Arlberg, Tyrol · Austria
St. Anton
St. Anton am Arlberg occupies a place in skiing history that few resorts anywhere in the world can match. Hannes Schneider developed the Arlberg ski technique here in the 1920s, effectively inventing modern downhill skiing as a teachable discipline, and from that beginning the resort has grown into one of the great names in global skiing. It sits in the Tyrolean Alps where the main Alpine ridge crosses the Arlberg pass, a location that collects some of the heaviest snowfall in the entire Alps.
Today St. Anton is the centrepiece of Ski Arlberg — a vast linked ski area that also encompasses Lech, Zürs, Stuben and Warth-Schröcken — with over 300 kilometres of marked pistes and a reputation for challenging, north-facing terrain that holds its powder better than almost any resort its size. The après-ski scene, centred on the Mooserwirt and Krazy Kanguruh huts at the base of the Schindler run, is one of the most famous in Europe.
The Arlberg — cradle of alpine skiing
The Arlberg massif is defined by its dramatic, high-alpine character: jagged limestone peaks, deep-cut valleys and north-facing flanks that trap and preserve snow in a way that few other areas in the Alps can match. The Valluga, St. Anton's signature summit at 2,811 metres, is accessed by a two-stage cable car and commands a view across four countries on a clear day.
The Schindlergrat and Valluga sectors hold the most demanding terrain in the resort, with sweeping off-piste lines and steep couloirs that challenge even the most experienced skiers. The Arlberg's deep, reliable snowpack — a direct consequence of the pass's position where Atlantic weather systems pile moisture against the Alps — is part of what has made this area a byword for powder skiing for over a century.
The terrain & skiing
Across the full Ski Arlberg area there are around 200 marked pistes — by European grade, approximately 40 blue, 115 red and 34 black runs, with no formal green category as the Austrian system merges easy terrain into blue. That red-dominant profile, with a substantial black contingent, reflects an area that skews decisively toward intermediate and expert skiers.
St. Anton's home mountain offers the Rendl sector for a quieter, more varied experience, while the Galzig and Kapall sectors deliver the classic, fast, open cruising that the resort is famous for. The interconnected Lech and Zürs sectors, linked via the Flexenbahn gondola, add an entirely different flavour — the gentle, sunny slopes of Lech sitting in contrast to the shadowed steeps of St. Anton proper.
Off-piste is the true heartbeat of St. Anton skiing, and the resort makes no apology for it. The slopes immediately below the Schindler and Valluga cable cars open into vast, natural powder fields that experienced skiers have been exploring for generations. A local guide is the key that unlocks the best of the Arlberg backcountry — and the ski school here, tracing its lineage directly to Hannes Schneider, remains among the best in the world.
The village & après-ski
St. Anton am Arlberg is a proper Tyrolean village, not a purpose-built resort, and it wears its history proudly. The Dorfstrasse runs through a collection of traditional whitewashed buildings, timber-fronted hotels and the parish church whose onion dome is one of the most recognisable in the Austrian Alps. The village sits astride the main Arlberg road and railway line, making it one of the most accessible high-quality ski resorts in Austria.
The après-ski needs little introduction. The Mooserwirt and Krazy Kanguruh, both slope-side near the base of the Galzig cable car, are among the most famous mountain huts in the world — raucous, packed and in full swing from around 3 p.m. The party continues into the village bars and clubs well into the night, making St. Anton as celebrated for its social scene as for its skiing.
Why we put it in the game
St. Anton's Ready Steady Slope Resort card reflects the real Arlberg character without compromise: no green runs, just a single blue, two reds and a black. That bottom-heavy, expert-leaning profile captures the essence of a resort where the piste map is dominated by red and black terrain, where off-piste is the main event, and where even the blue runs require a degree of confidence that most beginner resorts would class as red.
In game terms, this is a demanding card that rewards players who are comfortable with risk — just as the real St. Anton rewards skiers who are comfortable at the top of the Valluga looking at a choice of challenging lines with nothing gentle in sight. The single blue provides a foothold for more cautious play, but the card's identity is defined by those two reds and the black, a miniature portrait of one of alpine skiing's greatest and most storied resorts.
Where is St. Anton?
Arlberg, Tyrol, Austria
How to get there
| Nearest airport | Transfer time (by road) |
|---|---|
| 🇦🇹Innsbruck (INN) | ~1 hr 30 min |
| 🇨🇭Zurich (ZRH) | ~2 hr 30 min |
| 🇩🇪Munich (MUC) | ~2 hr 30 min |
Graded runs at St. Anton
The in-game Resort card is a stylized approximation — here are St. Anton's actual marked pistes by grade.
| Grade | Runs |
|---|---|
| Green (beginner) | 0 |
| Blue (easy) | 40 |
| Red (intermediate) | 115 |
| Black (advanced) | 34 |
| Total | 189 |
Quick facts
Ready to hit the slopes?
With our game you can bring St. Anton to your table. Click below to find out where to buy, or visit the actual resort. Or even better… do both, and pack the cards for the après!