st anton?

cill01

hey folks,
looking for a bit of advice from those that have been before,
reading other threads here helped in deciding on austria as a ski destination,
I have flights booked with a mate of mine to Friedrichshafen end of Feb so thinking of hitting st anton for the week. Both of us (2lads) are at advanced beginner stage I suppose (one boarder one skier) having been before so not ripping up the slopes but (hopefully) not repeatedly falling over on our arses either. Thinking St Anton as we’re hoping for a good party vibe as well - non coupley non-family orientated if ya get me – as well good snow but bit of further research has thrown up that it caters for more advanced standard and any of the easier slopes are hectic busy. Are there any other resorts you could recommend (close enough to Friedrichshafen) for good intermediate slopes and nightlife? Or even to try for a few days before heading towards St Anton….

Booking everything DIY so any advice on accommodation and ski passes etc also appreciated. good atmosphere & price the only criteria really apart from snow…

thanks a mill in advance

olaola

I've never been, but from all reports St Anton is not for beginners. I'd head to Ischgl or Zell am See instead. Saalbach is great for intermediates. The blues are tough - but not good for snowboarders. I did go to Kitzbuhel in 2007, snow was $hoite, so I cannot comment on the slopes, but apres ski was great.

flikflak

Ischgl? Just had a look at the piste map and that looks pretty good for the level you are looking for. A good few blues and reds.

From googling it would seem like its a party place too. Have a search about and see what you think.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/travel/winter_sports/article5424442.ece

The end of Feb is peak time in Europe so I would hurry up and decide before all the accom is gone.

cill01

cheers guys (not sure how to use the thanks function on this). Ischgl (never seen a town with five consonants in a row before) looks well worth checking out

guess it will depend on where i find accommodation alright. DIY seemed like a good idea, suppose package is less stressful. level wise it would be blue/red slopes i'd want, been twice before but its been a few years. dont want to be annoying others on harder runs and myself on easier ones

olaola

We were in Ischgl last year - great slopes, great apres ski. Perfect for beginners -> intermediates. And plenty beyond. Nice runs into Switzerland too.

There are some fun airbags, jumps, speed traps and those kind of things.

There are two sides of the mountain and three Gondolas going up - so if you need any pointers where to stay, give me a shout!

loobylou

St. Anton has a reputation for advanced skiing but that is mostly because of the off piste possibilities there. On piste will be fine for you, the only problem can be that there is only one blue piste back to the town from the main ski area. In the afternoon this can be mobbed, often with half drunk skiiers. You can take your chances or else take the gondola down.
I've never been to Ischgl but it's right up there at the top of my list. The problem is it's quite awkward to get to on a DIY trip. Train only goes as far as Landeck, after that it's a bus up the valley. Do-able on the arrival day, but the return in time for the Ryanair flight , 09.50am, is problematic.
It may be that there is a coach connection for the Sat flight but not for the Thurs one.
Ischgl also has a reputation for being expensive.
Did the trip Friedrichshafen-St. Anton last Feb so any questions ask away!

d2ww

I would tend to be a bit more cautious than Loobylou on this one. I was in St. Anton last April, and it really doesn't have any blue runs at all and never mind what the piste maps says!! If the OP is honest enough to describe themselves as AB's then there are better options out there.

cill01

Cheers again for the replies. A mine of information here. Ischgl looks like a good spot if I can suss out that early transfer back to the airport (we fly back on the early ryanair flight on Saturday morning) and get reasonable accommodation; neither should be insurmountable. Any recommendations on where ye stayed Olaola or anyone else would be welcome

I presume that train/bus combo that Loobylou refers to to get up the valley, would get you up in time to get on the slopes that day of arrival? (taking in gear rental, ski passes etc) Ski passes about 25-30€ a day? Last time went was about 18€ (les deux alpes) but that’s 4years ago now. Sorry for all the dumb questions but every bit of info helps, may be of use to others too.

Have been looking at chalets in Ischgl. If anyone going (21st -28th Feb) and fancy sharing with 2 easy-going lads let me know…

this where i was looking
http://www.j2ski.com/ski_resorts/Austria/Ischgl_ski_chalets.html

olaola

http://www.ischgl.com/en-arrival.htm - has most of the options for transport. Would you be open to renting a car??

It's about 30 quid-ish a day for ski pass.

There are basically two sides of the mountain in the village and it's connected by a tunnel. We thought the side with the two gondolas was great for Apres Ski (you could ski down to here) and the main street was better for later on in the night. There are gondolas on both ends of the tunnel, so either side is handy for getting up in the morning.

Imposter

Lift passes are 38ish for a day pass in Ischgl and in most of Austria this year. Buying a weekly pass will save you a bit but 30 a day is not realistic.

mcgratheoin

St Anton is fantastic, but I wouldn't recommend it for anyone not comfortable on reds at a minimum. You'd definitely be better off elsewhere. I organised a group last year and was thinking about St Anton but decided against it because of the number of beginners - it's an off-piste paradise after good snowfalls, but it's not a beginner friendly area...

olaola

Imposter wrote: »

Lift passes are 38ish for a day pass in Ischgl and in most of Austria this year. Buying a weekly pass will save you a bit but 30 a day is not realistic.

