Spring surprise

Posted by LizWoods 14th April 2010

Weather Upadate - Buckets of snow this week as the clouds came in over the weekend and dumped on us. Monday was still snowing and there was waist deep powder everywhere. Tuesday was a bluebird and one of the best days of the season, the snow on north facing slopes was fluffy and cold, you can see what it was like on the attached pictures. Since then its been getting warmer and warmer and the pistes in the afternoons are mogulled and slushy, fun but very tiring on the legs.

Resort News

The end of season happy time is now upon us, the weather is great and the mountain is calming down somewhat. The annual Taps race was held on Tuesday in glorious sunshine and as ever there was the racing element of the day shortly followed by the drinking and partying element of the day. Its a great chance for the seasonairres to race and socialize with each other at the end of (what feels like) a long season.

Now that the Easter holidays are nearly over most bars and restaurants are considering when to shut up shop for the summer (there is virtually no summer season here). Platzl holds its closing party on Sunday, Scotties end of season 'beach' party is next week, the Krazy Kanguru closes today and Cuba held its closing party on the 1st April, though it is still serving beers until the 18th. Still to look forward to here is the Spring Festival and the Weisse Rausch - more on those next time.

Review

Having worked several season's here I'm used to searching out the cheap and the cheerful, but there is a much more luxurious side to the Arlberg, so here are a few suggestions of places and things to do should cash not be an issue. Foodwise, there are numerous excellent restaurants here with prices to match, but there are only three that I would reccomend as excellent choices. The first is the famous Hospiz Alm in St Christoph, boasting one of the best wine cellars in Austria and a menu that tickles the imagination. Secondly there is Hotel Fahrner in St Anton, a smaller family run establishment but with an excellent traditional menu and beautiful wood panelled restaurant. Lastly there is the Verwallstube, at the top of the Galzigbahn, you can look over St Anton from the top pf the mountain and chow down on Michelin star food.

Otherwise, if you have a wad of cash burning a hole in your pocket then Lech is the place for you. Onetime winner of the 'Prettiest Village in Austria' award, Lech is no stranger to a fur coat and a boutique store. Champagne and oysters up at the Ice Bar on the slopes will set you back about 30e, and the heli-skiing in the Arlberg is restricted to two areas in valleys just beyond Lech and Zurs.

 

Duncan Smith

 

 

 

 

About the author

Liz joined the team in 2005 and is a new but enthusiastic convert to skiing. Liz looks after the office and our book warehouse. She also has the tough job of keeping us organised and for helping to keep maddogski.com up to date.

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