Ski Arlberg Austria
Incredible terrain, ski lifts, snow quality & alpine villages await you at Austria's (and perhaps the world's) premier skiing region, Ski Arlberg. Straddling the border of Vorarlberg & Tirol states, the region includes the ski resorts of St Anton (including Stuben & St Christoph), Lech, Zurs, Warth-Schroecken. As if all that isn't enough, Ski Arlberg lift passes are also valid in neighbouring Sonnenkopf (Klösterle).
Pros & Cons for Ski Arlberg Region
Pros
- One of the most reliable winter snow-packs in the entire Alps.
- Largest interlinked ski area in Austria & in the top-10 largest ski areas in the world.
- Exceptional, modern & efficient ski lift infrastructure, that is constantly improving.
- 320km of perfectly groomed pistes for all abilities.
- Wonderful network of marked (and often groomed) ski routes.
- Immense lift-accessed side & backcountry terrain.
- Fabulous value for money lift pass considering the size & quality of the resort.
- Extremely high-quality accommodation, much of it ski-in, and a good portion of it ski-out as well.
- Authentic villages with a range in character & location to appeal to every taste and budget.
- World’s best après ski, particularly above and in St Anton.
- Excellent access via public transport (trains to St Anton or Langen-am-Arlberg)
Cons
- A popular ski destination that can be overcrowded at particular times of day, at certain lifts, and on several pistes, particularly on-piste in places like from Galzig along the Run of Fame toward Stuben in the morning, plus 'frontside' of Lech in the morning).
- High traffic on-piste trails can turn into skied-off, bumped-up, mogul fields before lunch, particularly in St Anton and the 'frontside' of Lech.
- Competition for first tracks on a powder day can be challenging in some sectors of the region.
- Prices at full-service mountain restaurants are comparably expensive.
Pro or Con
- Off-piste tree skiing is limited & probably the one thing that the region lacks, but does it really matter? Most of the forest areas are protected wildlife habitat, which is cool!
- Very popular ski region.
- Accommodation can be expensive & difficult to get at short notice.
- Epic Pass is now conditionally valid in the resort - potentially good for some, but possibly not so good for the majority!
Skiing & Snowboarding, Lifts & Terrain
One of the world's Top 10 largest ski resorts, skiing & snowboarding at Ski Arlberg is only limited by your imagination. The region's 85 lifts that interlink 305km of groomed trails and a vast amount of marked ski routes are only the beginning. The endless lift-accessed backcountry will provide enough freeride powder moments for a lifetime of the sweetest memories.
The terrain at Ski Arlberg is simply sensational. The over 300km of pistes are just the tip of the iceberg. Hundreds of kilometres of marked ski routes & backcountry runs are the real reason to come to this area. Much of the backcountry is lift accessible or via short boot-packs or skinning ascents. Once tracked out, it is not difficult to go a little further and find unsullied snow. Everyone should get a certified mountain guide at least once and do a descent from the highest lifted point of the region - the 2,811m Valluga. You cannot ascend the final cable car to Valluga summit with skis/snowboard unless in the company of a certified mountain guide. You can however ascend to the summit by boot-packing all by your lonesome! The Valluga is just one of a multitude of backcountry alpine peak options to ski fresh powder. Whilst having a mountain guide can ease your way into these areas, anyone with the nose for finding good snow can work it out, but with a guide the thinking is done for you - a definite benefit during a short ski holiday. Our 'go to' sector in Ski Arlberg is the high alpine terrain above & around Zürs, but here it is each to their own. The quieter sectors of the region such as Rendl, the flanks of Warth & Lech plus above Stuben, also have some fantastic backcountry skiing. For example, from the top lift above Stuben (Albonagrat), a short skin will give you long descents all the way to the train station at Langen-am-Arlberg (more on that below…).
Ski Arlberg has a couple of ski safari routes including the 'Run of Fame' and 'White (Weisse) Ring' which can be a quick way of getting some orientation in this vast area, however these well-travelled routes are very popular and are possibly best avoided in general when skiing on piste!
