<p>St. Anton is a lively resort with a legendary après-ski scene and abundant off-piste</p>
Photo: TVB St. Anton am Arlberg/ Josef Mallaun

Guide to Skiing in St Anton

St. Anton is a lively resort with a legendary après-ski scene and abundant off-piste

Resort Guides
Published at: 24 Nov 2020
Last updated at: 9 Nov 2023

Located in Austria’s biggest linked ski area, St. Anton is a lively resort with a legendary après-ski scene and abundant off-piste opportunities to boot.

Serena Norton
Serena Norton
Skiing off piste in St AntonPhoto: TVB St Anton am Arlberg/ Josef Mallaun

The Ski Area

One of six resorts in the Arlberg region, St Anton has a consistent snow record and varied and extensive terrain with 305 km of pistes and around 200 km of off-piste skiing to explore. The skiing is essentially divided into four sectors. On the south side of the village is Rendl, a small area reached by gondola near the bus station. The other three sectors are to the north of the village with the Gampen and Kapall mountains rising directly above St Anton and Nasserein. Whisking skiers west across the Moos valley to Galzig is the state-of-the-art Galzig gondola. South of Galzig is the charming resort of St. Christoph whilst to the east are the peaks of Valluga and Schindler. Northwest of Galzig is the town of Stuben with the resorts of Zürs and Lech further north.

Beginner skiing in St Anton

Whilst there are designated areas for beginners, particularly around Nasserein and also mid-mountain on Gampen, St Anton is best suited to more experienced skiers. There are some easy blue runs around Rendl, but the majority of blues are on the tougher side and you can easily find yourself tackling moguls if there has been fresh snowfall.

The best blues for beginners are run 64 and the Valfagehr run No. 100 down to St. Christoph. On the other side of Valluga, Lech is probably a better option for true beginners.

skiing in st antonPhoto: St Anton am Arlberg/ Patrick Säly

Intermediate skiing in St Anton

With an abundance of true red pistes and challenging blues, St Anton is an excellent resort for confident skiers. Rendl, which tends to be quieter than the other areas, is a great place to find your feet. Once you’ve conquered this area, ski over to Lech and Zürs for a wide variety of confidence-boosting runs. For a challenge, the runs off the Schindler Spitz provide over 1000m of vertical descent. The smaller “satellite” areas of Zug, Sonnenkopf, Stuben and Pettneu are also worth exploring.

Expert Skiing in St Anton

St Anton really comes into its own for advanced skiers with several black runs, the steepest being Run 34 Fang at the bottom of the Gampen. If you want to test your knees then mogul enthusiasts can tackle the Mattun and Schindler Kar mogul fields. However, for experts, St Anton is all about off-piste skiing. Some of the best-known routes are in the Valluga/Schindler Spitz sector but there are off-piste opportunities all over the mountain, best explored with a guide.

For a fun long-distance challenge, the Run of Fame is a spectacular 85-kilometre-long ski circuit from St Anton/Rendl via Zürs and Lech to Warth and back again. The circuit takes around a day and can be entered at almost any point in the ski area.

off piste skiing in St AntonPhoto: TVB St Anton am Arlberg/ Josef Mallaun

Freestyle Skiing in St Anton

A freestyle mecca in the Arlberg, stanton park on Rendl is accessible from two lifts and offers rails, boxes and kickers. Overlooked by the Rendl Beach Bar, the park is perfect for those who just want to watch freestylers in action. The park incorporates three sections - the Proline, the Medium Kickerline in the centre of the park and the Jibline which is suitable for less experienced freestylers.