Looking to plan next years ski trip already and I badly want to go to St Anton. I have heard that the skiing there can be tough for beginners and my Wife is convinced she won't like it. She has skied 4 weeks now and is happy on easy blues at the moment. We have just come back from a large group holiday in Alpe d'huez where we had 6 total beginners and they all want to go again next year to somewhere with a bit more easy to reach and more lively Apres Ski. I loved Ischgls bars but have been there twice and would like to try somewhere different. I know about the Mooser and the KK in St Anton so the only thing that would stop me booking it up is the lack of skiing for beginners.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Greavsie, lots of easy blues in St Anton - lot's of easy reds too. It's the off-piste that's gnarly.
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?
Cheers Red 27. I have been trying to tell her that surely in a bigger ski area you are likely to have a few easy runs and more to keep her interested. We went to Niederau for New Year and the lack of skiing there for her made her a bit bored.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Greavsie
I agree with the previous posters. St Anton is a great, fun resort but, if you stay on piste, you'll find loads of intermediate friendly blues and reds.
Greavsie, Mega area, something for all levels, including best apres in the Alps IMO
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Cheers for the fast replies guys. I'm looking for something for everyone really. A few of the beginners skiers love the beers. Plus you can't beat cheesy German/Austrian tunes to dance along too on a table with a Williams in one hand and a beer in the other.
After all it is free
After all it is free
Go up Rendl, plenty round there to suit.
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Rendl is the best area for quiet skiing in St Anton. Best condition pistes too plus some easy ski routes to try for the more adventurous. Take red 21 from Gampen to moos/kk to avoid the happy valley crowds. Happy valley run itself is a doodle but gets very busy early afternoon and some timid skiers can be a bit intimidated.
Book it dude. Fantastic resort
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Ski the Net with snowHeads
When we went there it was my husbands third week skiing and the first week of that was when he was a
teenager at school. It is on our list of places to go back to.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
If it's your first time try to stay somewhere at the Gampen end of town rather than the Nazerein end. That way you'll be coming home via KK/Moose/Griabili rather than under the Nazerein bubble ending up at the Fang Bar (which is nowhere near the same league for Apres).
Have to agree with boabski re happy valley in the afternoon. It can be very busy and pretty intimidating. Obviously if you get down early to catch the start of DJ Gerhart in the Moose it is less of a problem. Red 21 is always less crowded and not difficult at all. However it is not possible to get to Heustadl from this run without some uphill walking.
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.
St Anton Rocks! Many people say that the sk-ing is not for beginners, but I can't see why not. There are blues that will get you almost everywhere.
St Anton Apres Ski is possibly the best in the Alps, but if not the best, certainly in the top three. As Tiger2 says, if you want to be in easy crawling distance to your accommodation, live at the Gampen end of town .
As well as the previously mentioned excellent Haustadl, KK, Mooserwirt apres ski venues, I would add Taps, Underground & Piccadilly to the must-do list.
I was in St Anton, first week of February 2011, and I stayed at Mark Warner's chalethotel Rosanna. I would highly recommend it. Good location, food, bedrooms/bathrooms & staff.
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
I'll add my vote to the Piccadilly as well - hence my (typo) username!! Awesome place. I'll definitely go back to St Anton one day.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
I love St Anton. I would say however that unless you have attitude, and the piste is yours, beginners can be intimidated by male groups in a hurry to get where they are going!!
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
I went to St Anton to work a season with only a few snowdome lessons. It was 2006/7 so the snow was poor, and I found the conditions and the crowds really intimidating for quite a while. The blues are quite tricky compared to blues in other resorts. I finally got some confidence up by going over to St Christoph, Lech and Rendel, where the slopes were quieter and possibly not as steep. Sonnekopt is definitely worth a day out too, I loved it there, quiet gentle pistes.
I'm not sure I'd be in a hurry to return to St Anton myself, but the Apre ski is good and there is certainly a wide choice of places to ski. If your beginners are happy on easy reds, and aren't worried by crowds they will be fine anywhere in the area. If they want something easier you are best skiing the areas above, or possibly looking elsewhere.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Greavsie wrote:
She has skied 4 weeks now and is happy on easy blues at the moment.