Aside from the incredible terrain, it is the lift system that truly makes Ski Arlberg a success. A few years ago the game changing installation of gondolas linking St Anton to Zürs, and Lech to Warth Schröcken fully interlinked the region. Since then, many of the older double & triple chairlifts have been steadily replaced with 10-seat gondolas or high speed 6 & 8-seater chairs. Access to linchpin locations like Schindler Spitze in St Anton is so good now. The final few older chairlifts (particularly around Lech) are slated for replacement in the coming seasons. A lift to fully connect the isolated village of Schröcken (1,269m) into the ski area will not only add skiable terrain to the resort but will also increase the region’s skiable vertical (ironically due to the villages lower elevation than St Anton!).
We recently checked out the region’s most recent lift upgrades, including the new Zugerbahn gondola that traverses over the hamlet of Zug, and the newer Albona I out of Stuben. A massive change in the lifting capacity, replacing a tediously slow double chair with 8 & 10-seater gondolas is future proofing done ‘in extremis’. The new lift at Stuben improves movement & comfort in this under-rated part of Ski Arlberg. A lovely village with some fantastic accommodation (both modern & traditional, Stuben is a gold mine for all Powderhounds. Whilst the current trail map doesn’t show it, a massive picture in the window of ‘Herbert’s Dorf-Laden’ of the Arlberg ski trail map from the year 1960, shows the tremendous potential of the area, including many super-fun, easy to get to freeride descents from Albona & Maroi that include down to Langen-am-Arlberg, St Christoph & Rauz. And that highlights the real strength of the Arlberg. So many options, so many ski routes, so many villages, and all interlinked by ski lift & bus.
Check out the possibilities by looking at the Ski Arlberg Trail Map below.
Ski Arlberg Lift Passes
Ski Arlberg is all about the interlinked lift pass. Super value for what one gets, each ski resort area is fully lift interlinked and includes Lech, Zürs, Zug, Warth-Schröcken, and St Anton (incl. Stuben & St Christoph). As mentioned earlier, Ski Arlberg lift passes are also valid in neighbouring Sonnenkopf - Klösterle, which can be accessed by bus or train from the main resorts. For international guests, the Vail Resort's Epic Pass is now valid for use on the lifts with strict conditions.
Where is Ski Arlberg Austria?
Ski Arlberg is a large region straddling the border of the Tirol & Vorarlberg states in western Austria and stretching from Rendl south of St Anton, west to Stuben, north to the centre of the region to Zürs-am-Arlberg, Zug & Lech-am-Arlberg and then further north again up to Warth & Schröcken. The center of the region is around 112km west of the awesome Austrian city of Innsbruck (less than 1½hr drive in a rental car), 194km east of Zurich Switzerland and its excellent airport (a little less than a 2½hr drive), and at least 230km by road southwest of Munich Germany. It is worth noting that the Warth-Schröcken sector is NOT connected to the rest of Ski Arlberg by road in winter. The summer road between Warth & Lech is closed for the entire winter ski season. Also worth noting that distances given here will vary depending on the exact destination, i.e. St Anton is closer to Innsbruck than Lech!
The best gateway airports are Zurich (ZRH) (192km by road) for intercontinental travellers, Innsbruck (INN) (110km by road) for travellers from the UK or Europe, & Munich (MUC) as an alternative to both. Munich airport is between 25km (to Warth) or 300km (to Zurs) from various points of Ski Arlberg. The quickest mode of travel to the region, but also the most expensive is by direct private transfer from the airport. An alternative can be to take a train to a nearby station and take a transfer from there. Search & book private airport transfers to Ski Arlberg.
