After having giving up completely on Ischgl for this year, i have had to do some re-jigging of our group plans for next March...
We already have flights to innsbruck, so St Anton seems like a logical (and easy to get to) place to ski.
BUT, my trusty ski guidebook, as well as the internet, as well as a couple of friends who went last year, tell me that St Anton is busy as all hell, with queues an hour long and pistes that get hammered with people so badly that you can barely ski down them..
Is this the real picture?
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
It used to be busy getting one of the lifts from centre of town but this has now been eradicated by new Galzigbahn. St Anton is my fave resort to go without family, Obelrech along the road is my fave with the famly. This year I only had to queue for 10 mins at opening after 3 days of constant snow and this was the first day of clear skies, so everyone was desparate to lay some freash tracks. There are one or two queues elsewhere but no worse than you would get anywhere else in alps. In the main there are plenty of lifts with minimal queuing and literally only one or two bottlenecks, which can be avoided anyway. The only other 'problem' is the main run back to village via apres ski bars does get very busy. It is an easy run, but if you have timid skiers then they could be a wee bit initmidated by the busyness of it. If you are all intermediate skiers though it will not be a problem.
As far as I'm concerned the advantages of St Anton more than outweigh the disadvantages, of which there are hardly any.
I have never had to queue for more than 20 mins in St Anton in 6 visits, and that's only if you want to ski from St Anton. Guarantee that you will want to experience Lech and Zurs a couple of days and try the Rendl part of St Anton, all of which are pretty much queue free.
If you like Ischgl, I'm pretty sure you'll like/love St Anton too
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?
Was there for New Year and Easter in 2006/2007 season, not much queueing, there are loads of runs so easy to find a quiet one if you move away from St Anton town. a few runs back to the town get badly cut up in the afternoon but you can get the lift down if you are tired. Would definitely recommend St Anton of Lech for easier slopes and quiter atmosphere.
magic_hat, We ski the Arlberg every year. St.Anton is more crowded than Lech/Zurs and rowdier. Plus I think the skiers on the slopes are a bit more erratic. The slopes are no harder to ski than anywhere else in the Arlberg. I don't know why it's labelled a 'tough' resort.If you don't fancy Lech/Zurs, take a look at Stuben or Zug. From Stuben you can ski to Alp Rauz and then take the Valfegehr bahn, heading in the direction of St.Anton. Stuben is a pretty much undiscovered little gem. The snow is good, the off piste is good. It can be cold though. I think Skiworld have chalets there.
Why did you give with Ischgl?
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
erica2004, It is only still a tough resort if you count all the itineraries (which used to be black runs) or if you count the off-piste which is some of the best in the world with lots of tough skiing. However, although there are plenty of easier runs I reckon it is still not a very good resort for beginners.
I went in Mid-March last year as part of a goup of around 70 - we all managed to have fun but there were no beginners and most were 28-40 and pretty much into the apres scense as well
Personally I think the 'happy valley' is horrible, particularly on a board - especially when it funnels and then everyone stops on a 20m wide uphill bit wondering if there going to turn left and go up to gampen again or on and down to the town - FFS that's not the place to stop, although it doesn't help that intermediate boarders may have to unstrap and walk that section which adds ot the clutterednesss. From the galzigbahn side then there is no way of avoiding it, nor from gampen if you want to head to moose or KK. The obvious solution was to stop at the bar at the top of the galzig and have one there before heading down the hill, although you miss the final countdown that way!
Didn't really have many queue problems apart from the rugby scrum getting on the post bus home from lech.
I think generally speaking the average red or blue is more challenging than the average red or blue in say 3v or Paradiski - but it looks like other posters don't neccessarily agree..
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
bertie bassett wrote:
I think generally speaking the average red or blue is more challenging than the average red or blue in say 3v or Paradiski - but it looks like other posters don't neccessarily agree..
Yes, I agree that the grading is tougher than most places.
After all it is free
After all it is free
snowball, Agreed. Personally though I think it's manipulation on the tourist boards behalf, ie lets try to get as many people here so they say that some runs are blue, when they would probably be red in others. Funnily enough though, the blacks (that I've done, so only a handfull) did not seem that hard
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boabski wrote:
snowball, Agreed. Personally though I think it's manipulation on the tourist boards behalf, ie lets try to get as many people here so they say that some runs are blue, when they would probably be red in others. Funnily enough though, the blacks (that I've done, so only a handfull) did not seem that hard
I agree with you on the blacks - 10 on galzig easy. R2a on rendl fun in soft stuff. 2 from galzig - not really hard, can be bumpy in sections. I guess they focus more on the itineraires to make up the 'hardest' stuff.
