Is St Anton Good for Beginners?

When St Anton works for beginners

Is St Anton Good for Beginners? Yes, whilst it’s an unconventional place to start, you can have a great time learning to ski in St. Anton. To get the most from it, you’ll need the right plan to make it work.

St Anton has a reputation for steep terrain and challenging home runs. These can be off-putting for beginners. However, some tips can make a first ski trip here enjoyable.

Start here – The learner zones in Nasserein and Gampen

Start in the dedicated learner zones at Nasserein and Gampen. 

At the village level, Nasserein is the best place to begin. This area has a friendly, fenced-off practice zone. The gentle nursery slopes and drag lifts are ideal for first-timers. Just a short lift ride up, the Gampen area offers another signed beginner zone at mid-mountain. It’s great for day two when you’re ready to try slightly longer runs in a quieter space.

Be sure to take the lift back down, though the home run here gets steep, busy, and chopped up in the afternoons.

The smart early-days ticket (Beginner/points card)

When you’re getting started, consider purchasing the 30-point Beginner ticket. This is also known as the points card and is a better alternative to the full-area Arlberg pass.

It’s much cheaper and designed specifically for learners using the nursery lifts. Each lift has a point value. For example, the Kindlisfeld drag lift costs 2 points per ride, and the Nassereinbahn also costs 2 points. The Fangbahn chairlift to Gampen costs 6 points.

You can easily get a day or two of skiing in without needing a full pass if you choose the right lifts. Once you’re skiing longer blues and ready to explore beyond the beginner lifts, then it’s time to upgrade.

Progress without pressure – Rendl’s gentle laps

When you’re ready to venture beyond the nursery slopes, head to Rendl.  Rendl is a hidden gem for beginners. It’s far quieter than the Galzig area. It also has a few wide, mellow blue runs near Rendl Beach. These are perfect for building confidence.

Blue 11, 14 and 15 would be our picks here. We suggest that when you’re done with Rendl, you take the Rendlbahn down. Red 1 down to St Anton can get bumpy later in the day. It’s also quite long with no way off if you decide that you don’t like it halfway down.

A simple 3-day plan

A good three-day plan for a beginner in St Anton might look like this:

Day one: Start at Nasserein. Have a lesson to take you through the introductory activities and get you to the standard of lapping a button lift.

Day two: Try the beginner area at Gampen and test a few short blue sections. Take the gondola down instead of skiing down to save energy and avoid stress.

Day three: Head up Rendl. Ski the easy blues near the top, enjoy a relaxed lunch at Rendl Beach, and download again when you’re ready to call it a day.

St Anton group ski lessons vs private ski lessons in St Anton

Lessons will help you make more progress in much less time. There are two types of beginner lessons available in St Anton. These are group ski lessons and private ski lessons. The best choice depends on your goals.

Group lessons are more affordable, and you’ll be learning with other first-timers. This is a part of the lessons that many beginners enjoy.  If you want a more personalised session or want a full one-to-one session, private ski lessons are worth considering.

Either way, having professional guidance in this resort makes a big difference.

Getting around stress-free

Getting around the resort is simple. St Anton has a free regular bus service. This makes it easy to get around St Anton. If you’re staying further down the valley in St Jakob, Pettneu or Schnann, you can still easily reach the lifts. 

You can also take the bus from St Anton to Lech or St Christoph. This lets you explore the Arlberg area before you’re able to reach these areas by ski. The buses run frequently throughout the day.

When to upgrade to a full Arlberg pass and where to go next

Once you’re linking turns comfortably on blues, upgrade to a full Arlberg pass. This lets you explore past the beginner zones. When you’ve got the full pass, head over to the Rendl side of St Anton. Rendl typically has the most well-groomed slopes and is the quietest.

Rendl is excellent for practising in and has Rendl beach, which is one of the best spots on sunny days to have a drink. If you’d like to explore further from St Anton, head over to Lech. Depending on how confidently you’re skiing, you can either take the bus to Lech or ski over.

The ski over is quite long, and you’ll have to ski blue pistes that are often in mixed conditions.

We suggest being at least a level 3 on our adult level guide to get the most out of the ski trip to Lech. Once you’re in Lech, there are loads of really great terrain to practice on. Lech also has a really charming town that is nice to have Lunch in.

If you’d like to learn more about skiing in Lech, check out our guide to beginner skiing in Lech. If you’re wondering whether to ski there or back, we would suggest skiing there and getting the bus back.

On the way back, you’ll have the added pressure of making it back before the lifts close. If you get stuck halfway, it can be stressful and expensive to get back to St Anton.

Tips to Remember:

• Always start with the right lift pass. The beginner/points ticket is ideal for your first days.
• Take a lesson on your first day, and you’ll improve much faster.
• Don’t force a ski-down at the end of the day. Downloading from Rendl or Gampen saves your legs and your confidence.
• If you’re feeling confident by mid-week, try a quiet blue lap at Rendl or explore Gampen’s easier pistes.

We have both group beginner ski lessons and private ski lessons tailored to your pace. These will help your first ski trip to St Anton get off to the right start.

For more help understanding your lift pass options, check out our Arlberg Lift Pass Guide. It’s also worth comparing Lech and St Anton for beginners to see which suits you best.