St. Anton - Resort Review
As Austria's leading ski resort St Anton, offers absolutely everything from hugely extensive skiing to fantastic nightlife and apres-ski. Considered to be amongst the top 5 leading resorts of the world, this traditional Tyrolean village oozes charm and authenticity offering a truly memorable Alpine experience. The ski area is very extensive and covers the neighbouring resorts of Lech, Zurs, Stuben and St Christoph and there are endless challenging runs for intermediates and advanced skiers offering fantastic skiing for all levels.
The apres-ski in St Anton is well known and world-renowned. The infamous Krazy Kanguruh or the Mooserwirt are generally the first stop after a hard day on the slopes for a well-earned Austrian shot. There are also plenty of tea-rooms, bars, restaurants and night-clubs so those looking for a good party-town cannot get much better. Resort activities include ice-skating, toboganning, curling and bowling. There is a fantastic sports center with indoor swimming pool, jacuzzi and wellness centre.
The development of skiing in St Anton owes its success to the Arlberg ski club. As inhabitants of the area began to try out skiing and develop the techniques that they learned form the Norweigens but adapted to their own ends. The main notables that founded the club were
- The parish priest of Lech, who made his first attempt at skiing in 1895.
- Mathia Zdarsky, who was developing the Lilienfeld skiing technique in Lower Austria which differed to the Norweigan technique in that you were encouraged to lean forward.
- Herman Hartman, who climbed the Galzig for the first time on skis in 1899. He reached the peak in just over 3.5 hours.
The locals became more and more impressed with these pioneers of sking and eventually sought to emulate their efforts. On Christams day in 1900 a group of friends decided to undertake a ski tour of St Christoph and on 3rd January 1901 their plan was realised. Along with glorious sunshine, superb snow and flowing wine, the Arlberg Ski club was born. On that evening the emblem of the ski club was devised of two crossed skis and a pole and it has remained that way ever since.
The first races were held by the club in 1903 and amongst the winners was a 13 year old! The following year was cancelled due to bad weather but the year after that the races were categorised into a long distance class, a fast race, a ladies event and a junior race. The Arlberg Ski Clubs was founded upon a love of skiing and they wanted others to partake in the joy that it provided, so in March1902 the first mountain guide ski guide courses started, opening the sport to even more people. The club welcomed visitors to St Anton and encouraged them to come to the resort by providing a friendly and sociable setting for them to learn in.
Working in St. Anton, you are assured of getting a great taste of the wonderful atmosphere that makes St. Anton such a popular ski resort. Not only will you experience this world renowned ski area on your doorstep, but there is also plenty more on offer off the slopes during the season!!
This stunning backdrop provides a superb base for 5 months in the snow, experiencing a whole new way of life.