I recollect finding the run down to nasserein (red) being quite hard work, although it had started to get slushy and lumpy and it was right at the end of the day, so legs were tired.
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Nightmare Its my favorite dream.
I must admit I prefer the luxury & inderstated quality of Zurs or the sun trap of Oberlech but I have stayed in Chalets in St Anton.
The Nasserein lift can be very busy early morning with day trippers and queues to buy lift tickets can be a scrum there.
The Galzig lift is an engineering showpeice. Queues can be a problem for the onward cable car from the top of the Galzig but you ski a different route at such times.
The black runs are not very steep and the itineries are a delight. They only gets tricky when iced or refrozen. Kandahar run gets heavily mogulled.
Its only the lowest few hundred meters to the Galzig that becomes a slushy bottleneck but it add amusing viewing from the KK & Mooserwort.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
IMO St Anton is fantastic. never experienced bad queues in my 3 visits (never been half term or new year mind) Timid beginners and those who like to be able to keep an eye on their base might be a bit intimerdated but the scope to get away and go somewhere different every day is great. As previously mentioned the itineries are great, you have the Rendl, Lecht and Zurs, Stuben, Sonnenkopf (well worth visit) all to do in a week.If you are willing to open your eyes and spread your wings , this is one of the best places to ski. cant comment on nightlife as to old and tired to be out and about after 11pm!
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.
Oh the nightlife is fantastic!!
Yep, highly recommenmd St Anton, didn't find it crowded at all and that was in the last week of January.
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
March can be busy! I was over in St.Anton for a day last March. Unfortunately I got my snow predictions completely wrong and the off-piste was tracked out boilerplate interspersed with breaking crust... So I skied the pistes. The run from Ulmer Hütte to Valfagher was plain dangerous People of all different abilities jammed into a run that is far too narrow for the number of skiers it serves. It's an accident waiting to happen ( and sometimes it doesn't wait very long ). The same can be said for Steissbachtal ( also known as happy valley ), although there the main problem is that you get a bunch of very tired skiers all heading back down to the valley at the same time.
The waiting times have got significantly better over the last few years. St.Anton has invested a lot on upgrading infrastructure.
I would recommend staying in Stuben and spending time up on Albona, the pistes there are quiet even when St.Anton is hooching, and the off piste is fantastic The area up on Rendl also doesn't get busy very often, though this may change now that they are upgrading the gondola.
For a fun run - the blue under the Valfegehr lift when there has been fresh snow and it has got soft bumps.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
magic_hat, it depends what you're used to, I suppose. I've been there for the last two Feb half terms, which must be as busy a time as any, I'd imagine, and it was remarkably good. The only routinely seriously long lift queue is for the Vallugabahn I cable car, and unless you want to up to the Valluga grat for a bit of off piste, or the view, you don't miss much by taking the Schindler Spitze chair instead. Some lifts can get very busy towards the end of the day, such as the Zammermoosbahn, and the amusingly named 'Happy Valley' run from Galzig side down to the town is pretty busy and dreary at the end of the day. The Mooserwirt and the KK are obviousy hideously busy by 3pm, but who cares? Either go there and join the scrum or find a decent bar.
Rendl always seems to be quiet and has some very enjoyable skiing.
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?
Went to St Anton for my first ever ski holiday and i would'nt recommend it for beginners. Having said that now that i can ski properly would love to go back there. We stayed in a brilliant chalet just off the piste that goes past the Moose and could walk it there in 10 mins which helped with are limited skiing ability. The Moose is something everybody should experience and the town is quite lively too with good bars and eating places. The "Happy Valley" can be chaotic late afternoon with everybody heading back and it gave me my first real fright on ski's with Red Arrow type formations passing in front and behind me. Still, i survived and i did'nt put me off skiing. When i went there was quite a bit of queing for the lifts in town but ok when we got up top. A lovely run is down to St Christoph with the nice restaurant at the bottom.
