Skiing
in St.Anton for the adavanced skier
If you
are an advanced skier then St.Anton can offer you pretty much all that
you want. I have been skiing here for many years now and I have to say
even though I get in excess of 100 ski days each year I do not get
bored here. There are plenty of challenging runs here for you to enjoy.
If you want to ski off piste then my advice is to get a guide and go
for it, I have devoted a whole separate link for off piste skiing. I
like to hit the slopes early, say 8.30, way before the ski schools and
most of the holiday skiers and make sure that I get the most out of the
freshly pisted snow. So what is my advice?
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Kandahar
Kandahar,
otherwise know as black 2 is a great way to start and is to be found on
the Galzig ski area. If you can get on it
first thing the snow is normally very good and there are not too many
people skiing it and after Easter when the crowds have gone it can be
almost deserted - you can really have some fun here then . After lunch
Kandahar tends to get quite bumpy but first
thing it is great, you can really get some speed up on it, great for
carving or practising your short turns. It is quite steep in places and
you really have to be able to watch your speed or you can quickly get
out of control.... Later on in the day it does get bumpy and busy but
if you feel like practising your technique in the bumps then ski to the
right of the pisted slope and you will have some fun!
Kapall
Kapall
is another place that I like to go to first thing in the morning and
red 37 in particular. The snow is great here; especially if it has
snowed overnight and whilst it is classified as a red there are some
steep bits. But the best bit is to be found by cutting to the left
about a third of the way down and ending up on the other side of the
draglift. Not so many people realise that you can do this (they do
now!! - perhaps I should stop here) so it is quieter there. Here again
you can put in nice fast turns but best of all for me is the fact that
there are a couple of places where you can really get some good air....
Again this is a place to come early because by lunchtime in peak season
it will be crowded and bumpy. When you get towards the bottom
make sure that you do not get below the draglift as you will have to
walk back up to it.
Blue Osthang
This run is to be found on the Galzig ski area and is also known as blue 5. Why
would I recommend a blue run, well again, first thing in the
morning it is the best place for training. Fast short turns, long, fast
carving or the bumps (moguls to the left) - you can practise everything
on here. The piste is very wide and quite a long run from the top to the
bottom, it has its own chairlift too. Three quick non-stop runs down
here and you will be feeling it!! Again it gest busy and
bumpier the later that you are on it especially if the ski schools are busy.
The Arlberghohe, St.Christoph
The
Arlberghohe?? Yes of course, it is now 10.30, the ski schools are up on
the mountain, you have been skiing hard for two hours so it is time for
a hot chocolate stop and formulating a plan as to where you should ski
next..... and there is no better place than The Arlberghohe - Taps of
course is another alternative but there is the danger here that you
will get involved in drinking alcohol and not make it back to the
slopes !! Most days we are to be found sitting in the Arlberghohe at
this time. If you have really been skiing hard you should reward
yourself with a run in your hot chocolate. This is also a good
oportunity to book your table for lunch here if you are planning to be
skiing in this area.
Schindlerkar
So
now we will look at where to ski once the mountain has started to get
busy. Schindlerkar is a good option (red ski route15) if it is open. It
is not a slope that gets pisted very often, is quite steep in places
and also offers the opportunity to traverse onto the hangs at each side
and then ski back down to the main run. Whilst Schindlerkar is on the
Gampen / Kapal ski area you have to start on the Galzig ski area as to
reach it you have to take
the Schindlergratbahn, ski straight ahead for 100m after getting off
the chairlift and then turn to the right. It can be a bit tricky at the
very bottom as you get back down towards the top of Happy Valley as it
is normally narrow and bumpy.
Albona,
Stuben
Another
good place to head mid morning is Stuben. If you want to see how ski
fit you are (or aren't) then take the schindlergratbahn up and then ski
all the way down to Stuben non stop and fast (red 14 & blue
17). If you can do it, (and I bet you can't), your legs will be on
fire!! You could stop at the Ulmerhutte for a rest but this is of
course cheating. But they do do very good hot chocolates in the
Ulmerhutte so maybe you can plan this in. The Albona area above Stuben
offers some great skiing and it is
not normally too crowded and therefore the psite is in great condition.
Of course the other advantage here are the
great places to eat lunch in Stuben itself (see where to lunch
& après ski).
Rendl
Rendl is
another option to try and escape the crowds from late morning onwards,
the runs are reasonably challenging and there are some good ski routes
which are fun especially if there is fresh snow up there. Rendl is not
really a good option (unless it has snowed a lot overnight) first thing
in the morning as it is normally cold and icy. The main restaurant on
the top of Rendl is, I think, the best of all the self service
restaurants in the St.Anton area, they do a great stir fry... The only
downside is that at the end of the day there are is only one bar /
restaurant as you ski down to the village (which is good but crowded)
so your options are limited après ski wise - best idea is to
go down to the village and après ski there.