Frankfurt Ski, Snowboard, Sports and Social Club e.V.

For no small reason do we keep on returning to St. Anton - as it is the ultimate skiers' and boarders' paradise and a terrific party town to boot. In spite of the spectre of global warming threatening our winter activities, the region claims guaranteed snow at least until the end of April so this trip has the added advantage of extra daylight hours to make the most of the "Cradle of Alpine Skiing".

Some 85 cable cars and lifts service 440 km. of descents and offer choices for all skiing and boarding abilities, with permanent racing circuits, fun parks, many challenging steep slopes, touring routes and bunny slopes for the beginners. The innovative Galzig Bahn based on a ferris wheel design has tripled the transport capacity of its predecessor slashing queuing time AND the need to clomp up endless steps. Indeed many recent additions of escalators in the resort mean that you conserve your energy for the downhill slopes!

Although the Arlberg ski pass will enable you to ski in nearby chic Lech and Zürs (connected by bus), St. Anton has far more terrain than you can hope to cover in a weekend. The longest run of 8.5 km from the top of the Valluga lift will take you past the Ulmer Hütte, then down into St. Anton along the Steissbachtal, or "Happy Valley", where the incline is perfect for sweeping carved turns.

Alternatively you may choose to turn right from the Ulmer Hütte to take an easy blue run all the way to Stuben where you will find some challenging runs on the front side of the Albona, glorious pockets of powder on the shady side of the Albonagrat lift or gentler slopes on the sunny side. Sun-lovers will relish the skiing on Rendl, with slopes to suit beginners and advanced skiers alike and the opportunity for some off-piste adventures.

The 'Ice Bar' and restaurant at 'Rendl Beach' have ample sitting out area for you to soak up the rays. Galzig tends to attract heavier crowds but there are north-facing slopes which often hold the better snow and are favoured by the more advanced skiers and boarders.

Dotted all over the area are numerous bars and restaurants and a lunch-run down into St. Christoph is highly recommended but after a hard day on the slopes you will probably gravitate to either the Mooserwirt for its boisterous party atmosphere or the slightly (but only slightly) quieter Krazy Kanguruh. It's a short run (or stagger/slide) down to St. Anton from there. An alternative is the Heustadl a little higher up which often hosts live bands.

Our hotel, the Basur in Flirsch, is a short bus-ride from the resort. It has a gorgeous wellness area, cosy bar, excellent restaurant and exhibits the type of ambience we come to expect of Austrian resorts. Although the free ski bus can get you between St. Anton and the hotel up until 17:30-ish, a shared taxi-ride will be needed by the late-night revellers making the most of the ample night-life the resort has to offer.