Word to the wise - try to make the trip co-incide with the Swedish half term, which I think is last week in Feb (was 2 years ago anyway)
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
As usual, thanks to all who took the time to reply. The general theme of all responses seems to be the same or very similar: St Anton - excellent place to ski, busy and crowded in a couple of areas - but easy access to less crowded places that are equally excellent places to ski. I've managed to find us what i think is a decent price for a decent chalet (near the Nasserein gondola) so we are out of the rowdy centre of St Anton but not too far away for walking into the centre of an evening.
Bit of a change of pace from my previous ski trips, and not quite what we were planning, but i think we will love it! Cheers All.
erica2004 wrote:
Why did you give with Ischgl?
A few reasons really.. To cut a very long, protracted story short here it is:
A group of 8 of us decided after 2008's trip to La Tania, we would all go again as a group next year spending approx the same amount (£600) per person.
We settled on Ischgl, booked our flights to Innsbruck and i set about trying to find accomodation. Our flights were Sunday to Sunday, which seemed to rule out about 90% of the Ischgl accomodation options, but I eventually found a few decent options at what i thought were OK prices (one of them the hotel you recommended!). However, rising costs and the value of the pound meant that the overall price was higher and people baulked at the prices.... so back to square one, i start to look at B&B and apartment options rather than catered. I find a couple of options, but people baulk at this because the prices are only a bit lower and obviously don't include meals. I lose my rag at the amount of effort i have wasted, and am verging on the point of booking myself into the best hotel and telling the rest to swivel. Then comes the bombshell that 2 members of the group can only afford £200 per person so they back out totally, leaving us with 6 people and all my quotes for transfers and apartment accomodation completely void (as they were based on 8 people). The remaining group members set a budget of £550 pp, which pretty much ruled out Iscghl completely, specially when you take taxi/minibus transfers into account.
However, luckily for St Anton, the two people who dropped out were the beginners in the group, so we changed tack completely and within one day of looking found something decent (fully catered) for under our budget. Plus we can get there by direct train.
All this shenanigans has spanned weeks, wasted god knows how much of my time and really peed me off! I have sworn blind that i won't be doing it again, although i remember saying that after booking La Tania as well!
Didn't do such a great job of cutting that short, sorry!
I actually think St Anton is way too busy. Sometimes you will wait 90 minutes in the lift queue and then have to side-slide down because there are so many skiers that there is no room for turns. Perhaps try France instead.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
ulmerhutte wrote:
Perhaps try France instead.
Aye - France is a great idea when we have flights to Innsbruck booked!
After all it is free
After all it is free
My opinion is there will be always crowd in every internationally famous resort.
St Anton has many chairlift accesses and those away from the central St Anton area like St Christoph, Stuben, Zurs and Lech do not have a queuing problem.
Zurs and Lech are linked and the expensive accommodations do help to lower the skiing density. Cheaper accommodations are concentrated at St Anton and St Jakob area and so is the crowd.
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magic_hat wrote
Quote:
verging on the point of booking myself into the best hotel and telling the rest to swivel
I have had the same pain & now just book for myself, others can follow if they want.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
ulmerhutte wrote:
I actually think St Anton is way too busy. Sometimes you will wait 90 minutes in the lift queue and then have to side-slide down because there are so many skiers that there is no room for turns. Perhaps try France instead.
What time of year was that? In two Feb half term visits, one of which coincided with some Swedish slob fest, I haven't experienced anything like that. I'm glad to learn that Feb half term isn't the busiest time of year.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
FFS, guys. I was doing a bit of leg pulling!
Yes, St Anton does get very busy, but if you are reasonably familiar with the place, you will learn where/when the crowds are and hence avoid the worst of them. For instance, skip Valfagehr from mid-morning to lunchtime - it will be super-crowded, probably bumped-up, and there will be many skiing/boarding well beyond their abilities (eg tail swishers). An accident looking for a place to happen. The other badruns for crowds are Steissbachtal (almost all day, but really bad at the end of the day, with tired people going home), Osthang, No 8 into St Christoph (the top bit is quiet narrow for the number of people on it), and under the Nassereinbahn in the afternoon (moguls, ice, and a choke point just below the Rodelbahn hut.
The lift lines are normally not that bad - 10 minutes would be a long wait. If you get to Nassereinbahn when the ski schools start in the morning, or the upper mountain is closed for avvie control, then times can really blow out.
