Sonnenkopf Advanced & Off-Piste Skiing
Klostertal’s Sonnenkopf ski area includes just one black run, which is steep and straight, but in good snow conditions there are plenty of opportunities for skiing off-piste. And once you have expored these, there is even more off-piste at Stuben and the other Arlberg resorts.
Ride the gondola to the restaurant at 1,830m then head east and ski black 10 – a steep straight black – before riding a couple of 2-man chairlifts to Glattingrat 2,300m, the highest point in the ski area and scan the ski area on the way up.
Check out ski route 14 and the off-piste descents from the ridge that runs between Purtschakopf, Glattingrat and the top of the Obermuri chair. Effectively it’s one huge, North-facing bowl, perfect for freeriding with dozens of routes down. Most weeks you will still find off-piste powder here much longer than in any other Arlberg resort. It’s not risk free and there are cliffs, so hiring a guide is recommended, but if you know what you are doing and can see what you are doing, and take care, you shouldn’t come to too much harm.
There’s more difficult off-piste skiing “off-the back” on the far side of the ridge in the direction of Nenzigasttal, which is beyond the ski area and unpatrolled. This is a much more serious proposition and should not be skied without a qualified ski guide – available locally through or through the ski school at Stuben.
Sonnenkopf is also a good resort in which to try ski touring.
At some point however, advanced and off-piste skiers are going to want to try the off-piste skiiing in the other Arlberg resorts, and Stuben, just a few minutes away by bus or car from Sonnenkopf and famous for its off-piste and freeriding, is the best area to start. One of the most deservedly popular 1/2 day trips involves getting to Stuben by bus to meet a guide from the Stuben ski school at 9am, skiing the long off-piste itinerary from the top of the Albona above Stuben to Langen forest, catching a bus or taxi to Sonnenkopf, then skiing off-piste around Sonnenkopf, before ending with a final descent off the back of Glattingrat. But there is great advanced & off-piste skiing at St Anton, Lech-Zurs and Warth-Schroecken as well.