Sonnenkopf Ski Resort
Sonnenkopf is a small, affordable, family-friendly ski area near the Klostertal villages of Wald, Danofen, Klösterle and Langen. It's also part of the huge Arlberg ski area. But whereas the other Arlberg ski resorts like St Anton, Lech and Zurs are all lift-linked, Sonnenkopf is a bus or car ride away.
Sonnenkopf is easy to like but hard to explain. It’s a ski area rather than a resort, so you can not actually stay in Sonnenkopf; instead the accommodation is in the Klostertal villages stretched out in the valley below: Wald am Arlberg and Danofen are the closest to the lift station; Klösterle am Arlberg is the largest; and Langen am Arlberg has the local train station. And Sonnenkopf is both a ski area in its own right, and a sector of a much larger ski area, the mighty Arlberg, so visitors can choose whether to buy just the local Sonnenkopf lift pass or one that covers the whole of the Arlberg. And whilst the Arlberg is famous for being Austria’s largest lift-linked ski area, Sonnenkopf is the one part of it that is not lift-linked. In fact most people who stay in the Arlberg never visit Sonnenkopf.
More fool them, because this forgotten outpost of the Arlberg has a lot to recommend it. It’s family-friendly, uncrowded and a great place to learn to ski or snowboard. And whilst the local area is small (about 10 lifts and 15 runs including the nursery area), it has a good snow record and there are runs for every standard: gentle blue pistes for novices; cruisy reds with the odd testing section for intermediates; and a good steep black run plus some notable off-piste for advanced skiers, including official ski routes, lots of between-the-piste freeriding in the main north-facing bowl, a long itinerary ‘off the back’ for which you will need a guide, and plenty of ski touring possibilities.
Good piste skiers will want to move on from the local area after a couple of days, however. And whilst Sonnenkopf is not lift-linked to the other parts of the Arlberg, it has a regular bus connection: the same bus that takes skiers from the villages around Klosterle to the Sonnenkopf base station carries onto Stuben Am Arlberg, which is only about 20 minutes away, and Stuben is linked by lift and piste to St Anton, St Christoph, Lech, Zurs, Warth and Schroecken. There is also a much less frequent rail link from Langen to St Anton.
So if you don’t mind a short journey in a bus, train or car, Sonennkopf offers excellent value for money. Food and drink tend to be cheaper in the Klostertal villages than in the other Arlberg resorts, as is accommodation which is mainly in small family-owned hotels, B&B guesthouses and apartments. Sonnenkopf is also easy to get to, because it’s just off the S16 highway. Or you can come by train to Langen.
You have to be realistic about the nightlife, however. There are only a handful of bars and restaurants in the Klostertal villages, so take the proverbial scrabble board and be prepared to entertain yourself, unless you want to drive to the other Arlberg resorts in the evening.
Sonnenkopf Pros and Cons
+ Good but small local ski area;
+ Part of the Arlberg, Austria’s best ski area;
+ Uncrowded;
+ Unspoilt rural villages;
+ Good value for money.
– A lot of driving or taking buses & trains;
– No slope-side accommodation;
– Very quiet apres ski and nightlife.