I doubt she'll like St Anton. The other respondents are talking about easy reds and blues etc but in your message you state that she is on easy blues after 4 weeks skiing. So she'll be unhappy on general blues and all reds? St Anton is great and the skiing is great and it's one of my favourite resorts but I don't think it is a good venue for someone who skis easy blues after 4 weeks skiing. There are loads of blues but my [admittedly limited] experience of them is that they're not that easy and if you get anything like the volume of snowfall that St Anton is famous for then a nervous beginnner would struggle.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Greavsie, I have been to St Anton many times, and love the resort, but I don't think this is a great resort for your wife. Most blues in St A are red anywhere else, and the blues tend to be full of moguls after midday. I have taken groups here many times, and lower level boarders or skiers just don't like it. Trust me Lech is very nice for a day but you don't want to be taking the postbus over there every day. As for happy Valley, every time I go there I see skiers lifted out with serious injuries by helicopter and this is the only blue back down in the evening!
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?
Greavsie, the great thing about St Anton is that there are so many different choices of places to ski there for all tastes.
Been there the last 2 years. Apart from the blistering hangovers I came home with each time, we thoroughly enjoyed the skiing. We had a 3-4-week skiier with us and she happily toodled down the blues in St Anton.
In the afternoons, as most above have said, it can get busy late on heading back to the town. I would recommend going there and enjoy the slopes that St.Anton has to offer in the morning. Have lunch. Then head to Rendl for the afternoons. It's really quite lovely there - clearer pistes and afternoon sun. Or grab a bus round to Lech which has much wider pistes with less bumps - great for nervous skiers.
Saying that, you won't want to miss an afternoon in either the Krazy Kangaroo, or Mooswirt which is on the last run back to town, so try that at least once!
You won't regret going there, and will probably kick yourself if you don't
Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Wed 23-02-11 14:38; edited 1 time in total
I know it is a difficult place for timid intermediates - last year we had a wide range of abilities in a big group and some who were comfortable on most gradients elsewhere found St anton difficult. It was half term and icy in places but a number of killing looks were being thrown between various family members...so wear appropraite reflective armour, ignore and power on to the MW or KK.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
....but agree with comments about Rendl - and you can de-lift if you want to avoid the long run back to town.
First, I agree that the blues are *not* easy, as others have pointed out, although you can get easier ones in Sonnenkopf and Lech.
The main issue with St Anton is how big the crowds are. If you're all helmeted up and feeling brave (some would say foolhardy!) then go for it, an "Easy blue" skiier can cope. If you are at all nervous or scared of crowds or aren't quite at the stage where you have decent control over where you turn and how fast you go... my advice is forget it. I was *really* glad to see that Where To Ski And Snowboard (2011) also picked up on this issue in general, using St Anton as the worst example.
Having said all that, if your confidence is up to it, there are plenty of lovely runs, some great places to drink and eat and of course the legendary apres ski if that's your thing. The village is pleasant and you also have the opportunity to visit quite a few different areas: Rendl and Stuben attached to St Anton, also Lech&Zurs and Sonnenkopf (my favourite).
Bottom line is though: I personally hate the crowds and wouldn't choose to go back to St Anton for a holiday.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Greavsie, what time of year are you going.
I only say because later in the season the main Happy Valley Blue run home can be closed due to avalaches(risk) and due to the lie of the land there is only a Black option to get back to St Anton which can be inconvenient if sking with less experienced skiers.
The piste skiing is fairly limited compared to 3 Valleys, PDS for example.
Ischgl may be a better bet if you are a mixed abilty group and like to stick to pistes.
After all it is free
After all it is free
St Anton was my third ski trip - I had group lessons for the first 4 days where the instructor took us to the various pistes within the groups capabilities, including Rendl - I wouldn't have been comfortable let loose on the blues on my own.
I have also been to Ischgl, and on your description of the number of beginners/early intermediates in the group, I would favour Ischgl.
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which are these hard blues then
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red 27, its all relative.
Easy to you and me probably but even on easy blues due to the volume of skiers in St Anton the pistes are often a mogul fest by early afternoon(especailly in warmer conditions).
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
hedley, nah - only happy valley and that can easily be avoided by crossing over to Gampen and then coming down cat track
All the other blues I can think are the same as all other blues all over the place - no 'relative' about it - and defintely no reason to not go to St A, which is a cracking resort and will be a great expereince for the OP's party
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.
red 27, Do you have any experience of skiing with nervous intermediates? Doesn't sound like it.
