 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi,
Not been to St Anton just for a weekend before and 20 years since I last skied there. Looking at a weekend towards end Jan.
Advice on organising a weekend there for 4-6 people would be welcome.
Best airport to fly into? Airlines ex-London area airport.
Reliable companies for return transfers?
Hotel, good location, reasonable price that will take a booking Thurs to Sunday?
Good ski shop with ski/boot deposit preferably?
Not hung-up on St Anton just want that area, convenience to skiing, few bars/restaurants and not to pay the earth.
Thanks in advance,
Richard
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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fly into Innsbruck, jump on a train.
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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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I've done St Anton for a long weekend a few times, the problem you will have is finding reasonably priced accommodation as most central places will be Sat - Sat bookings. I have found some long weekend deals on Sunweb in apartments also there's a couple of reasonably priced B&B's that will accept shorter bookings in Nasserein area, they generally aren't on the big booking sites so it's more a case of contacting direct. I'll have a look through my emails later see if I can find some names.
Travel is the easy part, plane to Innsbruck, train right into St Anton. Dead simple, quick and reasonably priced.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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innsbruck, zurich, munich all reachable by choo-choo
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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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@MajorMarmaduke, Your biggest issue will be finding accommodation, most places are more keen on booking whole weeks. The best place to look is the tourist office website https://www.stantonamarlberg.com/en/accommodation/accommodations. Dont be too hung up on getting a place in "St Anton", Pettneu & Stuben often have better value spots and are just as good for access (many St Anton places are in Nasserein, Mooserkreuz, St Jakob or Gand all of which need a bus to get to the lifts, so Pettneu is no different).
If you can get flights to Innsbruck that is quickest (shuttle to Hauptbahnhof then around 75 minutes on the train) however not so many flights. Zürich works well too (London City far easier than elsewhere) with a train connection in just over 2 hours.
The best ski hire is Jennewein, they have a shop directly opposite the Galzig lift and at the Nassereinbahn with a ski depot however both Alber & Intersport are good too and have ski depots and branches adjacent to the main lifts. Unless you are hung up on getting a particular ski, prebook and see what offers are available.
You might be somewhat shocked at the prices it has got crazy expensive in recent times
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@MajorMarmaduke, It'll not be cheap, smaller hotels don't take short weekend bookings straddling into 2 weeks so get ready for high prices. You may get lucky if you go 4/5* but they'll be very pricy.
Travel via IBK and Railjet train (as suggested above), MUC airport is 3.5-4 hours drive allowing for traffic (trains not ideal you need to change 2x) and you'll need a car/ minibus transfer. Or ZRH by Swiss and a stop over at Radisson Blu at airport then early train.
Personally I don't think St Anton is ideal for a long weekend, i've done it but only by car, flight times ime don't work and travel in/ out isn't quick. You may get lucky via EJ via Innsbruck but i've never managed it.
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@Markymark29, unless they live down south, more flight options than us poor northerners, ie BA or EJ LGW-INN to arrive 10am on a Thursday, and BA have a Sunday flight leaving at 1925 from Inn
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@kitenski, Yep but even that is only 1/2 days skiing on arrival/ departure days in reality. I'd be going to Chamonix if on the plane for a weekend, or better still filling a fully winterised minibus up with mates if I lived in London and bashing down the Autobahns overnight via Channel Tunnel to St Anton, leave 6pm Wednesday arrive in resort 8am in time for bakery breakfast and first lifts on the Thursday and ski until 4pm Sunday then leave, 4 full days and a fraction of the cost. 
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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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@Markymark29, sounds good, pick me up on the way past 
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@kitenski, I wish....
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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did long weekend in stuben last year.
day 1 was £125 LHR-ZRH and 2hr transfer by hire car. then 4 days skiing. Ski all day last day and fly home on the 9pm ZRH-LHR Swiss flight. Only really worked with the hire car but why does everyone hate hire cars? (i also love train transfers, especially in Switzerland)
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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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The way I've done this in past is Friday afternoon/ early evening flight to Zurich from LHR BA. Train from Zurich and stopped at Feldkirch for night in Hotel there near train station. Early (1st) train Satuday morning, in St Anton just after 7am. Ski bus to b&b in Nasserein who let me get changed and looked after my stuff till later. Skied till Wednesday 1400 (Tuesday also possible as all transport times same) then train at just before 1600 for evening flight back to LHR. Nice and simple with a great few days skiing
You're more likely to get a part week b&b from a Saturday than Thursday to Sunday as not over "2" weeks booking schedule.
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Thanks all for the advice. Looks like accommodation is going to be the tricksy bit.
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You know it makes sense.
