My top 10 runs in St. Anton, Austria

Chris Fellow’s Top Ten Off- Piste Ski Runs in St. Anton, Austria 


 I have been entranced with St. Anton, Austria since 1988 when I first attended the PSIA National Academy in Austria. I had never seen such vast ski terrain or mountains as big. The skiing opportunities are endless and the culture is ski centric with years of history and national pride in the Tyrol region. I have made a pilgrimage to St. Anton regularly since then and have always returned home with new and exciting stories and plans for the next trip.

 For more information on this years NASTC / St. Anton, Austria experience: http://www.skinastc.com/all-courses/271

 In a nut shell St. Anton has 4 major areas: Galzig, Rendl, Gampen/Kapall and Valuga. The surrounding resorts of Zurs, Stuben and Lech are easily accessible by skiing, bus and lift system. These areas also offer a variety of exciting off-piste objectives. St. Anton is the largest, but can get crowded on the groomed slopes during the high season. When there are crowds on the more popular runs, there is even more reason to venture out of the main stream of traffic.

 Here are some of my favorite off-piste ski runs in St. Anton:

 1. Bachseite- This is a north facing wall of steep off piste skiing that is easily accessed from the Galzig lift. It drops directly into the easy skiing down route number 4 SteiBbachtal (the Happy Valley). Bachseite is very popular and can get tracked up quickly on a powder day. Best to get there early while avalanche control is being done on the upper mountain. Bachseite is the true mother ship of the Galzig area and a great place to train for steep descents. Lifts- Galzig, Zammermoos, Osthangbahn, Tanzboden Difficulty-Moderate Vertical- 800M

 2. Mattun- You can access Mattun either by The top of Kapall or by traversing skiers left off Schindlergrat chair. This run is huge with about 1000 M of vertical and many aspects and pitches. Avalanche danger is a high concern on this run and will be prone to slides in spring time as well as winter. This run also finishes in the Happy Valley for an easy ski out to Mattunbahn or Zammermoosbahn to Galzig. Lifts- top of Kappal, Schindlergrat Difficulty-Moderate Vertical- 1000M



 3. Zwischen- This means “between” in German, its between the runs Osthang and Kandahar. This run is a classic warm up for the instructors at the Ski Academy in St. Christoph. The slope gradually steepens until it reaches three narrow gullies that are challenging and require precise short turns and quick feet. At the bottom you will find your self back on piste and you make your way back to Galzigbahn. This run will surely test your short turn technique. Lifts- Galzig Difficulty-Moderate - Difficult Vertical- 800


 4. Schindlerkar Chutes- The options are many off this peak but one of my favorite is the Schindlerkar chutes. You access this by circling left off the chair lift and traversing above the prominent chutes that funnel out to the Stubin side of the peak. These lines are committing and require confidant technique. Easier options are available where the group can reassemble at the exit of the chutes. One of my favorite lunch spots is at the finish of this route. The Ulmer Hutte has the best apple strudel on this side of the mountain. Lifts- Schindlergrat Difficulty- Difficult Vertical- 500


5. Maienvasen- This run starts at the top of the Galzig. This wide open bowl funnels into steeper terrain with skiable ridge lines and sometimes fluted snow drifts. The snow can be excellent, however later in the day as it warms the snow can become tricky and sticky. The exit requires some sidestepping but a path through the woods soon delivers you to an on slope hutte called Senn. As a young ski instructor I would end all my classes here for a refreshment before skiing down to the village. Lifts- Schindlergrat Difficulty- Difficult Vertical- 500


6. Schimmelegg- This slope is the prominent nose off Rendl. After taking the Gampberg lift follow a wide ridge facing north west. This ridge may have wind effected snow and deep wind ribs keep speed down here. Once you are into the open snowfields excellent powder can be had. As you hit the tree line head right toward the bottom of hinter Rendl. You can follow a well tracked path out to the Rendl home run. I have had some of my best NASTC powder runs in St. Anton here. Lifts- Gampberg Difficulty- Moderate Vertical- 1150M


 7. Valluga Nord- The exposed top station of the Valluga can be intimidating with huge exposure on every side. But a safe and often skied decent skirts the back side of the Valluga and rolls into enjoyable slopes that finish in Zurs. This is a guided only tour due to the restrictions on the lift. I usully make this full day tour that will include exploration of Zur’s off piste lines as well as a incredible lunch at the Golden Croix a world famous on hill lunch spot. Lifts- Valluga I, Valluga II Difficulty- Moderate, difficult Vertical- 900M


8. Schongraben- off the top of the Kapall lift Go towards the north east facing slopes. Follow moderate rolling terrain to the bottom of the Schongraben T-bar, either take the T-bar back up for more powder or drop down into narrower gullies that descend into good tree skiing. As you continue down you will cross a tobobban run road and will take that down to Nasserein. Lifts- Kappalbahn Difficulty- Moderate Vertical- 1000M


 9. Langen- The first time I did this run I was blown away at the amount of consistent quality vertical we got. Route finding is a challenge and their exist many avalanche terrain traps. Passing the Kalltenberghutte you descend long moderate slopes into excellent tree skiing. The long runs are a mix of interesting terrain features that end in a sweet smelling pine forest. The snow covered exit road meanders down to the village of Langen where a train can be caught back to St. Anton. Another option back is to catch a taxi to Stuben, have lunch at Hannes Schnider’s haus and ski more off-piste on in Stuben until closing time. I have 10 favorite off-piste runs just in Stuben alone. Lifts- Albonagrat, Sonnleitenlift Difficulty- Moderate Vertical- 1200M


 10. Hinterer Rendl- This northeast facing valley is an adventure playground of off-piste skiing. From top station drop into wide open valley, several routes can be taken depending on your commitment level. The potential of getting cliffed-out is high if you don’t know where you are going. Route finding through the valley is easier with clear skies and good light. This big valley holds a lot of snow and has caught may unsuspecting skiers in slides. The skiing is easy to moderate depending on your line. The exit winds through a forest and contours back out to the Rendl home run. Very FUN! Lifts- Riffelbahn 2 Difficulty- Moderate Vertical- 1350M Endless Possibilities on Albona

 *The ratings I give these runs can change considerably as conditions and weather change. Ski with caution and with Avalanche rescue equipment.