Sorry I meant to say based on a 6 day pass. Which I assumed the OP would be purchasing.

loobylou

Just had a look OBB the Austrin train website and it is not possible to get back to Friedrichshafen in time for the Ryanair flight from Ischgl, (the connections they give involve leaving on Friday night). As you are travelling Sat to Sat however there may well be a privatly run bus service from/to the airport. I know for sure that there is one to St. Anton timed to meet the Ryanair flights, (theres one from Stanstead at almost the same time as the Dublin one). The name of that company is Loacker bus, they may well also cover Ischgl.
When we went to St. Anton last year by public transport we only got up on the slopes for the last lift of the day after having found accomodation, hired skis,etc. Ischgl being that bit further I would think it very unlikely that you would get to ski at all the first day.
Don't disregard St. Anton, it's reputation precedes it somewhat. Both Lech and Zurs are included in the lift pass and both of these would have relatively easy slopes.

Hulkamaniac

+1, went to St Anton last year with a total newbie and she was fine, Lech and Zurs have some handy runs and If I remember correctly there's a big long blue that goes right down into the town, if you're worried about it being busy you can always take the gondola down.

conno16

st anton = top resort
good laugh and some really good runs
plenty runs as well for someone who has skied even just once before
clearly more suited to someone who has skied once/twice a year on a consistent basis tho - but then again most "decent" resorts are

RobAMerc

Guy's, sorry to hijack this thread but we're a bit stuck to find somewhere for the Paddies weekend. St Anton is our pref as we're flying into Zurich. ( friday - tuesday )

Can anyone give us any names for B&B's - a mile or tweo out is fine, we're getting a car ?

I've mailed the local tourist info place and the best they came up with was a fairly expensive hotel.

Cheers
Rob

onimpulse

mcgratheoin wrote: »

St Anton is fantastic, but I wouldn't recommend it for anyone not comfortable on reds at a minimum. You'd definitely be better off elsewhere...

I've been twice & couldn't agree more...

onimpulse

RobAMerc wrote: »

Guy's, sorry to hijack this thread but we're a bit stuck to find somewhere for the Paddies weekend. St Anton is our pref as we're flying into Zurich. ( friday - tuesday )

Can anyone give us any names for B&B's - a mile or tweo out is fine, we're getting a car ?

I've mailed the local tourist info place and the best they came up with was a fairly expensive hotel.

Cheers
Rob

I used the following website last year to organise accommodation...
http://www.stantonamarlberg.com/winter/ViewPage.asp?Site=STANTON2-WINTER&PageID=206&lang=201

Good luck.

conno16

try hotel fahrner
www.hotel-fahrner.com

blokes name is andreas - tell him you stayed there last year and enjoyed it so much ur coming back for more, he'll give a further 10% discount for return visits!
quite close to the town

5h4mr0(k

I've stayed here a couple of times.
http://www.arlberg.com/adrian/index.php?L=1&PHPSESSID=a9984366612a35155ea525d5a3177016

Gone Drinking

Oh dear, i'm starting to get a little worried. Myself and 10 mates are heading to St Anton on the 21st of Feb for a week. Myself and three others are total beginners, we've booked ski school though.

Is it really that bad for beginners?

Night life looks and sounds fantastic from what I've seen and read, i certainly won't need any lessons on that end of the holiday

Imposter

Don't worry - it'll be fine for beginners. The skischool will know where the right pistes are for you. Just be careful on the days where you are on your own that you plan a route that you can do.

slavedave

Just back from my first trip to St Anton yesterday and have nothing but praise for it. 5 in our party, one ex-instructor, three 2-3 week experienced skiers and one learner. We all agreed it was a great resort for skiing in. The blues and reds didn't have much between them in terms of difficulty esp as the blues got churned up as the day went on. Could be tricky for a beginner though due to the bumpiness later in the day. Blacks were great and usually in better condition (and therefore easier) than some of the reds due to less activity on them. Good links between runs. Went to Lech for a day and the runs were wider and more gentle and would be good to learn on but you have a 35 min coach ride to get to it so factor that into your schedule. We had grim weather there when we went but still had a blast on a couple of the runs! Stayed in St Anton for the rest of the week because it was bigger and better.
Mate had variable experience with the ski school. First instructor had a mutiny after day 1 when 8 of the 10 in the class didn't want him any more (took them on reds that were considered too difficult). He then booked a 2hr private lesson and stormed it!
Great food to be had on the mountains (the restaurant below the Krazy Kangaru approx 60 yards became a tregular stop for nice nosh and drinks). Mooserwirt was fun but get there by 3 if you want an indoor seat. Watch the drunks on the ski down from there as well.
Have a great time!