Stuben Ski Resort intermediate

Intermediate

Centrally situated and a gateway to the Arlberg, Stuben am Arlberg is a convenient village base for good quality skiing on the Albona and for easily exploring the entire Arlberg ski area – St Anton, St Christoph, Lech-Zűrs and family friendly Sonnenkopf.

Stuben – for intermediate skiing away from the crowds
Compared to nearby St Anton and Lech-Zűrs, Stuben is less crowded and benefits from better than average snow conditions. There are only a handful of marked red and blue runs on the Albona, but they’re well maintained, mostly quite wide higher up and there’s good vertical – 1,000m top to bottom. Whilst intermediates will soon exhaust Stuben’s on-piste opportunities, that’s not a problem as Stuben is connected to St Anton (5 black, 29 reds and 18 blues) and is just a short bus journey to Lech-Zűrs (1 black, 44 red and 16 blue runs) and the popular White Ring ski circuit.

St Anton for challenging intermediate skiing and boarding
Warm up on the Albona then ski to Alpe Rauz and ride the Valfagehr chair to access the ski area above St Anton. The pistes in St Anton can be quite challenging, not least because they’re busy and mostly skied by experienced skiers churning well-groomed pistes into moguls, but its great skiing both above and below the tree line. There’s plenty of it so study the map and plan your itinerary well – Schindlergrat, Steissbachtal, Gampen, Kapall, Galzig, St Christoph and Valluga

Schindlergrat for high altitude red runs and ski routes
After Valfagehr chairlft, check out the red or blue runs to the bottom of the Arlenmahder (it’s often quiet here) then ride the chairlift for a pit stop at Ulmer Hűtte (a sun trap in good weather and a refuge when in a white out) then ski to the Schindlergrat lift (“the triple chair”) and enjoy panoramic views up to Schindler Spitze 2,660m and some of the best high altitude skiing on- and off-piste in the Arlberg. If you’re curious to see some of St Anton’s more challenging opportunities close up, study the upper slopes beneath Schindlergrat chair lift then take a look at Schindler chutes left side of the wooden fence as you exit hut at the top of the lift – narrow and very steep, for experts only! The first section on-piste after Schindlergrat is red, but narrow and often busy, so take it slowly. Keep skiers left if you fancy the long red run (14) descent down to the Ulmer Hűtte or skiers’ right if you prefer the un-groomed red ski route (15) winding around the other side of Schindler.

From Schindler ski long blue runs via Steissbachtal to St Anton
Whichever of these options you choose you can make your way to the long blue run (4) through Steissbachtal (‘Happy Valley’) which is a long fun run (except mid afternoon onwards when it’s crowded) and follow blue (1) which passes some of St Anton’s best mountain huts for lunch and for après ski including Sennhűtte, the mighty Mooserwirt and infamous Krazy Kanguruh après ski bar, then ski the last few hundred meters down to St Anton.

Good intermediate skiing on Gampen, Kapall and Galzig
If, temporarily, you can resist St Anton’s superb new glass-fronted Galzig lift, ride the chairlifts to Gampen 1,850m then onwards to Kapall 2,330m. If you aim to be here late morning and you’ll likely find it’s not too busy as by this time many St Anton skiers will have skied over to Galzig and Schindler. Ski blue, red and black runs on Kapall and Gampen as you make your way back to St Anton then it’s time to check out the impressive Galzig lift. Blue Ostang (5) on Galzig 2,185m is good for perfecting your ski technique on a wide and even pitch blue, but it’s also a popular teaching area and often busy with beginner groups. More testing is the black Kandahar run (2), ski it close to lunchtime to avoid the worst of the crowds on Galzig then ride the Zamermoosbahn chair lift back up Galzig.

St Christoph am Arlberg for lunch
From the top of the Zammermoos chair lift on Galzig, there’s a long blue run (8) which passes right hand side and behind the main cable car station then all the way down to St Christoph with a long fast finish then lunch or break for a drink at the Hospiz Alm – one of the best mountain restaurants in the Alps – or, if the weather’s bad and if Hospiz Alm is too busy, the much quieter Ski & Spa Hotel Maiensee in St Christoph is also a good for lunch.

Valluga, Schindler and the home run to Stuben
When ready to ski back to Stuben, you can either ski from Galzig to the Schindlergrat chair or ascend the Valluga I cable car from Galzig to Vallugagrat 2,650m then follow ski the single red run and a T-bar lift that allows you to re-connect with Schindler. On a clear day it’s also worth taking the small 5-person cable car to the panoramic viewing platform on top of the Valluga 2,811m (skis permitted only if accompanied by a qualified mountain guide) and a bird’s eye view of the experts’ only off-piste route back of the Valluga descent from the top of the Valluga to Zűrs. From Schindler ski the long red run (14) then straight on past Ulmer Hűtte down the even longer blue (17) beneath the road at Alpe Rauz to return to Stuben – a great thigh burner if skied top to bottom non-stop.

Plenty of well-groomed skiing for intermediates in Lech-Zűrs
St Anton appeals to a younger demographic hungry for adventure whereas Zűrs and Lech attract a more sophisticated clientele – typically older, well-heeled and mostly preferring leisurely skiing on well groomed slopes. It’s just a short 7km bus ride or taxi from Stuben to the ski lifts in Zűrs which open up the extensive ski area above and around Lech-Zűrs – mostly red runs and great for intermediates. If you like skiing fast on well-groomed red and blue runs you'll enjoy the Lech-Zűrs intermediate pistes and there are several good restaurants on the mountain in Oberlech.