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
red 27 wrote:
hedley, nah - only happy valley and that can easily be avoided by crossing over to Gampen and then coming down cat track
All the other blues I can think are the same as all other blues all over the place - no 'relative' about it - and defintely no reason to not go to St A, which is a cracking resort and will be a great expereince for the OP's party
You can't avoid the top part of Happy Valley (i.e. Steissbachtal) by going to Gampen* the lift across to Gampen only allows you to escape the lower section, which I agree is the worst part for nervous skiers. And as other posters have mentioned, the upper part of Steissbachtal can be closed in warm weather due to avalanche risk (in my expereince it doesn't close much when it's cold, presumably because it is harder to control wet snow avalanches). When this happens it is carnage for inexpereinced or timid skiers. In fact, in this situation they are much better off getting a lift back up to Galzig and downloading in the cable car (which makes getting to the Moos harder...).
Compared to Ischgl or the Ski Amade area there is not a huge amount of gentler cruising in St Anton. There are plenty of slopes that are blue and red and an intermediate skier would probably enjoy it a lot, but it's not the absolute best place for intermediates in my experience. If you do find youself in St Anton with more timid skiers all is not lost by any means. There is a lot of nice "cruisy" red run skiing on Rendl and a trip to Lech/Zuers would certainly be in order. In fact a warm up day on Rendl is my usual tactic if I go to St Anton.
The blues in St Anton are certainly tougher than the blues in the Ski Amade for example, but that's how it is with grading, resorts only need to be consistent in and of themselves, there are no universal rules that resorts must use to grade runs. I've certainly skied reds in other areas that were as steep as some of the blues in St Anton. I'm not saying there any glaring nasty runs that are marked blue and I wouldn't say the grading was misleading but resorts do vary and you should not assume all blues are always the same.
[* technically you can avoid Happy Valley altogether by not skiing on Galzig, or by taking the cable car up to Valuga and skiing down Mattun ]
By the way, I just found this excellent old piste map for St Anton - I am guessing it's at least 10 years old: http://chaletpro.com/upload_media/piste_maps/st_anton_piste_map.jpg It still has the old Feldherrenhuegel drag lift (such as shame that's gone, it was a great way to beat the queues on the Zamermoosbahn), and there are no pistes marked down to Arlenmader... ahh happy days!
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
OP, while theres undoubtably a few pistes which will suit your OH, the guys who rave about this place are strong intermediates/adv/exp skiers...was there last year, and met some guys that were on there 2nd/3rd hols and after 3 days all they had done was take the Gampen chair lift and weave their ways down the blues, i thought what a waste of a ski ticket! Austria is absolutely chock-a-bloc with way more suitable resorts that will give you hundereds of km of varied managable pistes...and the general atmosphere of being surrounded by poo-poo hot skiers might be intimaidating...go somewhere else!
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
I've spent an hour or so looking into St Anton. I'm happy on all Blues and some easy Reds providing they're not too narrow , icy or long! Anyhow some of the above put me off but following more investigation it would appear that there is more to suit my ability than I first thought.
The most useful source of info seems to be the following website....
The main 'issues' is essentially the fact that a few of the main runs back to resort get very busy afternoon, which in turn makes them quite bumpy. I went to St Anton after 4 ski holidays under my belt but after an 8 year break (pesky kids!) and I fell in love with the whole place immediately. Having taken the family to kappl the last 2 years I would say the on piste skiing is better in ischgl but the queues are much better in St Anton and would return to St Anton over ischgl every day of the week.
The rendl part if St Anton is usually well pisted and very quiet, the same going for lech zurs and stuben.
There are parts of blues that would be red in other resorts, reds that would bd black in places but ironically some of the blacks are fairly easy.
St Anton is not without its faults, but the advantages more than mark up for it.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
I went to St Anton at half term for the first time. Just my daughter (15) and me. We loved the place. I wouldn't say the runs are particularly undergraded but then we've both skied a fair bit and are comfortable on anything. It was pretty icy for half that week and yes some of the home runs get busy. Not too much to worry about though. Here's a short video of my daughter skiing there, first bit is a red I think and second black. This is on Gampen on the way down to Nasserein and it's on Saturday so far quieter than other days. It gives some idea of what to expect though.
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?
I went to St Anton and loved it but it destroyed my girlfriend's confidence. A lot of the runs do get very mogully from noon onwards, and the main run back to town gets veeeerrrryy busy late afternoon. I love bouncing down the piste and picking a place between the fallen beginners and over-fast intermediates in which to olly off a mogul, but it really isn't any fun if you're in any way nervous. In Vail she was going down the diamond pistes, but after two weeks in St A she didn't really want to go down a blue.
Yes there is Rendl, but if you're sticking to blues then that's going to be a bit dull after a day or two. She can also get the bus to Lech or Zurs, but it's a bit of a trek to be doing every day.
