St. Anton or Zürs: the loud heart of the Arlberg, or its quiet corner
The Ski Snug teamUpdated 12 October 20266 min read
St. Anton and Zürs are on one lift pass, the Arlberg, and the lifts join them to each other and to Lech. Book either and the same mountains are yours. So this is not a choice of ski area. It is a choice of where you sleep, and what you find outside the door.
The two could hardly be more different there. St. Anton is energetic and social, the lively heart of the Arlberg, with one of the most famous après scenes in the Alps. Zürs is a tiny, exclusive corner of it, upmarket and quiet. What surprises people is how the skiing near each compares, and where the snow actually sits. The numbers first.
The numbers, side by side
| Figure | St. Anton | Zürs |
|---|---|---|
| Village altitude | 1,304 m | 1,720 m |
| Top of the skiing, measured | 2,799 m | 2,440 m |
| Linked ski area | The Arlberg, with Lech and Zürs, size not yet classified by us | The same Arlberg pass |
| Piste we measure around the village | 155 km | 75 km |
| Blue and easier | 66 km, 42% of the piste | 31 km, 42% of the piste |
| Black | 24 km | 6 km |
| Marked off piste itinerary | 70 km | 40 km |
| Piste steeper than one in four | 43% | 33% |
| Piste gentler than 15% | 24% | 21% |
| Piste at or above 1,800 m | 71% | 74% |
| Season | December to April | December to April |
| Nearest airport | Innsbruck or Zurich | Innsbruck or Zurich |
Because the two share an area, our measured figures overlap, and here is the proof: the longest piste we measure near each village is the same run, a 2.5 kilometre red with 582 metres of vertical. Each column describes the skiing nearest that village. It is not a separate ski area, and the two columns should never be added together.
Altitude: Zürs sleeps higher, St. Anton skis higher
Zürs's village sits at 1,720 metres, the second highest of the 13 Austrian resorts we cover and 416 metres above St. Anton's 1,304. Above the villages it turns round. St. Anton's skiing reaches 2,799 metres on our measurement. The piste we measure around Zürs tops out at 2,440, which is 359 metres lower.
That decides the snow call. St. Anton is snow sure on our measure: 71 percent of the piste we measure is above 1,800 metres, up to 2,799 metres. Zürs clears the first half of that test comfortably, at 74 percent, but its measured top sits 60 metres below the 2,500 metre line we use. That is too close to call from the numbers alone, so we leave it open. Nobody can promise snow at either, and both run from December to April.
Size and steep: St. Anton has more of everything near the door
Around St. Anton we measure 155 kilometres of piste, more than twice the 75 around Zürs. On a shared pass that is not the size of your ski area. It is how much skiing is close to your bed before you set off for the rest.
St. Anton's lead holds at the serious end. It has 24 kilometres of black, the joint seventh most of the 55 resorts we cover, against 6 near Zürs. Forty three percent of its piste is steeper than one in four, the joint second biggest share of the 55 and the biggest of the 13 Austrian resorts we cover. Zürs's 33 percent is still well above the 26 at a typical resort we cover.
Off the piste, both are among the very best we measure. St. Anton has 70 kilometres of marked off piste itinerary, the most of the 55 resorts we cover. Zürs has 40, the fourth most, and the longest of them, the Hasenfluhscharte, runs 2.3 kilometres with 689 metres of vertical. In a shared area these overlap, so do not add them up. Whichever you choose, you sleep next to some of the biggest marked off piste we measure anywhere.
The skiing: neither is a gentle option
Zürs's quiet, exclusive name can suggest gentle skiing. The numbers do not. Only 21 percent of the piste near Zürs is gentler than 15 percent, the smallest share of the 13 Austrian resorts we cover, and only three of the 55 resorts we cover have less. St. Anton's 24 percent sits just above it, 51st of the 55. Both grade the Austrian way, so the colours compare fairly here, and both are 42 percent blue and easier. St. Anton has more of it on the ground, 66 kilometres to 31.
66 km blue and easier 42%65 km red 42%24 km black 15%
31 km blue and easier 42%38 km red 50%6 km black 8%
Marked off piste itinerary, kept out of the piste totals: St. Anton 70 km, Zürs 40 km.
The measured gradients are averages per run segment, and a run's grade is set by its steepest pitch, so read them as how the week feels rather than a verdict on any one run. The blues are identical, 17.5 percent at both, the joint eighth steepest of the 55 resorts we cover and above the Austrian average of 16.4. The difference sits higher up the scale. St. Anton's reds average 25.8 percent, the sixth steepest of the 55 we cover, against 24.2 near Zürs and an Austrian average of 23.4. Its blacks average 34.1 against 29.6.
So a confident skier will find Zürs a touch kinder than St. Anton on red and black. A nervous improver will find neither kind on blue.
Who each one actually suits
St. Anton suits confident skiers and groups who want long, demanding days and a loud end to them. Its two famous après bars, the Mooserwirt and the Krazy Kanguruh, are up on the mountain, and you ski down to the village from them at the end of the day. The off piste from the very top of the Valluga is for guided groups only, and the place carries real history: Hannes Schneider developed the Arlberg technique here. For families the base matters. Nasserein, with a gondola of its own, is calmer at night, St. Jakob, a free ski bus ride out, calmer again, and the gentler places to learn are at Nasserein and Rendl. You can arrive by train, since the station is in the village, and the leisure centre covers the day off.
Zürs suits people who want the Arlberg without the noise. It is a tiny, exclusive corner of the region, upmarket and quiet. It suits couples and small groups of good skiers who want a smart, peaceful base with a great deal of marked off piste near it. It suits a group less well if anyone is learning, or if someone wants a big night out, though St. Anton is on the same pass for that.
The bit nobody tells you
Zürs's village is 416 metres higher than St. Anton's, so most people assume its skiing is higher too. Measured, the piste around the two sits at the same height. Half of it is above 1,984 metres at both. At both, 47 percent is above 2,000 metres. Zürs has a little more above 1,800 metres, 74 percent to 71, and St. Anton has the higher top.
So booking Zürs does not get you higher skiing. It gets you a higher, quieter village, with its piste at the same height. That is a fine thing to want, but it is the village you are choosing, and you should choose it for that.
So, which one
your group skis well and wants the most steep, the most black and the most marked off piste near the door, and sees the après as half the holiday. If some of the group want early nights, stay in Nasserein or St. Jakob. Also if anyone in the party is still finding their feet, because St. Anton has more blue near the door and the learning areas to go with it.
you want a small, exclusive, quiet village, everyone in the group is a confident skier, and long days off piste matter more than nights out.
You ski the same pass either way, on piste that sits at the same height, but St. Anton puts more than twice the piste near the door, more of it steep, and a snow call we can make on our measure. Zürs is the right answer when the quiet is the point, and you already know it is.