St Anton am Arlberg Off-Piste

Skiing Off-Piste in St Anton am Arlberg

The St Anton am Arlberg ski area features some of the best off-piste skiing in the Alps. There are enormous amounts of terrain for freeriding including high-altitude ski routes, narrow chutes, couloirs and hidden valleys for deep-snow skiing far from the ski lifts.

Valluga Off-Piste

St. Anton’s ‘off the back’ descents are legendary and can be crowded on a powder day, but these ‘must do’ descents are worth skiing even many days after a fresh snowfall, especially the Valluga north face descent to Zürs.

The gut-wrenching Valluga summit descent into the Paziel-Tal to Zurs is world famous for being one of the “must ski” off-piste descents accessible from a lift station and justifiably so.

This awesome off-piste descent is certainly not for the faint-hearted! A small gondola carries sightseers and skiers to the observation platform at the Valluga summit, but for safety’s sake, only those accompanied by a qualified guide are allowed to take their skis or board to the summit.

From the exposed summit, the slopes on all sides disappear into the abyss and the first timer is not quite sure where they should begin to ski as they are faced with a convex slope and what appears to be a labyrinth of cliffs and rocks.

An experienced mountain guide is unlikely to allow you to attempt the descent unless already satisfied with your skiing ability. Also,  straining your eyes will not make this gut-wrenching descent any easier so it best to relax, enjoy the scenery and pretend you are not a little bit afraid. For mountain guiding in St Anton we recommend Piste to Powder Off-Piste Ski Guides >

Following the guide’s careful instructions the descent begins with an option of two variations from the summit.

Valluga North Face

The classic Valluga North Face begins with tight turns in the fall line on the far left of the face, where a tenuous traverse leads right; here great attention is needed as a fall could end in a rocket slide leading to a cliff which one would not wish to visit twice.

A successful traverse skier’s right, and then a traverse skier’s left leads to elation among the group as the first obstacle is over and the terrain now looks almost enjoyable. Now only wonderful turns lie ahead but care is again exercised to avoid the 40-meter cliff at its base. During this adrenaline-surging skiing try to stay relaxed, look up from the tips of your skis and enjoy your skiing while marvelling at the view ahead.

Once you’ve gained the col splitting the two dominant summits of Valluga and Rogspitze, you cast your eyes back to what you’ve skied and either thank your luck you survived or ask your guide when you can ski it again! The scenery here is dramatic with two towering summits overhead creating an intimidating yet marvellous atmosphere. Skiing away from the col you’re now faced with seemingly endless powder slopes down to Zürs.

Valluga Bridge Couloir

The second option from the summit, Valluga Bridge Couloir, is equally exciting and, to add to the adventure, your elementary mountaineering skills and head for heights will be put to the test as you make your way down the roped steps to gain the old wooden Bridge that spans the famous “Bridge Couloir”.

After a step down under the wooden planks of the bridge, a tight 40-degree couloir requires expert technique in jump turns. After 15 turns the couloir disappears around a left banking corner before finally opening up into the wide west slope of the Valluga, where sweeping turns lead you to a meeting point safely at the base of the west face. A short traverse northwest leads you around a hidden corner to open up a treasure of powder and adventure running all of the way to the Zürs.

Galzig Off-Piste

The Galzig ski area is reached by an impressive high-speed gondola from St. Anton and includes some excellent off-piste ski terrain, but you’ll need to be quick here too as Galzig is one of the first areas that gets skied on a powder day, especially when the higher slopes of the Valluga and Schindler are closed due to wind or avalanche risk.

Straight off the cable car, you’re faced with numerous options. First off the bat is Zwischen which is sandwiched between the Ostang Einfahrt blue and the Kandahar black piste. Here you’ll find powder slopes and challenging lines between the trees which will bring you out close to Feldherrnhugel lift.

Backseite is the Galzig classic: north-facing, steep and perfect for developing off-piste technique on steeper terrain dropping into Steissbachtal (Happy Valley). The red ski route (51) from Galzig down to St Anton is a reincarnation of black Ostang and the mogulled section between the trees is usually quite challenging.

