 Poster: A snowHead
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Can anyone offer any advice about getting the best out of skiing for 3.5 days in St Anton (intermediates including children)? Heading out on 3rd Jan so presume it will be busy with New Year crowds but long story why its the only time/place that seemed feasible.
Staying out towards Pettneu so will need to ski-bus in to St Anton - any advice about which areas to head for which will be (relatively) quiet / picturesque / just "nice" skiing for a family? Hoping to avoid T bars too as we're one adult and 2 children!
I've read its a bit chaotic getting down at the end of the afternoon - any recommendations in that regard would be welcome too.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Newbie72, Rendl mountain might be good for your first day. Most runs not too difficult and usually not so busy as the other areas.
If you don’t mind a bus ride to the Lech and Zurs part of the valley, that’s great for intermediates too. Not sure how easy that is, starting from Pettnau.
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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?
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@Newbie72, Really busy week, Drei Koenigs Woche (German/ Austrian holiday week) Rendl is a good shout but it is generally very cold (north facing) and steep/ icy before lunch early January. Easiest skiing in St A is Gampen/ Galzig immediate area also St Christoph (no T bars) and sunny slopes. As above Lech is easiest skiing but its a fair trek from Pettneu, fast ski bus to St A and post bus around to Zurs easiest way to get there. Warth again great family skiing (and often best powder, currently best snow) but a trek for kids I'd suggest, its a long way and you need to be out early, short days early January etc. Have fun.
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Great, thanks. I've seen (which searching old posts about St A) people recommending the bus to Lech - how long does that take from St A?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Great, thanks. I've seen (which searching old posts about St A) people recommending the bus to Lech - how long does that take from St A?
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@Newbie72, 10 mins Pettneu to St A (fast free bus), 25 ish minutes max from St Anton to Zurs on Postbus (pay bus 8€ ish) and about 10 mins Zurs to Lech (free ski bus). You can easily be in Lech for 09.30am but it needs working out regards timings, timetables are all on St A website, its very doable. Not so easy on way back though, buses can be very busy at peak times Zurs to St A. Also be careful going over new Auenfeldjet lift to Warth if weather bad, they close it in windy weather and its a 4-5 hour expensive taxi ride back! Its well worth it ona bluebird day though, best snow in the area frequently, and best snow record in the Alps.....Warth/ Schroeken is a gem of a place, super quiet and forgiving powder stashes.
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Rendl or St Christoph for kids. Take the postbus to Lech (about 30 ish mins from St A, timetables on the tourist office website) rather than trying to ski over - just getting to Rauz would be a bit if a mare with kids unless they are really strong and able to shrug off the nutters on that piste. Stuben has some nice moseying runs too but you would have to ski the Rauz run to get there.
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With kids I’d not go up to that Black or Red. It’s mega steep as a first run. Can’t remeber the number.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@DanFuller, avoid that black or red but can’t remember the number- bit random!
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| Markymark29 wrote: |
| @DanFuller, avoid that black or red but can’t remember the number- bit random! |
6.
Just when you get there OP don’t ski down to the left when you unload from the gondola.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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If you get up to Rendl on first lifts, you can usually get 1 or 2 quiet runs down the home trail, R1. There is one steep pitch, but the rest is relatively easy... until the crowds gets onto it. Once it gets crowded, and it does, there can be carnage at the choke point about 1/3 of the way down, and the traffic will have built moguls and exposed the underlying ice. So, a plan might be to do Rendl first, then go across the road to go up Galzigbahn and ski Osthang or over to the Gampen.
Similarly, the run down Valfagehr to Alpe Rauz is a lovely cruisey run... but only first thing in the morning. Once the traffic gets onto it, the last pitch (in particular) becomes icy and covered in moguls. Add in crowds, with too many tail-swishing boy-racers, and it becomes plain nasty. A plan here might be to get over to Valfagehr on first lifts, then use the Flexenbahn to get over to Zürs. I would probably opt for downloading from the middle station; the run down, when crowded, is not pleasant.
Plenty of blue runs in Zürs. Use the Post Bus to get back from Zürs, if you want to avoid a long, high-speed tuck (or a long walk) from the top of Valfagehr. Avoid the 4:17pm bus... it is usually a complete circus, full of people who have missed the 4pm close of the Flexenbahn.
There should be plenty for you to like in Lech. Plenty of posts above on how to get there. Only one thing to add, which is that your local ski bus from Pettneu connects with the Post Bus at the end stop, ie West Terminal, which is also the load station for the Rendlbahn.
Have fun.
Last edited by snowHeads are a friendly bunch. on Wed 12-12-18 22:00; edited 2 times in total
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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.
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| DanFuller wrote: |
| Markymark29 wrote: |
| @DanFuller, avoid that black or red but can’t remember the number- bit random! |
6.
Just when you get there OP don’t ski down to the left when you unload from the gondola. |
That’s the Gampbergbahn, with runs 5 & 6. The red (6) is not that steep, but the top section is cross-fall-line and so can be a little tricky. The black will feel quite (very?) steep for an intermediate.
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| ulmerhutte wrote: |
| DanFuller wrote: |
| Markymark29 wrote: |
| @DanFuller, avoid that black or red but can’t remember the number- bit random! |
6.
Just when you get there OP don’t ski down to the left when you unload from the gondola. |
That’s the Gampbergbahn, with runs 5 & 6. The red (6) is not that steep, but the top section is cross-fall-line and so can be a little tricky. The black will feel quite (very?) steep for an intermediate. |
No the Red is ok but the Black if a person was to fall would slide some distance.
