Snowed off the Mooserwirt terrace - St Anton in April

Spring skiing in St Anton am Arlberg - image © www.skiingaustria.co.uk

A couple of great days in St Anton getting a real mix of snow and spring sun. Yes what better way to spend the last month of the winter season moving between the Zillertal Arena and the Arlberg, staying in 4 star luxury at the Hotel Montjola in St Anton - great food, staff and located just above the main resort centre. The Rendl side of the St Anton ski area hosted a ski instructors race on the Sunday (serious bragging rights on offer in this most seriously hardcore alpine village). Not sure who won or whether they were in the Mooserwirt later that day but we took some of our staff over and had to show them how hard St Anton can party. We got snowed off the terrace and put on our dancing boots indoors - the Mooserwirt is tough to beat for après ski anywhere. Monday was spent at the Rendl (the new rendlbahn lift if you haven’t used it is a great addition to St Anton). Then we headed over to St Christoph, the Valluga and then down to Stuben am Arlberg. So one weekend and two of my top ski areas in the Alps - I personally would choose to ski in the Zillertal Arena or the Arlberg every time and in preference to some very big names in European skiing - they are both superb. A couple more trips to some local ski areas before the glacier skiing actions starts!

Escaping the April snow in the Mooserwirt après ski Mecca - image © www.skiingaustria.co.uk

From the Zillertal Arena to the Arlberg - skiing at its best

Hochkrimml in April - image © www.skiingaustria.co.uk

As the season winds down in the non-glacier ski resorts over in Austria it is time to enjoy 2 of the best ski regions in the Alps in one weekend. Today it was Hochkrimml for some spring skiing (although it was snowing) and then I am off to St Anton tomorrow and into Monday for a ski and to meet up with a couple of work partners out there. Snow is forecast for the next few days so the powder planks are ready on the Thule. For those that have not ventured over to Hochkrimml then it offers some of the best beginner skiing in the region. No surprises, just wide and gentle ski pistes with great access to the slopes from the resort and for those finding their feet on skis then the huge Zillertal Arena ski region awaits from the valley below Hochkrimml - all good, in fact very, very good.

Powder ohne ende - Lech am Arlberg in spring

I was over in Lech-Zurs yesterday for a meeting and took in a bit of relaxing sun in Zurs am Arlberg before heading over to Lech am Arlberg. Zurs was busy with spring skiers, I did not ski but could see the packed hotel terraces - the Arlberg in spring really is the high life. Over in Lech am Arlberg there were lucky skiers on Omeshorn above Lech who got some great lines in untracked snow. Check out the video of the descent:

Some of the ski areas in Austria will be closing this weekend but the resorts in the Arlberg, Paznaun, Otztal and all the glacier skiing areas will be open for some time yet. The higher elevations should see new snow over the weekend and into next week.

The snow continues to fall in Innsbruck offering some great April powder skiing

For those here over the last week there has been several top powder skiing days with some great conditions on offer today. Heavy snow fell during a visit to Seefeld yesterday and the around Innsbruck the snow line was down to maybe 1100m. Snow is set to fall all day today and clear tomorrow.

Big snow in Innsbruck

Plenty of snow today as far as Innsbruck centre whilst the ski holiday resorts located around Innsbruck got a good deal of new snow. Powder days await in the coming days. A friend from the Arlberg reported ‘lots’ of snow over the next few days in the Arlberg - hopefully I will get over there in the next few days, I am certainly there mid next week. April starts with its famed spring snow in Tirol!

Second night of new snow in Gerlos

This morning brought new snow again in Gerlos after the 2nd night of snow in succession and with temperatures set to fall over the coming week and the arrival of new snow, Easter is looking good in Austria. I was over watching live music in Konigsleiten yesterday and today spent a bit more time around the Zillertal Arena Centre in Gerlos. Snow was heavier down in the resort but high up there was a good deal of powder:

Gerlos off-piste action in new snow, 28th March 2010 - image © www.skiingaustria.co.uk

See the latest snow report from the slopes of Gerlos today:

This week I am hoping to get over to Stuben am Arlberg for some Albona off-piste action. Will keep you posted.

Huge snowflakes in Gerlos

New snow in Gerlos - image © www.skiingaustria.co.uk

Spring may have arrived in Austria but tonight there was heavy snow in Gerlos. Dinner at the Hotel Kristall, Gerlos with huge snowflakes coming down outside the window was pretty special. Good weather over the weekend should make for some great skiing and then we are set for colder and snowier conditions later next week. Conditions should be great for the Easter period, whilst there will be some serious powder on the glaciers tomorrow for those in the region.

Spring in great snow on the Stubai Glacier

Gamsgarten lift station on the Stubai Glacier - image © www.skiingaustria.co.uk

Just back from the Stubai Glacier where the conditions on-piste were superb, great snow and sunshine. Off-piste was both hazardous due to the high avalanche danger, whilst most of the off-piste was tracked out in any case. There were a good number of people there to enjoy the great skiing. Unfortunately the Schaufelspitze gondola was closed but that didn’t effect too many routes at all. Red piste 9 was in great shape, with a good surface and great snow - that is a run where you can really tank it down safely. The weather is set to be sunny over the coming days and getting slightly cooler.

