Ineedsnow ski holidays blog » st anton

Rendl – mourning the loss of a locals secret?

mat — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:40:35 +0000

One of the closely guarded secrets of Arlberg skiing, the Rendl area above St Anton is set to begin welcoming very many more guests in the coming weeks. A completely redeveloped and relocated lift system is set to tie the skiing in St Anton together and offer better comfort and capacity for those wanting to access the Rendl side of the St Anton ski area. All good news, except for the locals who have had it their own way for years. Few guests ever ventured beyond the Galzig and Kapall ski areas leaving the locals to lap up all the fresh Rendl powder. That is very likely to change this coming winter with the convenience and volume offered by the new Rendlbahn ski lift likely to lead to encroaching on what was once a locals secret area. Great for the resort and the lift company who are able to enhance the visitor experience but I am sure that there will be many locals fondly looking back to the yellow cabins.

To swipe or to skin?

mat — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:37:22 +0000

One man’s spam is another man’s ham maybe, but how does this pan out when one of the best off-piste ski areas in the Alps gets an improved lift? What happens when an existing ski lift is replaced with a higher capacity lift or terrain previously only accessible on touring skis receives a new lift? A couple of seasons ago my local ski hill in Innsbruck had 2 new gondolas installed. The Mutters and Gotzens ski areas had for several years existed as the preserve for ski tourers, the old lifts had been de-commissioned and the only way up was either on skins or via some routes out of Axamer Lizum. For several years I effectively skied a private ski piste, you would rarely see any other skier on a descent and just a couple making their way up on skins. The arrival of the new lifts brought mixed emotions. Snow cannons, piste markers and numerous piste users replaced the serenity of the area but whilst the negative aspects of this development were clear, the boost to the local area and the joy (yes genuine) at seeing others on the slopes to appreciate the superb terrain and views outweighed all other aspects for me. What must the locals of St Anton be currently thinking? For years the Rendl side of the St Anton ski region was underused and remained a locals’ hangout. For obvious reasons the lift company has invested heavily to increase the convenience and capacity of the lift accessing the Rendl ski region. Mixed emotions for sure with more competition for the famed Rendl powder routes. But St Anton locals, whatever they do are reliant on visitors and to make the visitor experience better can only benefit them and their standard of livings. And remember, at one point in time a lift didn’t exist, what would the previous users of the Rendl have thought when the lift pylons went up for the first time?

New ski lift linking St Anton am Arlberg and Kappl in Paznauntal and maybe Ischgl?

mat — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 21:42:05 +0000

Sometimes new developments create as many problems as they solve. A new lift connection between St Anton am Arlberg and Kappl in Paznauntal is being much discussed in the region. So what do you do on a average morning in St Anton am Arlberg – 20,30,40cm of new snow – where to head. In the past it was pretty obvious – Stuben. But what if St Anton was connected to the Paznaun valley, directly into Kappl and maybe one day on into Ischgl, where then, west or south east? Well the St Anton – Kappl link is the long term project that is under a good deal of discussion in the region right now. With the upgrade of the Rendlbahn well under construction, the natural path south east into the Paznaun valley from St Anton am Arlberg is undergoing a major upgrade. Is the further link into Paznaun and the Kappl ski area on course for the coming years? What region worldwide would be able to compete with the combined St Anton – Ischgl region?

Which way to turn when knee deep in St Anton snow? Stuben or Kappl? - images © ineedsnow.com

A short video of the new Rendlbahn lift under construction and some of the architects impressions of the way it will look:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WMyMBOIq2k

Iconic yellow Rendlbahn gondola in St Anton am Arlberg to be replaced

mat — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 13:14:50 +0000

rendlbahn built 1974 and with a very 80s logo - image © ineedsnow.com

Built in 1974 the Rendlbahn, St Anton am Arlberg has come to the end of its life and is being replaced by a new system that connects from the heart of St Anton. For 35 years the Rendlbahn has carried skiers and snowboarders to some of the best powder fields in the St Anton ski area. And whilst the iconic yellow cabins have formed a part of St Anton scenery over the decades the time has come to replace the lift.

Valley station 1312m
Top station     2030m
Vertical rise     718m
Route distance     2440m
Max capacity     1300 Persons/hour
Time        12 minutes

Vitally the capacity, speed and age have not kept up with the rest of the St Anton ski region, whilst the most impressive aspect of the new development is the location of the valley lift station of the Rendlbahn that will occupy what is currently the bus terminal in the centre of St Anton. Just as with the relocation of the St Anton train station from the centre of the resort to a location across the river, so the centre of St Anton is going to be shaken up with bus terminal being buried underground and the main lifts hubs of the Galzigbahn and Rendlbahn leaving from the centre of the resort. Work is due to start in June 2009 and should be completed for the start of the 2009/2010 winter.

