When you book a vacation in Sankt Anton am Arlberg, in Austria’s Tyrolean Alps, you’re not just treading the snow of one of Central Europe’s most beautiful tourist resorts, you’re literally strolling… and skiing… through history. In Sankt Anton, people have always been sliding on snow. The tradition of winter sports here is so ancient that it was local immigrants -who left this town for America- the first ones to teach the United States to love this sport in the 19th century. Sankt Anton exports skis, in short! So, spending your ski week here is like absorbing the authentic spirit of this sport. And it doesn’t matter if Switzerland and Canada have since stolen the “skiing hub” crown from Austria: here, Sankt Anton remains a temple!
Sankt Anton – an accessible paradise
Located just 110 km from Innsbruck Airport (INN) and about two hours’ drive from at least five other European airports, including Zurich (ZRH), the resort of Sankt Anton am Arlberg is extremely accessible. Excellent motorways allow for stress-free access by car, and a continuous taxi and private car service, doubled in winter, offers every comfort to travelers – both individuals and groups. Sankt Anton is also served by a railway line with a direct station offering excellent connections to the slopes.
Where and how to ski in Sankt Anton
The slopes can be reached via the brand-new cable cars located outside the town, to the east and west. To the west, a system of elevators provides direct access to the cable cabins at the top, thus offering tourists spectacular views as they ascend. The western cable cars provide access to the Galzig slopes all the way to the Schindler and Valluga peaks. From the east, the Nasserein cable cars depart for the slopes connected to the Kapall peaks. Just above the town is the Steissbachtal slope, a more popular one with plenty of convenient amenities.
The mountains around Sankt Anton offer magnificent slopes, some with 1,500 meters of elevation gain, but the winter sports here are truly open to everyone. A 43 percent of the slopes are blue, ideal for beginners and families with children, and are located in the Rendl and Galzig area. Experts will test their mettle on the 41 percent of red slopes between Rendl and Galzig, while only a few champions will tackle the black slopes (16 percent), which are almost everywhere, but especially along the Valluga-Nordabfahrt line.
Powder enthusiasts will have 200 km of freshly groomed slopes between Rendl, Valluga, and Gampen. Sledding is also possible in Gampen, while the best cross-country skiing trails are mainly in Verwall and Sankt Christoph. Extreme off-piste enthusiasts can enjoy the freedom and fear at Schindlerkar, Nordabfahrt, Mattun, and Zürs.
A film set
Sankt Anton is the “Hollywood of Snow”! Adventure films and snow-theme films have been filmed here since the 1930s. Many German and Austrian films have used these slopes and mountains as a backdrop, and some such as The White Extasy (1931) contributed to the area’s worldwide fame. Robert Redford and Gene Hackman also did ski here, starring in the film Downhill Racer (1969). In 2011, Chalet Girl – starring Felicity Jones was filmed in Sankt Anton as well.
Tourism has been here since the 14th century
Not far from Sankt Anton is St. Christoph am Arlberg. This village also boasts a few ski slopes, especially easy ones for the less experienced, but it also hides a precious history. It seems, in fact, that the entire Arlberg ski and tourism industry originated right here.
Local tradition has it that in the 14th century, the paths that crossed these woods and pastures were very popular because they connected Tyrol with Vorarlberg. It was a humble shepherd, Mr. Heinrich Findelkind, who recognized the potential of this “human traffic”: he built a hospice for wayfarers, which effectively became the first resort for “tourists” in the area.
In short, if today you can ski and have a great time in Sankt Anton and throughout the Arlberg region, it is thanks to this welcoming inhabitant who lived seven hundred years ago!
