 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi. Please can I have some advice from Arlberg & Voralberg snowheads experts.
We’re currently staying in St Christoph, it’s been snowing fairly heavily, the open pistes are packed with a maelstrom of skiers of all abilities and group lessons. So today we were taken by a good instructor to pistes on Galzig and Gampen, but it was the same story. A couple of our party particularly don’t enjoy skiing in that, especially in the low light of this snow storm, plus IMO many of St Anton’s blues would be reds in many other resorts. Due to the volume of snow falling, only the centre of some pistes are getting bashed. Not a whinge, just the reality here just now.
Would a trip over to Lech be worthwhile, as tomorrow is forecast to be another day of heavy snow? We’d love to ski gentler, wider and better pisted slopes in this weather.
Thanks in advance. 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Yes, Lech is easier, less crowded and nicer to ski in imho
Myself & the Oh were there today and it was OK, not great but ok and looked alot better than St Anton side tbh.
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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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Thanks. St Christoph & St Anton were pretty unenjoyable, with churned-up, crowded pistes in low light. Packed mountain restaurants & cafes from mid-morning onwards, as punters made their hot chocolates or beers last as long as possible.
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The weather forecast is more snow tomorrow but sunny on New Year's day. A good time for avoiding crowds is to be waiting for the lifts to open on the 1st of January, many folk struggle to make it on to the pistes early. 
If you fancy trying Lech and the conditions are poor you might be better off taking the bus rather than the lifts to Zürs. The buses between St Christoph & Zürs are not covered by the lift pass but a ticket only costs a couple of Euros. Some buses stop in Zürs (regular ski buses from Zürs to Lech) and some go all the way to Lech. You can get the buses back too.
The connections between Zürs and Lech are all well above the tree line so not ideal in low light conditions, especially if you are a bit nervous. The run from Zürs to Lech is the well known Madloch ski route, in good snow conditions it is not difficult, pretty much a pisted red run with a couple of slightly steeper pitches towards the bottom (not very steep at all). If the weather and snow is good it is definitely worth doing as the scenery is really good and the hamlet of Zug very pretty.
The red / blue thing comes up regularly, personally I dont think the grading is different to elsewhere, it is pretty subjective anyway. The biggest thing is not how steep a particular piste is, but more the state of the snow and how crowded it is. The Valgefahr run down to Alpe Rauz should be a pleasant, long but very straight forward piste but on very busy days with soft snow can get very chopped up which makes for very tiring skiing. Similarly the Zammermoos run back to the village can be perfectly pleasant but can also be complete carnage from 14:30 onwards with the crowds on their way to the Senn Hutte, KK, Moser etc.
A few of the reds do have individual steep pitches that might be graded as black in other places (eg Muggengrat / Zürsertali, Hexenboden, upper part of Valgefahr) but overall these runs are "reds"
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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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Thanks. We’ll get the (pay) bus to Lech, and try the flattering pistes on the Oberlech side. The wooded lower slopes will help definition (St Christoph is treeless).
It’s snowing pretty heavily just now in St Christoph, with very poor visibility up the mountain.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@Snow&skifan,
In Lech-Oberlech you’ll find treelined pistes near Schlegelkopf and Petersboden lifts, and -special tip- the Hinterwieslift.
You will probably also appreciate the much quieter restaurants in Oberlech. Our favorites are Montana and Cresta
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I’ve always found SA to be poor visibility in so many areas. Especially the piste reached by the 2 man chair up above Gampen and then the valley back down. Never used my low light lenses more anywhere else.
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You may want to check out Rendl as well. it is on the other side of the village and there is a cable car from the centre. It is usually less crowded and the slopes are a tad easier than on Gampen/Galzig side.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Welcome to snowHeads @kmruuska 
Whenever I went to St Anton, I ended up spending more time in Lech and Zurs.
[massive generalisation]Everyone in St Anton is over 50, thinks they're a powder hound and goes out in all weathers so they can boast about it on TGR.
Everyone in Lech is over 60 and has so much money that they can buy a week's ski pass just to use it once a day to ride the [heated] chairlifts to meet the family for lunch.