The Arlberg – the best ski holiday region in the Alps?

mat — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 20:02:23 +0000

The ski holiday resorts of St Anton, St Christoph, Stuben, Zurs and Lech go to make up the Arlberg ski region. Individually the ski holiday resorts generally offer excellent quality and variety and access famous ski areas. Collectively the resorts of the Arlberg could be reasonably rated as producing one of the best ski regions in the world but how does it compare with The 3 Valleys or Les 4 Vallees? Having skied extensively across the Alps (and beyond) I rate the Arlberg as generally the best ski region in Europe.

Stuben powder – image © ineedsnow.com

Snow – let’s start with something that goes beyond the subjective, snow fall histories. Zurs am Arlberg is rated as having the second highest snow fall accumulation of any ski region in the Alps, only beaten by the Bregenzerwald ski area of Warth-Schrocken located just in the next valley. Statistics are banded around for Stuben claiming it has the 3rd highest snow accumulation of any resort in the Alps – for anyone visiting between December and April any year they are almost certain to see near unbelievable snow depths around the village. The same can be said for Lech and St Christoph whilst the Valluga peak above St Anton ensures that the ski area is often deep in snow.

Lech am Arlberg & Arlberg gets snow – image © ineedsnow.com

Resorts – St Anton is a true alpinists resort with hard core riders and hard core après skiers, St Christoph is stylish and upmarket, Stuben is really atmospheric, Zurs is ski-in, ski-out, whilst Lech has style, fine hotels and real refinement. Amongst the resorts there is almost something for everyone

Zurs am Arlberg ski-in, ski-out luxury - image © ineedsnow.com

Ski terrain – St Anton steeps, Lech – Zurs and St Christoph intermediate cruisers or Stuben off-piste. The variety of skiing in the Arlberg is absolutely superb and really covers the entire spectrum of abilities, not all comparably sized ski regions can boast that.

St Anton steeps – image © ineedsnow.com

OK, the downsides……

Costs – the Arlberg can be more expensive than many other Austrian ski regions. That said I skied in Courchevel 1850 last year and saw lunchtime menus in mountain huts that featured dishes at over €100 and bottles of wine for €9000. We had a client contact us recently saying they bought 2 glasses of orange juice (200ml and not freshly squeezed) in 1850 for €32 – nicht gut!

Crowds – popularity leads to crowds and whilst Meribel pistes (in The 3 Valleys) can seem like Liverpool Street at 17:30, the Arlberg does have some issues with crowded pistes just above St Anton and traffic on the Lech roads. To get away from either head to Stuben.

Glacier skiing – one thing that the Arlberg does not have is glacier skiing and whilst it is not for everyone it does extend the ski season hugely. That said there are Austrian resorts that are 750m higher than Stuben that don’t come close to their snow fall levels.

Generally though I think I have to say that I have yet to find a ski region offering more than the Arlberg. I will keep skiing and looking though – feel free to add your favourite region…..

Snow volleyball, freestyle and cocktail championships – St Anton

mat — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 14:30:34 +0000

And if you still have some energy left after the Frejn’s Freeride Inferno on the 7th March, there is a huge event in St Anton at the Rendl area Snow volleyball the following day on the 8th March – yes the beach is snow for the day at the Rendl. On the same day the Fly-In Rendl-Park is hosting the Ski Club Arlberg 2009 Newschool championships. For those not wanting exert themselves too much there is also the ‘Arlberg Rendl Cocktail-Cup’ organised by the Austrian Bar Persons Union – should be competitive and fun

St Anton opens – its official, winter is here!

mat — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 10:26:52 +0000

So St Anton am Arlberg is set to open over the weekend with a program of events that start this evening:
Thursday 27/11/2008
Photo exhibition by Joseph Mallaun followed by an extreme mountaineering presentation featuring Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner

Friday 28/11/2008
Ski workshops and the bib draw for the giant slalom race, opening of the ski lounge and more movies, giant slalom race.

Saturday 29/11/2008
Ski and snowboard demonstrations, ski workshops and the ski race

Sunday 30/11/2008
The St Anton am Arlberg Rallye

Anyone familiar with the resort will readily understand that mixed in with the genuine Alpinism will be a ‘healthy’ provision of après ski, even for those not skiing.

Winter opening of the Ski Welt, St Anton and Ischgl

mat — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 10:27:40 +0000

So after the great snow of last weekend and the superb conditions of Sunday, the main resorts over here are set to open over the coming weekend. St Anton am Arlberg get things going on Friday with the start of a race weekend, whilst Ischgl is throwing another mega party on Saturday with Jenniffer Kae, Gabriella Cilmi and Leona Lewis. Also over the weekend the Ski Welt Wilder Kaiser and the Kitzbuhel / Westendorf ski areas are set to be linked when the ski area opens, creating the third biggest lift linked ski area in the world and the biggest in Austria.