August 21st, 2011 by matt
Intrusion or access to the Trittkopf, Zurs am Arlberg? - image © www.skiingaustria.co.uk
One of the more obvious ski lift links in the Alps is back on the boil with consultations underway regarding a lift linking the western extent of the St Anton am Arlberg ski area with the Lech - Zurs ski area in Zurs am Arlberg. The Arlberg ski area has long comprised of the ski areas of St Anton am Arlberg, St Christoph am Arlberg, Stuben am Arlberg, Zurs am Arlberg and Lech am Arlberg. Until now the Arlberg ski area has contained distinct areas that are not connected by lift or ski piste, those of St Anton, St Christoph and Stuben and Lech - Zurs. A single ski pass covers all the areas and it is possible to ski throughout the separate entities but to move between the 2 it is necessary to catch a short bus transfer between Alpe Rauz and Zurs am Arlberg. The only other ways I know of skiing or snowboarding between the 2 are the Valluga 2 descent into Zurs am Arlberg from St Anton and the Zurs route into Stuben that worryingly includes the roof of the semi-tunnel / ‘gallerie’ that leads into the Flexen Pass. Neither route should be tackled without a certified local guide meaning essentially the areas are cut off on skis or board. And whilst the proposed lift connection has been rumoured to have been a proposal for the last 70 years, the link is now in a consultation process. There are powerful arguments from both the proponents and the opponents of the Trittkopfbahn ski lift development with a great deal making sense. From the point of view of a passionate skier then the link has great merit and the argument that it will further degrade the area ecologically has justified yet limited resonance as far as I can see on the basis that this is already a highly developed Alpine area. For me a logical compromise would be to build the lift and make meaningful changes to the locality which would mitigate the effects of the development. Toll charges on through traffic may be unpopular but the traffic through both Lech and Zurs can be needlessly heavy at times and does nothing for the atmosphere or environment of an outstanding area. The large parking areas at Zurs am Arlberg could be transformed into other uses if the traffic using them was forced / taxed into using free local ski buses or else the new lift link. The ideal solution surely encompasses a level of development balanced by action to mitigate the effects which does something that is significantly beneficial for the environment and visitor experience. Quite what action is necessary would require careful analysis but the result could turn out to be a win-win situation for skiers, the resorts and the environment - a better environment in one of the very best ski areas in the world.
December 21st, 2010 by matt
A couple of things stand out this year on the slopes, one last weekend was great powder skiing followed by the Hoff and Kit on stage in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, the other was heli-skiing in the Arlberg. It is fair to say that everyone should experience these 2 alpine treats. Last weekend in freezing but sunny weather Saalbach-Hinterglemm served up 2 days of great powder skiing with endless untracked routes to tackle. For those more suited to pistes then the slopes were in great shape with groomed fresh snow. After dark things were as good (better for some) with David ‘the Hoff’ Hasselhoff headlining on Saturday night. I was in the media centre when news came through that the Hoff was stranded in London due to his plane being cancelled. Saalbach-Hinterglemm got on the phone and chartered a private jet to get this ‘god-like’ man into the valley and he duly arrived and produced some memorable entertainment:
In terms of experiencing a heli flight, getting dropped off on a tiny peak and being guided down some serious off-piste terrain in deep powder by a former powder skiing world champion then the heli ski day in the Arlberg earlier in the year was a pinnacle in many respects. For skiers and snowboarders of good standard then it has to be one of the must-haves to be ticked off. Lesser skiers and those with vertigo would be well advised to avoid - as soon as the helicopter lifts off from the peak there is no turning back. For others the many hundreds of metres below of banked powder was the stuff of magazine shoots.
October 18th, 2010 by matt
I had someone asking for more information on Stuben am Arlberg after saying in the last blog post that it was the part of the snow capital of Europe. I explained with a sketch of the map below that there is one region of the Alps that gets more snow than any other statistically. There are higher places in the Alps (the Arlberg has a top lift height of 2811m) but as Bregenzerwald proves snow accumulation has less to do with height, more to do with location. Bregenzerwald and the Arlberg in the far north west of Austria are ideally located to snag weather systems that are rolling in from the west (Switzerland and Germany) and the peaks of this regional get unbeatable amounts of snow. The Bregenzerwald resort of Damuls is statistically reckoned to be the snowiest ski resort in the world, whilst just down the valley Warth is rated as being the snowiest ski area in the Alps. Heading south past Lech am Arlberg, Zurs am Arlberg is rated as the second snowiest ski area in the Alps. And on the corner of this snow triangle there is Stuben am Arlberg - clearly snow doesn’t obey strict borders of the triangle and Stuben gets incredible amounts of snow. Stuben is also the ski holiday resort serving the Albona off-piste Mecca, the area I rate in terms of terrain and snow as the best off-piste skiing in the Alps. Sure others will have different favourites but the Albona for me is number one and the snow record certainly backs up my case.
The snow triangle of the Alps including Damuls, Warth and Zurs, Austria
September 18th, 2010 by matt
Most have heard of the Arlberg, fewer my local hill Axamer Lizum. And whilst Axamer Lizum has a loyal following amongst Innsbruck locals who know its off-piste secrets it can’t really claim to have the international appeal of St Anton, St Christoph, Stuben or Lech - Zurs. One thing Axamer Lizum outdoes the Arlberg for is season opening date. Axamer Lizum often opens at the beginning of November and no matter what the early November snow is doing the Arlberg stays firmly shut. I recall being in St Anton 2 winters ago and seeing the best part of a metre of fresh snow (on a pretty solid base) the second week in November and their wasn’t a moving chair in sight. In fact the only things to be moving were the ski touring locals who cut through incredible depths of snow with beaming smiles. Apart from the lucky and no doubt protective locals there were a great deal of people missing out on a lot of pristine snow. So small is sometimes better? Mobilising the local lift crew at Axamer Lizum (no insult intended) means trawling a few of the local watering holes and distributing a jacket, pants and a start time. Rather different for the Arlberg for sure, with hundreds of staff required to get the lifts rolling and a major marketing campaign in place many months before to get people into the Arlberg resorts. And for most of the French resort a November opening is unheard of in any case. So where would I rather be skiing mid-November - Axamer Lizum for sure! The end of November is a different story though 
September 2nd, 2009 by matt
Season times for the big one - the Arlberg! With a new lift for the St Anton Rendl and a fair bet that the region will get more snow than anywhere else but for Bregenzerwald, then get in some early season action in the Arlberg this winter. For the resorts of Lech, Zürs, St. Anton, St. Christoph and Stuben the ski lifts are set to roll on the 27.11.09, whilst the Klösterle-Sonnenkopf season starts on the 05.12.09. The Season runs until 25.04.10 in Lech, Zürs, St. Anton, St. Christoph and Stuben and finishes a week earlier in Klösterle-Sonnenkopf.
August 31st, 2009 by matt
Saturday, 16th January 2010 sees the 5th annual runninng of the of the ‘White Ring’ (Der Weiße Ring) longest ski race in the world is being held int he Lech-Zurs ski region. Olympic Champion and World Champion Patrick Ortlieb was the innaugrual winner if the 2006 White Ring race and he record is still up for grabs. Great skiing as well even if you can’t get a race bib.
Zurs am Arlberg - the centre of the White Ring course - Image © www.skiingaustria.co.uk