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@MajorMarmaduke, for sure it's best to wait until after NYE with searching. I think you will have plenty of choice by then. Additionally you might improve your chances if you could make it Wednesday-Saturday, or Saturday-Tuesday/Wednesday. (they prefer Saturday as a changing day)
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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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We did a long weekend staying in the schwarzer adler hotel, from memory it was on the pricy side but very good. I booked a week before Christmas for the weekend after new year.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| kitenski wrote: |
| fly into Innsbruck, jump on a train. |
We’ve done this for a three day weekend but opted to stay in Innsbruck at the Novotel(?) beside the train station and took the train which is easy, takes about an hour with late returning trains back following apres. We went to Stubai Glacier on the last day which was stunning.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I did a short break in the Arlberg flying into Friedrichshafen, picked up a hire car, drove an hour and stayed very cheaply in Dalaas in Klostertal.
Commuted up to Stuben or Zurs to pick up the lifts.
Did a day at Sonnenkopf, the hire shop there was very reasonable too.
Just checked and Easyjet only fly to FDH on Saturdays now 
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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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@Markymark29, need to be 40 years younger to manage that 
@JimboS, Schwarzer Adler is nice and very central, stayed last year but not cheap at all.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Ozboy wrote: |
| kitenski wrote: |
| fly into Innsbruck, jump on a train. |
We’ve done this for a three day weekend but opted to stay in Innsbruck at the Novotel(?) beside the train station and took the train which is easy, takes about an hour with late returning trains back following apres. We went to Stubai Glacier on the last day which was stunning. |
There's an idea..
Thanks
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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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"St Anton" and "cheap" are seldom mentioned in the same sentence, @MajorMarmaduke!
I once did a long weekend in Alpbach, hiring a car in Munich. It worked really well, but the motorway home on the Sunday evening was full. And apparently can be horrific. I wouldn't do it again.
What about Innsbruck itself? Or the Grand Massif or Porte de Soleil?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| MajorMarmaduke wrote: |
| Looks like accommodation is going to be the tricksy bit. |
Booking.com has very pricey accommodation at the moment. Best wait until the New year or look at Klosterle or Wald which are a few Kms from Stuben and currently show better value. Given the St Anton hotel prices have shot up, Lech and Zurs hotels are pretty competitive.
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Ski Weekends
St.Anton, Ischgl, Sölden mega ski areas ...etc market themselves as Holiday destinations (1-2 weeks)
A weekend in St Anton is really not going to cost you (financially) much less than 6 days (week) and is way more relaxing.
Sure they get Daily & Weekenders (Germans,Dutch) coming by Car from across the border or staying at sleepy villages where its much cosier & cheaper (normal prices) ..
These huge resorts are even dissuading them from driving by introducing High Daily Parking Fees (the latest being Sölden)
Saturdays is changover day in Austrian ski areas so its very busy in the towns (coming & going) but quiet on the slopes. Accomodations rarely let guests book a few days bridging a weekend becuase this blocks out 2 weeks of income.
For Weekenders to max out .. I would stay in Innsbruck & visit the surrounding ski areas all accesable by Public Transport from Downtown,.
Commuting to St. Anton by train is only worth it if you have a discount card from ÖBB (Austrian Railways) and use it frequently
https://www.oebb.at/de/tickets-kundenkarten/kundenkarten/vorteilscard
Advantages
Ski Time..... Max Out
Price.. Much Cheaper
Restaurants/Bars...... Normal Prices
Travel time ... Less
Stress----- Less
Also Weekenders flying into Innsbruck need to factor in possible Flight Diversions...to Munich, Stuttgart, Lienz even Vienna & Milan..
Driving.. I seen & heard about folks from the UK or even Dutch Danes & Germans from the North driving overnight for a Weekend skiing...
This is not a very smart thing to do.. Its not even smart to start skiing after a long drive even if your staying for a week..Tiredness kills on the roads and on the pistes (its happened a lot).
Another Storm will be rolling into Western Austria (Vorarlberg/Tirol) on Friday and will be turning Polar Cold !!!
St Anton Opening Dec 1st
https://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=164688&start=200
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Thank all for advice.
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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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We just did Friday late to early Tues am before Xmas. 3 full days ski. It was awesome on and off piste. We were 8 so private transfers reasonable and imo faster than train. But hotels are £££ for short stays. INN flights were full so did Zürich meaning 2hr transfer. With right flight and private transfer from/to INN you can easily ski the afternoon/morning.
IMO it’s way better than Kitz, Saalbach, Kaprun, oberg, solden, Hintertux although many of them are easier to get short accom. Everyone has diff views but I’d definitely do Austria over France!
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