Arlberg

The Arlberg is perhaps the most outstanding skiing region of Austria. Unlike the United States, where a ski resort is a single base for a skiing area near it, Europe terms large areas with many towns and villages that offer skiing as a ski resort.

The Arlberg is the name given to a group of picturesque towns in western Austria that offer outstanding skiing opportunities and over 85 lifts that link these towns to scores of runs. The touch-free electronic “Arlberg-Skicard” is valid in the resorts of Zurs, Stuben, St. Anton and St. Christoph.

The most famous town in the Arlberg is St. Anton, lying deep in a valley. As skiing in the winter grew in popularity, many towns in the Austrian Alps shifted gear, making ski tourism the center of their economy and St. Anton is no exception. The resort town now has lifts rising directly from its outskirts. It has become a pleasant pedestrian center with chalets perched on steep slopes.

St. Anton is considered to be among the best ski resorts in the world and is popular with young, energetic, and aggressive skiers and snowboarders. The Valluga, a spiky 9,400-foot summit is the Arlberg’s most challenging terrain with its expert-only, off-piste terrain. Its monster powder runs are unmatched anywhere, with some towering fields of moguls, most notably down the expert-only Schindlerkar gully or the Mattun run.

St. Christoph is a tiny, tranquil hamlet high above St. Anton and is built around a hotel called The Hospiz, originally run by monks for wayfarers. St. Christoph is smaller and relatively isolated with doorstep skiing on both sides of the high valley: the Valluga-Galzig area on one side and the Albona on the other.

Stuben is a small village in an adjacent valley lower than St. Christoph. It has retained its traditional atmosphere and is more economical than the rest of Arlberg. This is the region for unlimited off the trail skiing. Lech and Zurs are fashionable and luxurious resorts, connected with the others but quite a world apart, nestled high in the Arlberg. Thus you see that every town of the Arlberg is quite distinctive with its unique attractions. Choose one that suits your mood!