 To see the immenseness of this resort click here for a view from the Valuga. http://www.moving-pictures.de/v5/ugt_st_anton/index.php The lift service is world class and with this interactive map you can see what is open and what is on hold. http://ski.intermaps.com/skiarlberg/skimap.asp?map=ost&lang=en This 3D map will show you how big this place really is. http://ski.intermaps.com/skiarlberg/KMLs/skiarlberg_googleearth_together.asp?zoom=2&lang=en

The Bike Thief...

Excuse me while I kiss this guy!! Excuse me. I will now vent...In a much too hurried world, of my own making I might add, I found myself longing for a few hours off the grid. with out thinking too much about the details involved in going off the grid i spoke up at the dinner table the other night and declared to my unprepared eating family...ROAD TRIP FOR ME AND MOM!!!!!. The children crying and the inner turmoil and feelings of child abandonment that comes from too much time with out a kid break didn't deter me...us a bit. After farming out the 3 kids to several willing families (who we will owe big time), organizing someone to let our dog in at night and out in the morning, booked a cheap Priceline hotel room in Berkeley, my wife Jenny and I were ready for some "personal us time". With van windows down and the music up we were soon cruising on highway 80, what a sight I must have been, head out the window golden retriever style, light hearts and an eye out for adventure we felt free and domestic animal like. The plan was to take a much needed 36 hour sabbatical(from the kids) to see some live music in the city, eat some real ethnic food and ride our Mt. bikes in the east bay hills. Little did we know we were about to become prey in that big city. After a beautiful and balmy late summer evening of eating at an outside cafe, drinking, laughing and feeling the way we did "before kids" we strolled back to our hotel for a romantic soiree. I'll save you the vivid details of what happened next, very personal but really good. As we awoke the next morning we bounded for our locked van that corralled our metal steads or mountain bikes as they are known in the modern world. With a serendipitous swagger I approached the Astro Van a mere 50 yards from the hotel door and I noticed tiny sparkles on the ground, they glittered in the morning sun light, oh how pretty. Then it hit me as I reached for the van door...there is no driver side window, h

ow strange. Then real reality hit, the bikes are GONE! The pit in my stomach made me nauseous. These bikes were like our horses, meant more to us...me than the van. Just a year had passed since I had spent countless hours on Pinkbike, Craigs list, E-bay, MTBR, procuring the best possible rides for us with a limited adult toy budget. Now they were gone, lifted by the bike thief, the night stalker who with an accomplice no doubt, smashed the window with a rock and wrestled our rides out of the van and rode them into the night. I am not a mean spirited person or would never wish harm on anyone, but my first thought was, "I would sell my soul to the devil if it would insure that the rip off artist who stole our bikes was on a single track ride to hell to endure an eternity of truing the devils perpetually un-fixable bike wheels" while rats....never mind, it was a fleeting thought. There is a reason for everything, and it is possible, but not probable that by riding that day we could have encountered personal calamity, far beyond loosing our bikes. I keep saying that to myself, hoping it will wash the hatred of that slime ball off my brain. My therapy now includes more practical activities like filling out an online police report, contacting the insurance company, writing a mean letter to the hotel management and looking for our stolen bikes on the internet. That's where I could use everyone's help. I am posting stock photos of our stolen bikes. If you happen to notice someone who just got a screaming deal on a bike and it looks like one of ours, let me know. I don't even want our bikes back, I just want to make sure they went to a good home. Did you know in the wild west if you stole a mans horse, you could be shot legally? Not that there is any connection to this situation and that one, but I thought it was an interesting factoid. The good news is, Jenny and I get to Demo new bikes and if the insurance deductible doesn't completely wipe out our adult family bike budget, then we can get bikes that will be at least half as good as what we once had. Oh Joy!

Mt Shasta is one of my power places. Its a mountain that lets you live fully, but only if you are willing to stay in the moment. Dane, Lewis, Pablo and Juan climbed Shasta with me on May 11-13 2012 and it was a mind bending experience. Not only because we were able to summit, but because we had 7000 vertical feet of corn skiing to cap off a flawless assent. Some where in the scope of all the moments available to you as you climb, you string together a rhythmic dance with the energy of the day that will lift you to the upper reaches and allow you to look out over California, Nevada and Oregon. You can widen your view of the landscape and the possibilities before you as random thoughts worm into your mind and you simultaneously keep pace with your compadres. Its a delicate balance of body, mind and spirit as your intention, your energy and your body's abilities work together to sustain your movement up hill and down. When you finish you are tired and refreshed at the same time. Food, other than an energy bar is your next mission and you find yourself gorging on the nutritious whole food that that is most filled with the ingredients your body is craving. Root Beer Float is what I crave. Can't get to it fast enough! That sweet volcano of decadent goodness is my only thought. Thank you again Mt. Shasta RECIPE: Root Beer Float INGREDIENTS Vanilla ice cream Root beer HOW TO Spoon a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream into a tall glass. Slowly pour root beer into the glass, allowing the foam to rise and then recede before adding more root beer. Serve with straws and spoons.

Snowbird Utah! What a great week of skiing and training. The NASTC crew made huge progress in all mountain technique and tactics. Crested Butte is next on the schedule.