 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Wow.
Where do you usually ski??
St Anton has on average at least as good and up to date uphilll transport as any other large well-known resort. Yes there will be a couple of chairs in Albona and on the Rendl which are not updated 6-person detachables, but there are hardly any pomas about and some very new shiny lifts from town (Galzig, the new Rendlbahn, etc).
Nightlife...well, you'll notice it. But you can enjoy St Anton even without it.
And I'm pretty sure you'll be able to find skiing that's challenging enough.
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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 worked for Mark Warner in France and Greece and rate them quite highly for the overall quality of their package, especially childcare. No doubt many on here have used them as guests.
St. Anton is a great resort, with excellent skiing, especially if you like bumps. I haven't been for a few years, but don't remember it having any archaic modes of transport.
Nothing to worry about!
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Alexandra, no worries, St.A has mostly modern uplift, even including some new heated chairs at Alpe Rauz. The skiing is great, but not really for beginners (which I take it you are not). We've taken small children there and had them looked after by local nannies. No problem at all, organised by the hotel. All in all I would recommend giving it a try.
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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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Alexandra, Not stayed with MW but have been to St Anton/Arlberg around 8 times now - 5 of which I've based myself in St Anton. That chalet is in the Nasserein part of town which is quiet. The gondola is usually queue free (certainly was during the day when we were there at start of March) - in fact all the main lifts from the village are pretty much queue free. There are only one or two bottlenecks that you need to contend with but are nothing major - 5-10 min wait max.
I think there is more than enough comments on the skiing and nothing I will add will make any difference - I'm still finding new runs after 8 visits.
In terms of bootfitters. A chap at Jennewein Sports shop gets a very good rep. I got Strolz boots (custom made) from their shop in Lech a few years ago and love them. Alber Sports in the main st in St Anton also fit them. Check some of the recent threads on Strolz ski boots and you might find the guys name in Jennewein (close to the Galzignahn and new Rendlbahn)
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Alexandra, this is a link to Trip Advisor reviews - all seem OK (except for one where they were obviously in the wrong place - solo party animal by the sound of things!)
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g608676-d629260-Reviews-or10-Chalet_Hotel_Schweizerhof-St_Anton_am_Arlberg_Tirol_Austrian_Alps.html#REVIEWS
The last thing anyone should worry about in Austria is "antiquated lift systems" - they can only extend the skiing these days by replacing old systems and subsequently "improving possible accident black spots". In other words they are finding ways around the ban on (environmental grounds) new developments! Several resorts I ski in on a regular basis do not even have any drag lifts left - think I used maybe one this season! The rest were all chairs and gondolas, though some of the "new" gondolas are on the list for "upgrading" soon!
This link has a Google map with its location on it: http://www.stantonchalets.co.uk/chalet_details.asp?cid=441
I love skiing St Anton and missed it this year as there was just too much choice elsewhere to be honest.
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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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| Quote: |
I have never skiied Austria - I am terrified of crowded trams/trains/archeic modes of transport.
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Thats weird, 'cos St Anton (like most other Austrian resorts) has some of the most modern and fastest lift systems anywhere. There is lots of excellent offpiste skiing around (truly epic on a pow day, the nsow seems lighter/drier than anywhere else I've skied in Austria), and it's this that really makes Anton as good as it is. If you know what you're doing you'll see lots of cool lines everywhere, if not there are plenty of safe marked off piste routes, or hire a guide. If cruisy pistes are your thing, head up the schindlergrat lift (which in itself is ace, absolutely stunning as you go over the ridge!) and take the long red down. Incidentally there's some good bumps down one of the couloirs form here too. Other than that Rendl has more of the cruisy stuff too. There aren't really any particularly challenging pistes, although they often get quite bumped. If it snows, Stuben RULES!!! Oh, and you have to go to the Mooserwirt for apres at least once, preferably at 3 oclock when they turn the music up/lights down and play 'the final countdown' lol - it really is like nothing else anywhere! It does really good (and MASSIVE, no really MASSIVE) lunches earlier in the day too. I worked the 08/09 season there, it never gets boring, defo one of the best resorts in the world.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Alexandra, St Anton used to have a funicular - they replaced it ages ago with some gondolas. Some Austrian & Swiss resorts still have them, others don't. You really need to get over your prejudices though! When done properly they're the fastest way up a mountain, and not usually uncomfortable (I've never been as squashed on a funicular as I regularly am in cable cars) 
Getting back to topic, I've stayed in the Schweizerhof with MW before (3 seasons ago?). It's a decent chalet-hotel, although it's quite a long way out of town. If you're not after aprés then that's not a problem (they do minibus pick ups and drop-offs), and they organised quizes and things in the evenings if you were interested (but didn't hassle you if you weren't). They did really good ski leading as well, at a much better standard than any other tour operator that I've used (they had a lot of guests so could split us into intermediate and advanced groups). The food was good, and they had plenty of staff (something like 1 per 3-4 guests). Overall, I thought they offered a really good service (but then they really ought to for the prices they charge!).
