with 3 beginners. In my opinion it is really not suitable. Scared the living daylights out of them and were very nearly put off! We got the bus to Lech and spent a couple of days skiing on the nursery slope behind the church. Perfect for beginners as you can get off the poma lift at 2 stages depending on ability. The lift pass for this lift is somewhat cheaper. Not sure what the snow will be like in April though.

Help!!

Will my wife whos a beginner be able to cope at St Anton?

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