Public transport via train & bus is quite convenient from Zurich, Innsbruck, or Munich, but will take longer. Travel to either St Anton or Langen-am-Arlberg bahnhofs (station) is via the main Innsbruck-Zurich line. For Warth, trains can be taken from Munich or Innsbruck to Reutte-im-Tirol station, where a bus will complete the journey. For Schröcken, it is best approached via Dornbirn statin ad then bus via Au & Schoppernau. Trains to St Anton railway station offer the best direct connections from the major airports. From St Anton station, the village is just across the road, and buses from the stop at the station can get you to St Christoph, Zurs & Lech. From Langen-am-Arlberg station, regular buses go to Stuben, Zurs & Lech. From Lech local buses link to Zug. If you are lucky, the bus ride may even include some après ski music & disco lights! Yep, welcome to the Arlberg...
Search & book train tickets to St Anton & Langen am Arlberg. Buy bus tickets from the driver.
Anyone driving to the region in a rental car will find the journey easy to St Anton or Stuben, but a little more challenging to St Christoph, Zurs, Lech or Zug. St Christoph is just below the 1,800m Arlberg Pass and can involve proper mountain driving. For Zurs and beyond, b just above the village of Stuben, the road heads up to 1,773m Flexen Pass before arriving in Zürs. Flexen Pass remains open in most weather thanks largely to a series of tunnels & avalanche mitigation works on the road between Flexen Pass & Zürs. Arlberg Pass may close to traffic in the worst winter storms.
Ski Arlberg Accommodation
The question of where to stay when skiing the Arlberg region can be as simple or as complex as one wants. The options are certainly diverse, with a range in scale & vibrancy that includes St Anton (& its satellites like St Jakob & Pettneu), Lech (& its satellites like Oberlech & Stubenbach), Warth, Zürs, Stuben, St Christoph, Schröcken & Zug. On the fringes are Langen-am-Arlberg & Klösterle which can be connected to Stuben by local bus, or an easy drive if one has a rental car. The good news is that no matter where one stays, the villages, ski lifts & trails are so well connected that you won’t be disappointed.
High demand for overnight lodgings might dictate the simple expedient of taking whatever is available, no matter where it is! But if you have a choice, here is a list of village attributes & best matches.
• Large & lively: St Anton & Lech
• Snow-clad all winter: St Christoph, Zürs, Lech, Oberlech, Stubenbach, Warth, Zug
• Absolute ski-in ski-out: Oberlech, St Christoph, Zurs
• Alpine location: St Christoph, Zurs
• Valley location: the rest!
• For novices/beginners: St Anton, Lech, Zürs
• For all other ski/snowboarder abilities: Anywhere!
• Après ski & nightlife: St Anton, then a long way back Lech & Warth (après only, nightlife is quiet)
• Public transport access: St Anton & Stuben
• Remote: Zug, and St Christoph can certainly feel that way too in a storm!
• Quiet: Zug, Schröcken
Of course for anyone happy to do day-trips to the region (with a rental car or prepared to take an early train) it is possible to stay anywhere within a 2-hour radius, which includes Innsbruck and a host of Austria’s other fantastic ski valleys (Ӧtztal, Pitztal, Paznauntal etc.). Use your imagination and the options become endless.
Search & book all the best hotels & apartments via our Ski Arlberg Accommodation Listings page.
For detailed info & recommendations on where to stay see our Where to Stay in Ski Arlberg page.
Ski Rentals, Guiding & Lessons
Ski rentals from our local partners are available in multiple locations including throughout St Anton, Pettneu, St Christoph, Lech & Warth. Additionally, there is a ski delivery service that can deliver ski & snowboard equipment directly to your door at Stuben or Zürs. Receive a discount when you search & book via our Ski Arlberg Ski & Snowboard Rental page.
If you are looking for a ski or snowboard instructor, or local mountain guide, you can search, compare & book via our Ski Arlberg Ski Lessons & Guiding page.
Review
The Powderhounds have reviewed the Ski Arlberg region on numerous occasions, the most recent of which was twice in 2024, during January & March. Suffice to say that despite its rightful popularity, we love it. Click on the review link in the left column (or top of the page if on a mobile) to read all the reviews.
See how Ski Arlberg and all its individual resorts compare to the rest of the Austrian ski areas on the Austria ski resort ratings page, or compare to the rest of Europe on the European ski resort ratings page.
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