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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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| Alexandra wrote: |
Wrt "safe lines" - I'm more used to the in bounds concept used in North America - is St. Anton really safe or will I disappear down a crevasse and end up sharing half a mars bar with my loved one for 72 hours before mountain rescue find us?
I was just under the impression that Austria used these funny trams or trains to get people up the hill - or am I thinking of some specific resort (maybe even switzerland ?) and now that story is blighting all other Austrian resorts in my mind?  |
The only Austrian resort I've been to with a furnicular was Seefeld (which is rubbish for plenty of other reasons). Or actually, is there one somewhere in the SkiWelt?
As to the safety bit, there are no glaciers in Anton so you should be safe from crevasses lol. The marked offpiste routes (sometimes called itineraries) work a bit like what I imagine North America to be like. They're marked on the map (and sometimes with poles), are avalanche controlled but not groomed or patrolled. However, there are many avalanche prone areas in Anton, so transciever etc really are essential for the 'proper' offpsite.
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clarky999, yep, there's one in Ellmau...it's awesome. Off the top of my head, there are also funiculars in Davos, St Moritz, Tignes, Val D'Isere and Zermatt.
I'm going to shut up now, though, for fear of looking like a funicular-spotter. 
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You know it makes sense.
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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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Oh yeah, I forgot about the one at Axamer, loooooong time since I've been there. Do you reckon we could count the Hungerburgbahn from the centre of Innsbruck too?
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Poster: A snowHead
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 OK then cable-car spotters - where should I really avoid?
clarky999, Is it possible to rent tranceivers in town?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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Samerberg Sue, Quite! Down with the British!
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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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| boabski wrote: |
In terms of bootfitters. A chap at Jennewein Sports shop gets a very good rep. I got Strolz boots (custom made) from their shop in Lech a few years ago and love them. Alber Sports in the main st in St Anton also fit them. Check some of the recent threads on Strolz ski boots and you might find the guys name in Jennewein (close to the Galzignahn and new Rendlbahn) |
I think you are talking about Roland at Jennewein. I have not used his services, but have heard plenty of good things about him. With Strolz, Manfred at their Zurs store worked on my boots and he was a wizard. Really knew his stuff.
The buckles on the new Strolz boots are crap and they acknowledge that - I had 3 break. The said they would have different buckles for next year and would retrofit them for free to people who bought boots this year.
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| ulmerhutte wrote: |
I think you are talking about Roland at Jennewein. I have not used his services, but have heard plenty of good things about him. With Strolz, Manfred at their Zurs store worked on my boots and he was a wizard. Really knew his stuff.
The buckles on the new Strolz boots are crap and they acknowledge that - I had 3 break. The said they would have different buckles for next year and would retrofit them for free to people who bought boots this year. |
Fantastic information guys! And the fact that you travelled all the way from Melbourne to St. Anton for a boot-fitting fills me with enormous confidence! 
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Alexandra, I think after Canada you'll find St Anton slopes incredibly busy. We weren't all that impressed with the resort although we did only spend one day there from Lech. I'm sure though it's a different story if you're going off piste where no doubt the skiing's superb - we stuck purely to the piste. Oh - and I also came across the rudest (German) man ever getting into a gondola - I spent the whole ride up having a loud insult match with him. Which is really totally unlike me!