At St Anton, you can enjoy quiet runs until maybe 9:30am and the Kapall seems to get less busy after (say) 3pm. Stuben is almost always quiet. Rendl tends to be much quieter than the Gampen and Kapall. Nobody in Zurs gets out of bed before 10, and it seems that most people in Zurs and Lech go to lunch around 12 - 12:30 and never make it out again. The Seekopf side, in particular, is almost deserted in the afternoon - rarely would you wait more than 3 or 4 mins to get on Zursersee or Seekopf.
So, Magic Hat, go, be prepared to move around and explore - there is plenty to love about the Arlberg.
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.
magic_hat, Well you'll have a great time in the Arlberg. It's my favourite place to date. Don't just ski in St.Anton though!
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
can i ask - why did you give up on Ischgl completely this year? Nothing bad about Ischgl, I hope - it's just that I'm going there for the first time in February!
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
jboyd39221 wrote:
can i ask - why did you give up on Ischgl completely this year? Nothing bad about Ischgl, I hope - it's just that I'm going there for the first time in February!
See my lengthy post above, where i explain it all!
It is rather lengthy, so if you can't be bothered - here is a summary for you....
Ischgl looks fantastic and i definitely want to go there... unfortunately, flight dates and the money situation of some group members was not kind to us, so Ischgl was shelved. I aim to go there next year though, so am sure you will have a great time!
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Ischgl is next door to Arlbery St Anton and can be served by the same airport.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
saikee, i think that magic_hat has explained his situation enough already!! transfer cost, etc...... nothing to do with ischgl per se ...
magic_hat, know what you mean re organising for groups ... and what do you get for it at the end .... an expectation that you'll put up with the same shunt next year ... as a shepherd of skiing groups i feel your pain and salute your efforts!! enjoy st. anton - what week are you skiing there - will be there in a group of 6 mid feb
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
ulmerhutte wrote:
I actually think St Anton is way too busy. Sometimes you will wait 90 minutes in the lift queue and then have to side-slide down because there are so many skiers that there is no room for turns. Perhaps try France instead.
In over 20 yrs I have never waited 30 minutes let alone 90 minutes. On average in peak season I wait a max 5-10mins.
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?
stanton wrote:
ulmerhutte wrote:
I actually think St Anton is way too busy. Sometimes you will wait 90 minutes in the lift queue and then have to side-slide down because there are so many skiers that there is no room for turns. Perhaps try France instead.
In over 20 yrs I have never waited 30 minutes let alone 90 minutes. On average in peak season I wait a max 5-10mins.
I actually think St Anton is way too busy. Sometimes you will wait 90 minutes in the lift queue and then have to side-slide down because there are so many skiers that there is no room for turns. Perhaps try France instead.
In over 20 yrs I have never waited 30 minutes let alone 90 minutes. On average in peak season I wait a max 5-10mins.
Stanton - read my post about 6 posts back.
Sorry, I missed that post. Anyway, I agree with your 6 back post.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
ulmerhutte wrote,
Quote:
Nobody in Zurs gets out of bed before 10
I do but I have a liesurely breakfast then walk 20 m to the lift and am at the champagne bar above Zug for elevenses. Petersboden for lunch, a sunbathe & beer. Back to Zurs for tea
Lechbob, Washed down by a nice cold glass of Zipfer and the Petersboden???? I'm there already
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
bertie bassett wrote:
Personally I think the 'happy valley' is horrible, particularly on a board - especially when it funnels and then everyone stops on a 20m wide uphill bit wondering if there going to turn left and go up to gampen again or on and down to the town - FFS that's not the place to stop, although it doesn't help that intermediate boarders may have to unstrap and walk that section which adds ot the clutterednesss. From the galzigbahn side then there is no way of avoiding it, nor from gampen if you want to head to moose or KK. The obvious solution was to stop at the bar at the top of the galzig and have one there before heading down the hill, although you miss the final countdown that way!
yip that is bit of a nightmare on a board, but you can avoid that area and ride the blue down from Galzig gondola and drop off down the itinerary that runs under Galzig and ends up on the KK home run
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
Its my favorite dream.
They only gets tricky when iced or refrozen. Kandahar run gets heavily mogulled.
The area up on Rendl also doesn't get busy very often, though this may change now that they are upgrading the gondola.