Backseite is accessed by riding the Zammermoos chairlift or the Tanzboden T-bar and then skiing towards the red ski route (54) which offers multiple entry points and the chance to pick the steepest terrain or head skiers left at the top of the Kandahar run towards the bottom of Tanzboden then ski off-piste down the steep north facing pitch into Steissbachtal (Happy Valley). The Zammermoos chairlift affords easier access to the steepest terrain and on a powder day, you can make excellent laps using Zammermoos lifts.

Easily accessed from below the Galzig cable car Maienwassen is truly world-class on a powder day even when the visibility is low, as the trees are never far away to help with the contrast, but utmost care must be taken as left and right sides of this descent are deep cutting valleys which can present extreme avalanche danger on fresh snow days.

Kapall Schonegraben Off-Piste

Off the Kapall lift to the east of the resort is Schonegraben, meaning “Beautiful Grave”. This descent offers steep trees and open faces and the correct line must be chosen to remain safe from potential avalanche threats. Upon entering the area you must head for the trees and take care on the steeper slopes left of the forest line.

From the top of Kapall looking towards Schonegraben is a very inviting bowl, this bowl must never be skied in its entirety as it ends in an ever increasingly convex form to end in a steep narrow gauge called the “The plug hole” which has claimed many avalanche deaths in the area over the years. To avoid this follow the high logical traverse to the right to gain the bottom of the drag lift to access the top of the Kapall lift.

Rendl Off-Piste

The Rendl ski area on the opposite side of the valley is easy to reach from the impressive Rendlbahn gondola station in St Anton.  The off-piste skiing at Rendl is often used for guiding due to its variable terrain and predictable snow. There is good off-piste skiing between the pistes left and right of the Maass Bahn, where you’ll find gentle slopes meandering through the trees; always a favourite area during stormy days as the trees help with the visibility.

Moving higher up the mountain, take the Gampberg six-man chair lift and skier’s right, skiing the line under the chair lift, it’s long and perfect for getting into that powder rhythm, you can either traverse out left back to the piste or continue further or join the long red run down to St Anton. There are also some chutes and gullies under the Riffel lift. Ride the lift up to assess them from above before tackling them.

St Anton’s Rendl ski area, however, really comes into its own when you want to start venturing farther away from the lifts with several short side-stepping climbs allowing access to excellent hidden off-piste stashes. Rendl’s many ‘off the back’ options include the Hinter Rendl bowl, the challenging North Face and scenic silence in comparatively gentle Rossfall.

Hinter Rendl Off-Piste

Hinter Rendl, a huge north-facing bowl, offers steep and wide untracked powder through high alpine ski terrain and open forest lines. It can get tracked early, but its vastness and unlimited lines mean that you can almost always find something untracked many days after the last snowfall.

Ride the Riffel 1 and 2 chair lifts and you access the bowl passing through a roped-off section with a sign warning indicating you’re leaving the patrolled area. You will need to have experience in avalanche judgment to ski here.

The other entrance point is after riding the Gampberg lift, head right along Schimalegg ridge and where the terrain flattens a line right is taken to access a wonderful open bowl which leads you to trees and the track back to the Rendl Bahn, but be aware this route requires experience in route finding and avalanche judgment. Attention must be paid not to ski in the couloirs directly right as these hold dangerous snow after strong wind and or fresh snow and the scene of many an accident.

Rendl North Face Off-Piste

Long and dominating, Rendl’s North Face immediately south of St Anton shadows the village and offers an outstanding powder run that invites you to its upper open faces and its lower technical tree lines.

The Rendl North Face route, however, requires excellent route-finding skills. If you take the wrong line, you will end up surrounded by cliffs and drops with a strenuous if not impossible hike back up the mountain.

