The Arlberg

As one of the top 5 ski resorts in the world the Arlberg region has a reputation for great snow conditions with stunning mountain backdrops and vistas!

The Arlberg is a region that covers the states of Tirol and Vorarlberg in western Austria.  It gets its name from the many pine trees that were growing all around.  With mountain ranges such as the Lechtaler Alpen and Verwall Group there is some pretty impressive Alpen scenery all around and of course makes for some fantastic skiing, snowboarding and ski touring.

There are 5 villages of the Arlberg in Vorarlberg: Lech, Zürs, Stuben, Warth and Schröcken.  On the Tirol side there are 7 villages: St.Christoph, St.Anton, St.Jakob, Pettneu, Schnann, Flirsch and Strengen.

Pistes - With over 300 kilometres of piste skiing it is Austria’s largest ski resort.  However, it is not all crowds and queues!  The lifts are modern, fast and with  my local knowledge it means we avoid the crowds. You can focus on skiing or snowboarding well prepared pistes or the deep powder  giving you the perfect conditions to enjoy your turns and take in the stunning mountain scenery that the Arlberg offers!

Back country -  the Arlberg is powder paradise.  It has the reputation of Europe’s best off-piste area with great snow conditions, stunning backdrops and plenty of space to leave your mark - until the next snowfall arrives!  Whether you want to drop in from the lifts or earn your turns by skinning or hiking up I will make your time with me in my home mountains a memorable one!

Hannes Schneider is the father of ski instruction and it is here in the Arlberg where he first pioneered his ski instruction and courses.

St.Anton am Arlberg

is the main village on the Tirol side and is the gateway to the mountains via the modern and architecturally award winning Galzig Gondola lift.  It is extremely easy to get to St.Anton with a dedicated train station on the opposite side of the Rosanna River. You can arrive by train and it is a just short walk to the lifts and the mountain area.

St.Anton has appeared in many a ski film with the likes of: Warren Miller, MSP to the older classics such as the Downhill Racer starring Robert Redford and Gene Hackman and White Ecstasy starring Hannes Schneider.

In 2001 it held the Alpine World Ski Championships and currently holds the Women’s Ski World Cup Downhill and Super G every other year.  At the end of every season St.Anton hosts the Weisse Rausch or white rush where skiers, snowboarders and winter sport lovers come to test their nerve.  It all starts with a mass start at the top of the mountain and whoever is the fastest wins!  Do not think this is an easy challenge, the pistes are left in the condition that they were in at the end of the day and with a few man made snow obstacles just before the finish it brings a lot of thrills, spills and carnage to the race!

Lech am Arlberg

is the main village on the Vorarlberg side and has a very different vibe and feel.  It is a place where Royalty come to ski and enjoy their Winter holidays. It is a little harder to access the village but once you are there it is the perfect place to base yourself with plenty of modern lifts taking you up into the mountains and with access to some of the more quieter ski areas. The Ski Club Arlberg is really active and you will see the kids regularly training on the World Cup slope throughout the season.  At the beginning of the season Lech hosts a parallel slalom World Cup event in the sister village of Zürs and is a great spectacle. In January Lech hosts the White Ring race that involves over 1000 participating ski and snowboard racers. Finally the mountain scenes of the movie Bridget Jones: the Edge of Reason were also shot in Lech.