Arlberg

„The Cradle of Skiing“ - This is the slogan of the region around the ski resort Arlberg and its villages St. Anton and Lech-Zürs. Selfevidently, nobody attempts at verifying this statement. This isn't necessary, though. As a matter of fact, Ski arlberg is one of the most visited ski resorts in Austria. With 456 kilometers of trails that are serviced by 43 lifts the resort claims to be the biggest ski resort in Austria. However, this statement also need to be considered carefully since the trails of Lech-Zürs and the area around St. Anton appear to be one ski area on the trail map but in fact there is no interconnection. As a result, skiers need to take the free bus or their car to get from Lech to St. Anton. Thus, it actually would be correct to call Skiwelt Wilder Kaiser Brixental (Kufstein) the biggest ski resort in Austria and not Arlberg. Yet, this is not a disadvantage for the resort Ski Arlberg. The lift-tickets are valid in St. Anton as well as in Lech-Zürs and the disitnct areas are big enough on their own to keep you busy for days. Both St. Anton and Lech-Zürs performed very well at the test of skiresorts-test.com. It is a great destination for skiers and snowboarders of all ability levels. However, one can say that St. Anton is the more challenging area of the two. The slopes at the Galzig with a height of 2185 meters and the freeride runs at the Valluga with a height of 2811 meters ( attention: partly skiing is only allowed in attendance of a mountain guide) are especially recommendable and a real highlight for experienced skiers. Beginners, in contrast, will rather enjoy the calmer area around St. Christoph and the gentle slopes of Oberlech. Thus, there is only the question of accommodation left. Whilst Lech represents itself as rather posh and elitist, the younger visitors mostly stay in St. Anton. However, one has to admit that the hotels in St. Anton are not significantly cheaper than the ones in Lech. Whatsoever, as in most ski resort in the Alps you can also book a cheaper holiday home located a little outside of the center to save sine money. Most visitors come from Germany. For those the Inntalautobahn is the only option to get to Arlberg. Depending on whether you come from Munich or Ulm you can choose the route passing Innsbruck or Dornbirn. For everyone who thinks they could shorten the route by taking the Bundesstraße passing Warth: Although you can already see the lifts in Lech from Warth you need to make a long detour on a street that is often closed due to avalanches.