 Poster: A snowHead
|
Hello -- We're visiting St. Anton after Christmas. There are several Intersport shops in the village. Does anyone know the best one to rent from in order to store equipment at night and minimize walking around town with equipment and in ski boots? Basically, which is closest to the main lifts and has equipment storage on site?
Also, we are intermediate skiers and have been all over the US, but never skied in Europe. Do you think it would be worth the money to hire a guide for our first ski day to get the "lay of the land"? If so, any recommendations? I've been on the ski school website and it's like $400-500. Does anyone have a recommendation for a local who guides as a side gig? Not looking for lessons. Just some local knowledge on how best to navigate the Arlberg area. Thanks!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
There are 3 main village family ski shops, alber, intersport, jennewein - rental prices are very similar and can be found online, pre booking even saves some money - all 3 brands have shops at the main lifts out of the village at nasserein or galzig, also with storage at an extra charge, closing at 7 or 6 to 6.30 early/late season and christmas eve. There are 2 other rental shops - Hervis in the village, part of a large chain and ski west a small private shop. Check with your accomodation if they have a preferred shop, it could be they have a discount or deal for storage with the shop, it could be they have neither.
guides are expensive and again prices are similar, main ski school is arlberg schischule, but there are many others a bit smaller - a-z, stanton classic, ski school pettneu, alpin fascination plus a multitude of private guides to name but a few. If you can find a friend in resort to show you around why not, but noone advertises as a guide as a side-gig as then one needs to be registered as or in a ski school.
It's not too hard to find your way around and everything is very well signposted, but Anton is a strong intermediate resort - nearly everything is a red run including the blues and blacks. Try and plan for a days skiing in Lech and Warth, and a day for Zurs and Lech... Lech is beautiful - take the bus there, save your legs and then later ski back to Anton or bus/taxi. Yes you can ski from Anton to Lech too but it can be busy. Plan a morning and lunch in Stuben, a morning and lunch on rendl, the area is massive i could go on.
I've skied a few seasons in the US and many in Anton and..... get ready for apres, beers, shots and skiing are almost the norm, my recommendation if you fancy a big apres session is to go home and get changed first, if just stopping for a beer then why not ski down after. Enjoy.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
Spent 7 full seasons in the Arlberg. 5 in Lech. As hsdee says you must go there, stay for the afternoonm from 4 on, for the apres at the Romantic Krone. Get the Landbus back to Stanton about 7pm. Had one season in ST Christoph. You must visit the Hospiz Alm for lunch. 2 season in Stanton. Krazy Kangeroo & Mooserwirt for at least 1 drink? It is easily possible to ski from Stanton to Lech and perhaps Warth and back again in a day,but you will need to motor!!
Certainly one of the worlds greatest ski areas of not THE greatest.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
@mikerol, if you want the best hire kit go to Jennewein though both Alber & Intersport are perfectly fine. All have lockers etc. For Galzig (centre of St Anton) Alber is the closest though Jennewein is hardly any further, for the Nassereinbahn then Jennewein is the closest (exit onto the snow) though Alber is in the lift building and Intersport directly opposite.
As above you wont find an official guide doing side deals to show you around for the day, its not a common thing in European resorts. Best option is a friend or ski bum. As a very long shot ask one of the team in Jennewein opposite the Galzig lift they might (though probably not) know someone.
It is not that complicated a place to find your way around. There are a few quirks. Many of the best known runs are not pistes but "ski routes", these are somewhat fuzzily defined and can vary between easy partially groomed tracks to steep mogul fields. If you are competent skiers then in St Anton, Schindlerkar should be perfectly OK (largely groomed but with, quickly skied out, powder to the sides). In Zürs the link to Lech is via a fairly long ski route, Madloch, which is definitely worth a go (no snow cannons so can get thin though if so there would be warning signs up to that effect). Also between Zürs & Lech is Langerzug which is supposed to be the steepest run in Austria (others make this claim too), in good conditions (often the case as it faces north) it is not that difficult but is definitely steep though not usually moguled basically a steep piste. The pistes are all pretty similar the blue runs not that easy (the blue home runs can be pretty cut up and busy late in the day), the blacks not that hard. If it is busy the steeper home runs at Nasserein are preferable. It is not really a place for timid skiers wanting lots of easy cruising it is best for those (not necessarily experts) wanting a bit of a challenge.