Arlberg heli skiing video

For those of a jealous disposition then my advice is to not play the video below. In very many years and days on the ski slopes it ranks as one of the very best. The heli ski flight. Skiing with a world champion. Great powder snow. Clear skies. No other skiers or snowboarders in sight. All good, in fact very , very good. Ah yes and then I had an epic schnitzel and beer on the terrace of Stuben am Arlberg’s best hotel (the owners can certainly ski very well). Yes leaning back in a sun chair, beer in hand, legs destroyed from 2 massive descents and looking onto the mighty off-piste ridge of the Albona - I had a thought - life can be staggeringly good.

Heli skiing in the Arlberg - in over 30 years of skiing this was one of the very best

As perfect as it gets, heli skiing in the Arlberg - image © www.skiingaustria.co.uk

Some days everything comes together. Today, heli skiing in the Arlberg with a world champion powder skier and 2 Stuben am Arlberg locals was that day. We cancelled a heli ski flight last week due its departure late in the afternoon and then managed to schedule a flight early today. That was certainly part A of the complex jigsaw. Heavy snow this week and a world champion who knew exactly where to find the untracked powder were further pieces. Friends from Stuben am Arlberg and a heli trip up on a glorious day rather rounded things off. The flight and the location were incredible. The descent was deep powder and the route telemarking champion took us offered some great steep skiing in fantastic deep powder. I will upload the video from the descent once I get chance. The final route of the day was from Zurs am Arlberg into Stuben am Arlberg via the roof of the tunnel that accesses the Flexenpass. Anyone who has driven to Lech-Zurs in winter will have gone through this and we were about to go over it until our guide called it off due to avalanche danger. I will leave that on the to-do list but the route to it was fantastic in any case with more powder skiing. Tired and very, very high.

Konigsleiten and Hochkrimml powder skiing

So the skies cleared today and the powder in both Konigsleiten and Hochkrimml was great. The gradient in the Konigsleiten area of the Zillertal Arena was better for powder skiing and there was some great powder routes on offer but it was a nice surprise to ski some powder on the fringes of the Hochkrimml ski pistes - this is the beginner area of the Zillertal Arena. Below you can see a snow report from Hochkrimml. In Konigsleiten there were plenty of tracks by the afternoon but for those looking for an introduction to powder skiing then it is a great option with a huge area beneath the Falschbach chair that is hemmed in by two ski pistes. The off-piste is wide and a decent gradient and offers the chance to get off the off and back onto the piste pretty easily. Today I headed off past the Diretissima Gerlos ski piste and into some great powder. In the Gerlos area (on the way back over to Zell am Ziller) there was so much un-tracked powder it was untrue - no idea why? So after skiing in my joint-favourite ski region in the Alps it is of to the Stuben in the Arlberg and some serious heli-ski powder. The powder ski champ awaits - I feel a bit like a dustman on the way to meet Queen E II - the comparisons are not entirely coincidental.

Powder in Austria - time to miss some deadlines

I remember (just) from my surfing days that when swells arrived our schedules went out of the window. Everything apart from surfing and partying were relegated to inconveniences - ah the days of youthful innocence and transgressions. I feel like a kid again - I loaded up the car with the powder boards tonight and got together the avalanche gear in anticipation of a powder day tomorrow in the Zillertal Arena, closely followed by heli-skiing in the Arlberg on Thursday. Plenty of snow has fallen over the last couple of days and with spring set to return in the next few days it is time for some powder action. I will be aiming for some serious banks of powder in Konigsleiten that I have seen tracked in the past and in the Arlberg I will be heli-skiing with a powder ski world champion. Hopefully we can find a darts board after he gives me a lesson in Arlberg off-piste

Winter in spring - Innsbruck spring skiing is cold and snowy

In a world of changing weather patterns this winter has been a throw-back to days gone by. The winter has been persistently cold and the spring skiing has for now deserted us in Innsbruck with cold temperatures. The snow that is so common throughout March and April in the Tirol is here but the temperatures remain stubbornly low - all good as far as I am concerned! Spring is set to arrive later next week with sunnier conditions and more mild temperatures.

When to heli-ski in Austria?

Currently trying to schedule a heli-ski flight with some very good skiers from a Stuben hotel and their neighbour, who as far as I know doesn’t own a hotel but does live in Stuben am Arlberg and is a powder champion. Illustrious company! We were set to go up today but I left it too late to schedule the flight and the best we could do is a late flight. There were very many groups flying up to score one of the best off-piste days of the year in the Arlberg mountains above Lech-Zurs - so tracks would have been numerous. Snow is forecast for the weekend and into next week so I am heavily reliant on the locals of Stuben giving me enough time to schedule the flight. Heli-skiing it will be though next week.

In from the cold of Davos

Après ski Davos style - image © www.skiingaustria.co.uk

Just back in Innsbruck after the ski trip to Davos and the frigid temperatures of the Swiss Davos / Klosters region have been experienced in the Austrian Tirol as well. Snow is set to fall over the coming days and the forecast for the Arlberg region is for some great snowfall tomorrow and then a powder bonanza the following days. Heavy snow is also forecast early next week. Once again the months of March and April deliver big snow in Austria.