Good off piste to the right of that slope
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You know it makes sense.
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@Newbie72,
The easier skiing in the Arlberg area is in Zurs/Lech. The other area most people forget about is Sonnenkopf which is a bus ride from Stuben.
There is now the Flexenbahn gondola ski lift linking Rauz (between St Anton & Stuben) to Zurs. However it's still a long ski to get to Rauz from St Anton.
You are going to be spending a lot of time getting from Pettnau to St Anton and then on to Zurs and Lech.
If there are 6/8 of you in your group using a taxis is virtually as chaep as using the buses. Taxis will take up to 8 people with their skis.
Here is a link to the bus timetables:-
https://www.stantonamarlberg.com/en/service/timetables
Enjoy!
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Rendl has a kid friendly fun park which our kids loved lapping for half a day... Jumps,. Small boxes and bigger jumps if they are into all that?
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Poster: A snowHead
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@Newbie72, you have chosen just about the busiest week of the year which doesnt help (I know probably no option). Crowds can be the biggest pain, the run back to the village from Galzig can be a bit of a trial when it is busy, the runs down from Gampen are a better option. As others have mentioned the Rendl area probably has some attractions for you. The long blue down to Alpe Rauz and the link lift to Zürs and Lech is potentially a nice run though as mentioned above in busy times in can get rather chopped up. Plenty more skiing at Zürs, Lech and Warth (though Warth is a fair trek on skis).
The link to Lech from Zürs is via a well known ski route, Madloch. In good snow conditions it is not difficult (its pisted but no snow canons), there are a couple of short steeper pitches towards the bottom which can get a bit sketchy later in the day but nothing too challenging, at the bottom is the attractive hamlet of Zug, a nice place especially in the snow. The way back is easy, Rufikopf cable car and some blue runs.
There are not many t bars. The short but steep one reached via the second section of the Valluga cable car is only really of interest if you want to ski the Mattunjoch ski route (fairly steep, usually heavily moguled) or various off piste stuff, suggest you avoid unless you want to take the cable car trip (big queues when busy). The one you could come across is at Kapall, there is a red along side, good for a few runs first thing. The lift does have one short steeper section but otherwise is straight forward. There are a number on nursery slopes but guess that wont be an issue for you.
The ski buses generally work well, Pettnau to St Anton takes about 10 minutes. The postbus service between St Anton & Zürs / Lech can be worth using especially to avoid stress catching last lifts if you want to go over to Warth or have afternoon tea in Lech.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Markymark29 wrote: |
| @Newbie72, Really busy week, Drei Koenigs Woche (German/ Austrian holiday week) |
More importantly it is Russian Week, thousands !!!
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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?
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Are the traditional changeover days of Saturday and Sunday (5 and 6 Jan) any quieter on the pistes at that time of year?
Or do additional weekenders keep the slopes busy regardless of that?
Reading back through this thread reminds me why MrsPeakyB wasn’t keen to return to St Anton.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@Newbie72, You're the wrong side of the Arlberg to miss the New Year masses! St Anton will be heaving, so will Lech. Zurs may be a little quieter, but would be a pain to trek/ski across to especially the long "blue" down to Alp Rauz. Nice pretty skiing at Warth/Schrocken is certainly a full away day and best done by Post Bus to Lech first thing in the morning. All the recommendations for Rendl are sound. But be aware if the crowds get up there are a few bottlenecks due to uplift capacity. Nasserein is certainly easier skiing for young ones, but expect loads of "young ones" over the New Year period. Looks like the snow is pretty good all over the Arlberg at the moment so you should have great conditions, just a pity you picked a great resort at it's worst week.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| PeakyB wrote: |
Are the traditional changeover days of Saturday and Sunday (5 and 6 Jan) any quieter on the pistes at that time of year?
Or do additional weekenders keep the slopes busy regardless of that?
Reading back through this thread reminds me why MrsPeakyB wasn’t keen to return to St Anton.
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The difference between Saturday and the rest of the week is not as marked as in years gone by. Yes, it is usually a little quieter, but the trend to shorter breaks, eg 3 or 4 day weekends, often results in very busy weekends. People I know, who own accommodation, especially apartments, are really feeling that effect. Do you take a 4 day booking now or hold out for 7-day booking? Some are setting their prices to effectively cover a week, ie high for the first 4 days and discounted for the last 3 days, which means they have covered their downside, and have some upside.
In my opinion, Sunday is often the worst day. People who have arrived on Saturday have white-line fever and go for broke, despite many of them not having skied since the previous year. It can be madness.
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@ulmerhutte, thanks, very useful information.
Even if Saturday is only marginally quieter, that might be a day for the OP to try out the St Anton areas that are very busy on other days maybe?
Your views on Sunday are similar to mine. One reason I prefer to travel to/from resort on Sunday, if doing a standard 1 week trip.
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@skimastaaah, yep, we are there for Xmas fantastic time and quiet, tried again after a few years NY absence and gave NY a shot last year and it wasnt great, far too many idiots about, heaving bars and restaurants, paralytic drunks with skis/ boards in town at all hours and noisy, queues bigger than i've ever seen before. We do 22-29th and get out, back into town mid/ late January for a double header Lech/ St A after the hoards have gone, then disappear before 1/2 term, and back when they're all back at school.......you have to pick your weeks. 
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Thank you for all the replies! So grateful - thank you!
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