Open Group Off Piste Guiding & Courses
Ready for the Off Piste adventure?
Join other skiers in one of our Open Groups from Level 1-3 skiing the best spots in a fun and social group, guiding & tuition!
We take you for an incredible day of Off Piste skiing in one of our Open Freeride Groups, to explore St Anton and Arlberg, far away from the crowded pistes in the search of perfect powder lines and discover hidden tree runs. Most of the off piste is lift accessed but may involve some hiking to reach the best spots. St Anton only.
We have a group suited to you, starting from with little off piste experience to expert off piste skiers ready for steep and challenging terrain. Assess your skill level correctly, to ensure you are in the right group!
Ski more – pay less! Discount for multiple day bookings apply.
Highlights
- Full day (9-3.30pm) – Off Piste guiding in St Anton and the Arlberg (Lech Zürs, Stuben, St.Christoph, etc)
- Combination of lifts and short hiking to access beautiful powder descents
- Fully qualified UIAGM / IFNGA guide to take you deeper into the backcountry
- Small groups – with maximum 7:1 guide ratio
- From Beginner to Expert, we fit you to the right Level group
- Lunch break in one of the many beautiful mountain huts (lunch not included in price)
- Social, fun day guiding that will help you to develop your skiing skills
- Group may also ski tour to find the best conditions
The experience
Your Off Piste adventure begins at ANTON BAR at 08.45, directly opposite the Galzig gondola, Your Piste To Powder host, will greet you and show you your group table where you meet other members of your group and start to get excited about the day. Come early in time for a quick coffee or snack or a delicious wholesome breakfast in cafe Anton.
Your guide will come to explain a little about the day and if you need any safety equipment your guide will provide this for a small rental fee. Please let us know in advance if you need this. Please don’t forget your backpack and helmet and some cash for the guide, taxis and lunch. Backpacks and ABS bags and any other equipment can be rented from us or Jennewein, next door to cafe Anton.
We then head out at 9am to take the lifts which whisk us up to where we begin skiing. The fun then begins 🙂
€ 155,-
per person 8.45am – 3.45pm, high season: 165
Open Group Ski Guiding – PACKAGE
Group Off Piste skiing, Arlberg backcountry – 5 Day Package – 675€
For maximum improvement why not consider booking a 5 day package in the Open group? You will be assigned the same guide for the week, who can help you progress quickly to the next level. We’ll even throw in a free Piste to Powder goody bag and certificate on completion of the week. Please let us know if you need safety equipment.
Open Groups – Ski Touring
Explore the backcountry and real wilderness of the Arlberg. Go deep into the backcountry, using a mix of lifts and skinning to reach stunning summits, such as and descend endless untracked powder runs up to 1600 vertical metres descent with only 500 meters of ski touring.
We will normally do 2-3 ski tours depending on vertical, but on average 400-600 metres for up to 1,600 metres downhill. We will use lifts to access the ski touring terrain where after an avalanche safety briefing and equipment check, we will start our first skin. Please ensure you have a full lift pass as we may need to take a combination of lifts for example to Stuben.
You will need to be a L2-3 Off piste skier, with good fitness, comfortable skinning 400m – 1000m) 1-2 hours. Safety equipment can be provided but please bring backpack with water, energy snacks and sun protection.
165€ per persion per day
Open Group Ski Guiding SEASON PASS
Take advantage of our special offer, the ultimate Piste To Powder ski as often as you want, season pass!
Join our Open Groups any days over the season – Open Group Guiding ten times whenever you want (Monday to Friday from December until late March): EUR 1150! And your Piste To Powder neck warmer is waiting for you!
Just drop us a quick message and you’re ready to go! Quick registration at the Piste To Powder office necessary one day ahead.
A typical day?
After you started your day with a nice cappuccino in Anton cafe and your guide has given you a brief avalanche and safety talk you’ll be heading up the mountain to explore the best runs the area has to offer.
We normally start with a quick warm up on the piste and then we head Off Piste into the backcountry. Typical routes we may choose could include a quick warm up on Bachseite, a wonderful Off Piste playground close to the lifts that descends via an almost unlimited variety of routes to the Happy Valley piste below. Then after a quick ascent we may head on to Stuben valley, taking Albona lift to access Star Wars – another wonderful Off Piste playground and on fresh powder days we will be fast into here. We may take Albona 2 again and a second short chair before we start the hike to Maroikopft. The rewards from here are well worth the effort – wonderful powder runs to Kaltenberg hut and further on down through the Langen trees or descend the other side to Verwall – finishing at the newly refurbished Verwall hutte set in a beautiful forested valley. Rendl – a touring mecca – often the quieter side of the mountain, provides access to Hinter Rendl and the incredibly beautiful valley of Malfontal accessed by either hiking or a short skin, on a clear day affords views towards Kapal, and a long gentle undulating run.
Many Off Piste runs can be accessed from the lifts – for example Schöngraben, popular on powder days with its abundance of pillows and small drops, is accessed from Kappall. Also Mainwasen, Maienplatt and Tobel – are all accessed directly from the top of the Galzig gondola – and on powder days these wonderful tree-lined runs are hard to beat.
Ski touring in the Open Groups: Occasionally in the advanced groups, we may do some ski touring if the whole group are keen to access – but the powder rewards are definitely worth the little bit of effort. You will be notified in advance of this so that you can rent touring skis if you need any.
Around midday we stop for a delicious and energising social lunch at one of the many delightful mountain restaurants in St Anton, Stuben, Zürs or Lech if required and if the off piste route allows. We then continue with more Off Piste runs before returning to St Anton around 3.30pm in time for a few drinks in one of the mountain apres ski bars for which St Anton is famous, or enjoy a hot chocolate, beer or wine in one of the more relaxed, laid back bars or coffee bars at the base of the Galzig and relive the day in the company of new friends! Ready?