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Oh - and Mark Warner chalet hotels are just fine, although I've never stayed in one with a child! Their ski hosting is generally pretty good and their top group will normally be of a pretty high standard (not that I've ever skiied in the top group!)
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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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cathy, when did you go? Slopes were almost deserted over this Easter period, I can't see January 2011 being busy IMHO
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Compared to Lech anything will be busy. The slopes in St Anton are no busier than say La Plagne, Val d'Isere, Avoriaz. The only thing you need to watch out for is the main run back to village - Schliessbachtal (spelling??) - it gets very busy from 2pm onwards but is only an issue if you are a bit nervous, but even this can be avoided by taking a different route back down (red 2 I think from Gampen). Rendl is always quiet, as is Stuben, Lech and Zurs. The run(s) down to Nasserein for example is/are usually very quiet too.
Oberlech offers free daycare to those staying in any of the Oberlech hotels but think the kid needs to be 2.5 years old.
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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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You know it makes sense.
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Alexandra,
the downside of MW ski holidays with young kids is that although they offer good childcare and promote this not all the guests will have children, especially out of xmas, new year, half term & easter.
Some of the MW guests with no kids can to be a bit sniffy about kids in general- what do they expect if they go with MW?
This is why we have not used MW for years and when we use TOs have only gone with TOs who only offer family hols. This is much better for all- kids included. I think that you may be mistaken if you think that your child of 'only 6 months' is incapable of voicing an opinion!
The other issue which posters have not considered is distance / transport from hotel/ creche to slopes. This is crucial. On several ski hols Mrs Ed has been feeding an infant and has been able to do this fairly easily in places we have chosen with this in mind - even in Argentiere (staying at the Hotel Grands Montets in the car park of the Argentiere lift) other places much more difficult. A complete nightmare was being based in Chamonix itself, trying to ski in Argentiere and then getting back on time for the end of creche by bus which took ages- totally wasted time (but great skiing). Breast feeding or not getting to the slopes in the morning after creche opens and back before it closes is a major issue.
I see that the MW chalet is out of town- but how easy/difficult is the journey from the pistes- not just any piste but where you will be skiing?
There is quite often a difficulty with skiing in TO groups and dropping off kids in TO creche- with the groups leaving before the creche opens- we have experienced this with MW in Val D'Isere. Even if you manage this there is then the issue of getting back before creche closes- which the group may not do. So I wouldn'y put too much store in the group skiing. MW advanced ski groups are quite fast though but only on piste, absolutely no off piste with a very strict interpretation of what that means.
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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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Poster: A snowHead
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voicing an opinion? its a baby not a politician!
Alexandra, the skiing is amazing - you will love it. We went to St A for the second time this year in January and it was fantastic, enjoy!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Alexandra, actually quite a few MW hotels don't take kids at all (except peak holiday weeks- eg The Morris in Val and in Courmayeur) and out of school holidays MW chalet hotels might have very few kids even when there is a creche (why I don't know). For example when our oldest child was 4 and middle one (then youngest) 18 months or so we went to Tignes with MW in early January - the week after New Year. There were one or two other children in the whole place- the previous week there had been 40! We have in all skied about 7 weeks in MW chalet hotels in Val D'Isere and Tignes, mostly at the end of April but also January. There have always been guests with no kids, singles, groups of adult friends and couples. We have often been in a minority.
As for the child friendliness of some of these guests- in Val D'Isere- at the start of our second week a new guest (a British quite unsurprisingly single man, about mid 40's, military) arrives- looks a my kids- doing kids stuff and says- to me whilst making a rather disgusted face 'oh- children- I'd forgotten about them in Mark Warner'- a little later I asked him if Saga did ski holidays? He was a sad sad man and in the minority.
Obviously swearing in several languages is a skill and if you live in the Netherlands will have this sorted.
On site creche is important but also where the site is wrt to skiing and travel to and from.
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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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FYI
ChaletHotel Schweizerhof is located in Nasserein
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FAQ
I think I'm sold.
I'd never boast about having "got down" - but I'll happily boast about doing it with style. 