As a result St Anton's slopes are over-crowded with people who don't ski as well as they think they do, while Lech/Zurs' are well-prepared and clear enough to drive your Maybach down without significant complications.
[/massive generalisation]
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| admin wrote: |
Welcome to snowHeads @kmruuska
Whenever I went to St Anton, I ended up spending more time in Lech and Zurs.
[massive generalisation]Everyone in St Anton is over 50, thinks they're a powder hound and goes out in all weathers so they can boast about it on TGR.
Everyone in Lech is over 60 and has so much money that they can buy a week's ski pass just to use it once a day to ride the [heated] chairlifts to meet the family for lunch.
As a result St Anton's slopes are over-crowded with people who don't ski as well as they think they do, while Lech/Zurs' are well-prepared and clear enough to drive your Maybach down without significant complications.
[/massive generalisation] |
Agreed. But you missed out the middle aged Germans who think they are in a Super G down a crowded blue.
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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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Thanks! I’ve been there many times and love the place. You can also venture off to Warth/Schröcken from Lech. They are less crowded.
Lech has really nice slopes but the Bogner index is high.
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| kmruuska wrote: |
| You may want to check out Rendl as well. it is on the other side of the village and there is a cable car from the centre. It is usually less crowded and the slopes are a tad easier than on Gampen/Galzig side. |
Just bear in mind that virtually all the pistes over on Rendl are above the tree line, except for the Talabfahrt and the lower part of Maas.
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You know it makes sense.
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| DanFuller wrote: |
| I’ve always found SA to be poor visibility in so many areas. Especially the piste reached by the 2 man chair up above Gampen and then the valley back down. Never used my low light lenses more anywhere else. |
I think you mean the triple above the Galzig, ie Schindlergratbahn? Either which way, St Anton usually offers poor on-piste choices in white-out conditions. Anything below the tree line, say 1800m, is mostly crowded and hence gets chopped up fairly early in the day.
There is really no way of sugar-coating it... if you are nervous/uncomfortable in poor visibility, then the on-piste choices in StA are limited.
Zürs is no better... all of it above the tree line.
The front side of Lech, and parts of Warth/Schröcken, are possibly the best bet when the light goes flat.
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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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| ulmerhutte wrote: |
| DanFuller wrote: |
| I’ve always found SA to be poor visibility in so many areas. Especially the piste reached by the 2 man chair up above Gampen and then the valley back down. Never used my low light lenses more anywhere else. |
I think you mean the triple above the Galzig, ie Schindlergratbahn? Either which way, St Anton usually offers poor on-piste choices in white-out conditions. Anything below the tree line, say 1800m, is mostly crowded and hence gets chopped up fairly early in the day.
There is really no way of sugar-coating it... if you are nervous/uncomfortable in poor visibility, then the on-piste choices in StA are limited.
Zürs is no better... all of it above the tree line.
The front side of Lech, and parts of Warth/Schröcken, are possibly the best bet when the light goes flat. |
Yeah that’s it I think. Down that valley that you can’t move on for lemmings.
I personally think The Nasserein part of the resort is ok in a white out.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Thanks everyone. We took that bus to Lech and then straight on to the short (newish) cable car to Oberlech. Sticking to lower runs, the skiing was far more enjoyable than SA and SC. We had drinks in a lovely little hotel in Oberlech The Ilga and lunch by Lech’s main stretch. I see us coming back here many times for the rest of our stay. I heard English speaking guides in the cable car say that the visibility in the slopes above SA was awful today.
Will look into staying in Lech in the future, subject to ‘flexible enemy’ constraints.
Happy New Year to you all.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Snow&skifan, Seek out Rud Alpe restaurant for you lunch. You can easily spot this place by the large heart-shaped wooden affair outside the resto about 300m above the bottom of Lech pistes. It's not in Oberlech, but it is an easy ski to it, and down from it.
Meant to add …… https://www.lechzuers.com/en/winter/ski-lifts/ is good for details of open lifts, has links to snow forecast and conditions.
And …. http://www.snoweye.com/?resort=at_lech for their webcams
Forgot to say you must have an Aperol Spritze at the Hotel Krone on Lech's main drag. Somewhat of an institution.
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