OPEN GROUP GUIDING St. Anton Arlberg

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?