St Anton ski resort guide Ski area, apres-ski, things to see & do in St Anton
Overview
Ski holidays in St. Anton - an international ski resort known for its fabulous challenging skiing and nightlife.
At 1304m, it is one of the lower resorts in the Arlberg region which includes Lech (1450m), Zurs (1716m), Stuben and St. Christoph (1793m) - all covered by the Arlberg lift pass.
Spa & Wellbeing
There is a public sports centre with sauna and steam rooms together with an in and outdoor pool.
Children
There are several ski kindergarten clubs that take children from the age of 3 and are excellent blending in introductory ski sessions with indoor entertainment.
St Anton ski area guide
The Arlberg ski area is pretty big!! 305km of pistes and endless off-piste terrain for free riders serviced by 87 modern lifts.
The ski season normally starts early December and runs to late April. It has a very impressive snow record of around 7m a year so you can be sure there is going to be snow.
| Key information (whole area) | |
|---|---|
| Altitude | 1304m |
| Top lift | 2811m |
| Family | |
| Beginner | |
| Intermediate | |
| Expert | |
| Piste (km) | 340 |
| Longest run | 9 km |
| Off piste | |
| Cross country | 114 km |
| Season | Dec - April |
| Snowboard parks | 1 |
| Heli Skiing | ✔ |
| Summer skiing | ✘ |
| Glacier skiing | ✘ |
| Babysitting | ✔ |
| Creche | ✔ |
| Apres ski | Very lively and great fun |
Beginners
St Anton is probably not the best resort to try if you are a complete beginner as you will struggle to appreciate how good the skiing is being confined to the lower nursery slopes. The best place to start out is on the gentle slopes at Nasserein - 5 minutes walk from the town centre. This is where the ski school meets.
Intermediate
St Anton is an intermediates paradise with a good blend of wide sweeping blues and reds and very challenging runs such as the Kapall World Cup run.
Advanced
There are not that many black pistes but of the ones there are, we would certainly recommend, with a guide, the decent into Zurs from the top of Valluga. Its ridiculously steep at the top - like looking over the edge of a cliff - but then it opens out in deep powder fields - only for the brave!! Dont be fooled though by the lack of pisted blacks, St Anton and the whole Arlberg area is famed for its off-piste terrain - so much to explore that you'll need to come back several times!
Cross-country
St Anton has 40km of beautiful scenic trails for cross-countryskiing.
Snowboard
The Stanton snow park is at Rendl and has all the usual jumps and half pipes and much more to a recent upgrade. On and off-piste, snow boarders will love the terrain especially in the powder fileds at Stuben and the trails around SteiBbabh.
Things to see & do in St Anton
- Floodlit tobogganing down a 4km track
- Sport and climbing centre with squash and tennis
- Ice climbing
- Snow shoeing
- Snow biking
- Ice skating
- Sleigh rides
- In-door swimming pool
Après-ski
If you think Ischgl is like the party resorts in Ibiza, then St Anton is its bigger brother!! Fantastic lively après-ski is what St Anton is all about.
For an early start - 3pm, the Mooserwirt Bar is where it usually kicks-off. Its at Blue 1 heading into town but just be careful as it gets dark pretty fast and skiing down is your only option!! Overall, there are around 90 bars and restaurants to choose from so there is plenty of variety...
Featured ski chalets
The accommodation in St Anton is plentiful but being a very popular ski resort in winter, the best chalets and apartments that are close to the centre and the lifts tend to get booked up months in advance of the winter season starting so our advice is to book early!
See all rentals
Our view on St Anton
To get the most out of St Anton during your winter ski holiday, we would recommend hiring a guide. A bit expensive but certainly worth it! Some suggestions...
- For some spectacular views, head up to the top of Valluga
- If you like touring then head to Stuben for the day but remember to leave plenty of time to get back. At Stuben, there are stacks of superb off-piste trails
- A day trip to Zurs and Lech - it is possible to ski there from the top of the Valluga but only if you an exceptional skier and the weather is fine. Otherwise, its better to take a taxi and enjoy some sophisticated skiing with champagne pit-stops on the piste
If you like St Anton ski resort, you are likely to enjoy Ischgl and Chamonix. Each of these ski resorts have superb terrain for the intermediate and expert skiers and very lively nightlife.
