St. Christoph Sneeuwverwachting

A few snaking kilometres by road from the lively village of St Anton, and 400m higher, just beneath the mountain pass that marks the border between The Tyrol and Vorarlberg regions, lies St Christoph, an unpretty cluster of 20-something mismatched buildings, combining the best and worst of architectural eye-appeal. It built-up around the site of 14th century Hospice, Inn and (still visible) St Christoph Chapel, which provided refuge for travellers. 7 or so* establishments now provide hospitality and accommodation for visitors. The visual centre-piece is still the Arlberg Hospiz Hotel, which for some decades enjoyed a reputation for glamourous luxury, hosting the wealthy and famous of the 1960s to early 2000s, but, at time of writing (2024), that has been closed for 3 years and shows no sign of re-opening soon, and so the centre of activity has now shifted to the slope-side Maiensee Hotel, the Arlberg Thaja bar, The Hospiz Alm and Hotel Ski Austria. The main appeal of St Christoph lies in its proximity to other things, whilst remaining apart from them. Where St Anton is bustling, often busy to the point of being crowded & noisy, Christoph is quiet and peaceful. Stuben and Zug, undoubtedly prettier, are a good deal lower and too out-on-a-limb, especially in early & late seasons. Zurs, with better doorstep skiing, is further out yet and treeless for bad weather, whilst Lech, which may these days enjoy higher society, too often won't sufficiently compensate the keen skier their entry-fee when the price, in late season, is enduring slushy runs. The Christophbahn lift, directly abutting The Maiensee Hotel, is the key here; its central and higher-up spot than the other villages, allows the skier to get a few valuable minutes ahead of the hordes from St Anton, and to enjoy broader immediate options to boot. The same principle works at day's end: the main run back to St Anton, Steissbachtal (affectionately known as Happy-Valley) is often closed for weeks on end, due to avalanche risk, meaning that large numbers of those who chose to ski around Zurs and the centre-parts of the Arlberg area, now return weary and often fuzzy-minded from their endeavours, and are corralled into the more challenging and, by late-day, often heavily mogulled 52 run- Kandahar, before they can return to the comforts of home. Not so those lodging in Christoph, who have a much easier, shorter, but still fun, blue piste 64 home run to navigate, before getting to loosen their boots and throats. The star of apres-ski here is the Hospiz Alm; on sunny days, its wide decks attract those looking to improve their tan and wash it down with, by repute, the largest collection of oversized claret available in Europe's Alps. Inside and upstairs is much reassuring Tyrolean coziness, log-fires and wood-panelled kitsch; downstairs (by step or lazy-slide), the impressive vaults & cellars provide something to gawp at; many-litred bottles commanding prices well into 5 figures. Though most will leave merrier and poorer in the afternoon, the drinking action continues, for those with constitution and capacious wallets for it, as the good times roll on, often till the very early hours. Tip - keep a sober eye on your bill there. A few metres higher on the same slopes, Arlberg Thaja enjoys sun for a little longer and is newly and smartly refurbished. Hotel Maiensee offers the plum spot for skiers, sitting pretty scarcely 10m from the Christophbahn lift; though without the accompanying annoyance of crowds that a similar situation would see elsewhere. It has its own, quieter bar, and a quality restaurant served by a talented kitchen, but its lift-adjacent new burger bar is the magnet and draws attention from younger crowds. Recent investment in the rooms has seen it scoop-up many of the Hospiz's well-heeled customers. Further down, Ski Austria Hotel, home of the Ski Austria Academy is a modern, angular eyesore, but it does have the virtue of a bright bar & restaurant, and the accommodation is more affordable than most, and again provides a much needed space for the younger generations of skiers. Older visitors will remember the yellow block that was the Inghams Sports Hotel, now under different ownership, rebranded Hit-The-Sky and given a more appealingly alpine-striped make-over, which carries on in the funky interior bar. Uniquely in Christoph, it enjoys a sizeable pool and one-size-for-all accommodation is generally priced at the sensible end of the spectrum. Mention must be made too of the Gasthof Valluga, a few steps closer up to the pass than the others. Like Hotel Maiensee, it's still a family-run affair, and likewise, of trad. and cosy-looking aspect, it also has an excellent kitchen. I'm not familiar enough with Alpenhotel or Hotel Arlberhohe to offer useful comment. The only problem St Christoph encounters is when high-winds force its sole outbound lift to close. The practice & baby slopes aren't enough to keep you engaged for much more than 1/2 a day. However, the solution for those rare instances is a 10 or 20 minute bus ride to either St Anton or Zurs respectively, which, with more 3 or more lifts each, are your saviour. I first came here in 2015 as the starting point for what was intended to be a season's tour of every Austrian resort. In the end, it turned out to be so well placed that I didn't bother leaving.