Dont miss out on the apres. Most well known are the Mooserwirt & Krazy Kanguruh (both beside the piste just above Galzig). Many tales about dancing on tables in ski boots and skiing down in the dark (dont, get a taxi home!) etc, plenty of videos on Youtube. Stick to a couple of beers at most. The Mooserwirt has a "cloakroom" where you can put skis, helmets etc for a couple of Euros, skis & sticks have a habit of going missing from the pile outside.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
Yeah I'll add a second vote for Jennewein. I've rented kit from the other main places too (alber, intersport) and you won't get bad stuff anywhere but the staff in Jennewein seem to have a great stock of different skis and always seem to find you something that fits your needs well. Each of the different family stores have different locations around town so you can choose the most suitable depending on where you are staying and/or skiing. You get 10% discount if you book online at all of the stores which is usually the same as whatever hotel is offering discounts (if it's a hotel owned by the Alber family for example the discount is always with their stores not suprisingly, and similarly for the other hotels they usually have some connection with one of the stores).
This means that the rental prices are almost the same everywhere (some may say it's like a cartel  ).
As others have already mentioned its fairly easy to find your way around, at least when there is good visibility, it's a different story when you arrive at the top of Galzig in bad weather and all you can see in front of you is a whiteout - then it's useful to have some local knowledge at least until you get to know the place better.
As mentioned there is lot's of Apres, though not as much in the town itself as there used to be since a few of the main places closed down and became accomodation. As well as the well known moose and KK, there is also the Griabli which has live rock music some days, and also the Sennehutte and Heustadl which also have live bands playing. All are on the same main run back to town.
In town itself, the main place these days seems to be the Murmell bar, mainly to see Gunar the long standing singer/guitar player at from 5-8pm ish, though the bar is open till late and has other stuff going on everynight too. Basecamp is very popular too, though I rarely if ever go there myself.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
You don't really need a guide for piste skiing. You'd be better exploring on your own bearing in mind that lift maps are on a different scale to N America then hiring a proper guide if you want to ski off piste.
Focus on zones. You can easily do St Anton- St Christoph- Stuben on the first day to orientate yourself ( being aware that Happy Valley is always a shitshow back in the late afternoon). Then push further afield to Zurs and Lech. Warth is even possible for lunch if you get a move on early morning.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I trust @mikerol, that you appreciate the difference between European resorts and US ones regarding on/off piste and securing of areas. In Europe only the bits between (around in the case of the itineraries) the piste marker poles are secured and patrolled.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Worth noting that what many anglophone skiers refer to as Happy Valley is on piste map as Steissbachtal
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
@mikerol, If you _do_ want to hire a guide, I can recommend NewGen and PistetoPowder - both provided excellent guides on a variety of days in the past. If you're up to it, there's a 'guide only' run down from the Valuga - good for a bit of bragging rights when you get back home!
And as @hobbiteater says - if you're not on the actual piste, you are OFFPISTE.... St Anton gets a _lot_ of powderhounds, so don't just follow their tracks!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thank y'all so much! I booked my girls a 3 hour private lesson/guide with NewGen as @hamilton recommended. One more question about ski shops. If we reserve with Intersport or Great Valluga in town, does that mean their storage is at that shop? Or can we rent from one of those locations, but store equipment at the Intersport base of Galzigbahn? I just don't want to walk around in ski boots for 10 feet more than necessary. I've tried contacting the shops, but no response yet.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