If your wife is saying she won't like it then she's probably right. When there's snow there's a load of off-piste (but everyone's up on the ridiculously-early first lifts so if you're going to be in the KK all night you're going to miss out on fresh tracks), but it's not such a great place that it's worth the risk.
I love bouncing down the piste and picking a place between the fallen beginners and over-fast intermediates in which to olly off a mogul
I wonder why the less confident skiers feel so intimidated when they ski here...
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
I am not a great skier but I can cope fine with blues and reds at St Anton. However, its not for the fainthearted as there are a lot of all male groups skiing very fast and this can be off putting. I didn't like all the coming into town to catch buses or change lifts which was required to ski the resort. Preferred Ischgl as once you are up the top of the mountain you don't have to come down till the end of the day and the apres ski is good fun. St Anton is more geared towards people who are good fast skiers and like off piste, so it may well not suit your wife.
I love St. Anton, but a skier who is comfortably on easy blues only would not enjoy it there. In fact, she will probably hate it, unless she learns really fast. It's extremely crowded, the slopes aren't groomed all that well, many blue runs have very steep parts, and there are moguls and bumps everywhere. Some parts of the mountain cannot be accessed while staying on blues (especially if the Happy Valley is closed, as it was during the week I was there). Having said that, St. Anton is ridiculously fun, and the apres-ski is just unmatched. So you should definitely go there, just without your wife and without other beginner skiers (unless they are brave and fast learners ). Get together with some intermediate/advanced skiers, and go to St. Anton- you'll have a blast!
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
To call a spade a spade:
I was in St Anton recently and I have never seen a more dangerous resort. I personally can't see the difference between blues and reds and blacks in terms of steepness, but there are many narrow sections on blues particularly Happy Valley. Every piste I can see is more dangerously overcrowded than I have ever witnessed elsewhere. Worryingly I have rarely seen a poorer standard of sking, including many of the people who are bombing it. I see hallf a dozen blood wagons a day and you will see bodies strewn all over the place after falls and crashes. The main pistes are south facing which increases the problems due to deteriorating snow quality and everything being turned into slushy moguls in the afternoon.
I would / will go back to do exclusive off-piste but my wife who is very competent piste skier is not interested oin going back and I would NEVER bring children there. (In any case blacks are disappointingly non-challenging)
After all it is free
After all it is free
Agree that I would - rather not - take my wife there. If you look at the runs/piste map it all seems fine and it is fine in right condition early in the morning or if it's not busy.
Sadly when it gets busy, it gets very bumpy and happy valley run (not easily avoidable) is a nightmare. I don't think they groom the pistes that well there.
Rendl is nice but small, Lech and Zurs are great but require buses, there are some excellent runs in main St Anton too, but it is just not worth it for timid intermediate.
I liked St Anton and would love to go back at some point but not necessarily with my cautious skiing wife.
If I would take her there I can see us taking a few easier runs on Gampen, to St Christoph early in the morning and then escaping quickly to Stuben and taking bus to Lech. Everyday
It will be nice if they can connect Rendl to Kappl one day. It will hopefully open up some easier cruising runs to please more people.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
Whilst I agree that St Anton is not for the faint hearted, having skied there for 20 years now and have approx 50-60 weeks experience there I think some of the above comments are a bit extreme. Whilst it is not a resort for cruisy blues, and certainly IMO requires a good standard of ability to get the best out of it I would discount comments about bodies lying about and idiots skiing super fast out of control etc, which infers that Arlberg is an unsafe resort, nothing IME is further from the truth. The standard of skiing there is very high, only late pm do you sometimes need to be mindful that some seemingly beered up chalet staff are running back to town for work from Rendl Beach, and there guys can be a bit extreme in speed, however they are generally in control.
To get the best out of St Anton I consider that the back-country needs to be experienced, and Rendl lifts for example open up access to some of the best lift served freeride in Europe if not the world, judging by the conversations i've had with others in resort. I certainly enjoy getting out there and away from any crowds.
If someone wants to tootle about on blues/ easy reds all day then I suggest that St Anton isnt their ideal choice, however if you are keen to progress as a skier, test yourself on the terrain, and access off piste there's nowhere better.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
+1 ^^^
Some extreme, and seemingly uninformed comments in this thread. That said, I would not be inclined to take a timid skier to StA, especially if she is your wife. Your mission, at this stage of her development, is to getting her hooked on skiing. Spending a week struggling is probably not the way to go. You want to keep skiing, don't you?
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
but even on easy blues due to the volume of skiers in St Anton the pistes are often a mogul fest by early afternoon(especailly in warmer conditions).