You can access the Rendl North Face area from the Gampberg lift and ski the itinerary route number R5 to its halfway point, traverse right until you reach a radio antenna, then ski the fall line to reach the trees, and then take the obligatory right traverse line to escape the cliffs. There are many convex slopes on this face and they must be avoided during powder days as these are serious potential avalanche areas.

Rossfall Off-Piste

For those not quite up for the challenge of Rendl’s north face, Rossfall’s wide rolling pitches offer delightful powder. A short traverse and a steep side-step climb up the right side of the Riffel 1 chair lift allows access to this little paradise, where the stunning views and mountain silence remind you that off-piste skiing is what life’s all about! Route finding experience is important here too as you need to avoid certain convex slopes and potential terrain traps in this area.

Schindlerkar Off-Piste

The Schindlerkar (86) and Mattunjoch (90) ski routes can be reached by riding the Schindlergratbahn gondola to Schindler Spitze (2,660m) or taking the Valluga I cable car to Vallugagrat (2,650m), then skiing Red 19 and riding the cable car to reach the ski routes. Here you’ll see successive lines cut by skiers traversing high and wide in search of good lines back down to the main ski route. But with so many off-piste powder hounds around you need to be quick off the mark to find fresh tracks in these high-traffic areas.

If you like skiing steep and narrow couloirs lined on either side by rocks then check out the Schindler West experts-only chutes dropping down to your left from the top of the Schindlergratbahn top station. A robust wooden fence prevents accidental access to these couloirs and you can be sure there’ll be quite an audience when experts climb the fence and perch somewhat perilously before jumping in and disappearing from view after just a few turns or quicker still if they were to fall. In all but the very best fresh snow conditions (when local ski instructors and ski bums will have got there before you), it’s moguls all the way.

The Schindler South slopes beneath the Schindlergratbahn gondola offer excellent deep snow possibilities on a powder day and can be accessed high up from behind the top lift station but you’ll need an instructor or guide for safe route finding and to ensure a safe descent through rocky couloirs higher up and on avalanche prone south facing slopes.

Easier access at a lower level can be gained by skiing down on piste from Schindlergratbahn then not far from the top as you bear left towards Ulmer Hutte traverse skiers left off-piste quite some distance around the shoulder of Schindler then a short boot up and you can drop on to the slopes running down beneath the gondola.

Sonnenkopf – Neningastal Off-Piste

Sonnenkopf is primarily a family resort, which is not lift-connected to the Ski Arlberg area, and about 30-minutes by car or bus from St Anton. However, it is included in the main Arlberg lift pass and the ski area offers skiing between spaced-out trees and bowl-like possibilities.

Hidden over the back of the top lift, however, is the very impressive Nesingastal off-piste run offering 1,500m vertical of exciting steep lines, huge open faces, and impressive scenery. To conclude the run there’s the obligatory steep exit line through a demanding and gullied steep section studded with bushes leading to the Nesingastal. This spectacular adventure ends close to Langen where you catch the train in time to get you back to St. Anton for well-earned après-ski!

Piste to Powder Off-Piste Ski Guides in St Anton

Founded by Graham Austick in the early 2000s and now owned by Florian Klarer, Piste to Powder is a team of 20 IFGA mountain guides who will guide you to the best snow and the best off-piste terrain in the Arlberg.

Offering off-piste skiing for three levels of ability – entry level, intermediate and advanced off-piste – their Open Group system allows you to ski more and pay less! All day guiding from €159 per person per day, and discounts for multiple day bookings.

• Entry level: competent piste skiers with very little or no off-piste experience;
• Intermediate: comfortable skiing moderate off-piste terrain; and
• Advanced: off-piste skiers happy to ski steeper lines at a fast pace in all conditions.

Intermediate and advanced levels also require a good level of fitness. Expect lots of fun, laughs and great days with like-minded skiers. Meeting point outside Anton Bar, opposite the Galzigbahn, at 8:45 am.

Director: Florian Klarer.
Tel: +43 664 174 6282.
Web: www. pistetopowder.com

More information about the St Anton Ski Area and Ski Lifts & Lift Passes