Where to Ski And Snowboard -

New Year greetings from St Anton

10th January 2012, by Andy Butterworth

Snow angels in St Anton [(c) A Butterworth / Kaluma]

New blogger Andy Butterworth of Kaluma Travel lives in St Anton and reports back on the mammoth start to the season in the Arlberg.

What a year it has been so far! From the green green hills of early December 2011 to the massive snow falls of early January 2012, what a difference a month makes. Early December saw the mountains as green as they are in mid July, the lift openings were delayed and the locals and ski companies were beginning to panic (a bit). Fast forward one week and the panic turned to relief as it snowed and snowed and snowed…

Fast forward another week and the relief turned back to mild panic, as so much snow fell. Not only were the lifts closed because of storm warnings and avalanche dangers, but the roads and the trains were shut down as well. This resulted in the first “lock in” of the resort I have experienced in my 11 years in St Anton. No one in, no one out for 3 days! Not since the dreaded avalanche years of ’99 has so much snow been seen in the Arlberg, as well as the whole of Austria.

It might be quite amazing to watch from home, but if you’re a tour operator trying to get guests in and out of the resort it’s a nightmare situation. If you are a ski bum who lives in the resort, then you are laughing – laughing at the amount of fresh powder there is to ski, despite there being only a few lifts open. Fresh tracks on every run for a whole day, on slopes that are empty because everyone is trying to get out of the town. I have experienced all those emotions and the best powder skiing ever.

During the storm

The town is slowly getting back to normal now; lifts are opening, the sun is shining (for a few days anyhow) and the hotels and chalets are clearing as much snow off the roofs, car parks and balconies as humanly as possible with a shovel and a snow sled. Shovelling has been my life for the past ten days, four hours a day. You certainly don’t need a gym membership when you can snow shovel.

The pass linking St Anton with Lech and Zurs has recently reopened, so the whole Arlberg should be skiable again. Despite the snow getting heavier in these sunny conditions, the pistes are in near perfect condition for every type of skier.

The new year also bought a host of new openings in St Anton. The Mooser hotel, built on the side of the Mooserwirt, adds a whole new level of luxury to St Anton: a classy hotel with fantastic staff, right on the slopes. The M3 in the centre of town is a new lifestyle hotel, with in-room sauna cabins and the excellent Hazienda restaurant as the hotel’s à la carte offering.

The Murrmel Bar is getting a good reputation for sophisticated drinks and a late night disco downstairs. Anthony’s Steak and Shake with live music and good food now offers a live DJ at weekends. Piccadilly Bar still has the pick of the live music throughout the whole week and there is definitely a positive buzz around the town.

Don’t be put off by the reports of closed roads and avalanche danger: The resort is now open, the pistes safe and conditions awesome! If you want to experience St Anton, then tour operator’s like Kaluma Travel can orgainse everything you need.

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