There’s so much rumour and hearsay about the best snow conditions at ski resorts that they’ve become modern-day fabled cities of gold like El Dorado. One resort that consistently stands out above the rest, however, is nestled in the Tyrolean Alps in the western tip of Austria. St. Anton am Arlberg, more commonly known as St. Anton, has a great reputation for skiing by day and partying by night, with emphasis on both quality and quantity of snow. More a traditional resort than a set of ski lodges, the dynamics of the town’s recreation scene make property investment in St Anton a good bet for year-round productivity rather than seasonal income.
Location provides the impetus for quality snowfall in St. Anton. It’s part of the highest hills in all of Austria, receiving snowfall from heavy clouds blown in on three sides from the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, and the Baltic. With profound snowfall each winter, the Valluga basin gets global attention for its runs, often to the point where experts and professionals tackle the most difficult courses with glee. Verticals drop as far as one thousand meters on a single mountain side, where the sun doesn’t shine with enough duration or intensity to cause the deep, light, fluffy snow to become wet and heavy. British instructor Graham Austick runs a skiing school in St. Anton devoted to capitalising on the great powder.
Tourists and natives alike flock to St. Anton to ski, since the lift pass gets them on the main runs as well as nearby runs in Lech or Zurs (both of which are more forgiving to novice ski enthusiasts). Once the last light comes to a close, visitors flock to any one of the various bars and clubs that offer pulse-pounding music and drinks to skiers as well as instructors. Without traffic on the main street, everyone gets around on foot, from the buses heading to the slopes to the saunas that let you sweat away the day’s slopes.
