Piste To Powder – Escaping the crowds

“In the clear late-morning sun, the horizon stretches 360 degrees; from Zürs in the distance to the north, to the barnacle-shaped Patteriol to the south, as well as several other +3,000m summits in this part of the Arlberg. It’s taken us half an hour to walk to the top of Maroikopf, the 2,528m peak just off the Albona ski area in St Anton, but the effort is well worth it. Up above on steep outcrop a chamois looks on impassive.

The views, however, are only the first part of our reward. We clip back into our skis and glide down along a ridge to a flat area just below. Our guide points down to a wide bowl filled with fresh snow. It’s protected from the cold breeze on three sides and it feels noticeably warmer than elsewhere on the mountain.

Down below is the Verwall valley. This is where we’re going. We set off in wide turns in the untracked powder. It’s fast and soft at the same time. We pop on a couple of ridges where the snow has accumulated and bounce in shorter turns on the steeper terrain. The snow is effortless and amazingly forgiving. There are a few tracks on the far side of the bowl but other than that, we are alone, with the scenery and this extraordinary snow just to ourselves.

A bit later we reach the valley floor and join the track that follows the Maroibach river. It’s a delightful run through the forest. Having covered nearly ten km for a vertical drop of almost 1,300m we get to the pick-up point for the local skibus that will take us back to resort. The day is only just beginning.”

Piste To Powder Guest’s Entry by Jean-Yves Gilg.

If you are interested in joining one of our open groups or go for a private off piste session,  just fill in our enquiry form and let the adventure start!

A few more places also available on the touring week from St. Anton to Silvretta!