Get away to The Austrian Alps for fresh powder and the world's best après ski. You'll be pleasantly surprised by the affordability of it all, spending only 30 Euros a night at the quaint pension, Haus Schoepf.
Has a lack of snow kept you inside drinking hot toddies instead of "shredding the gnar?" St. Anton am Arlberg currently has one of the deepest snow bases in the world, and it just keeps coming!
This winter wonderland in the Alps is accessible by jetting into Zurich, airport code ZRH. To make matters easier, Swissair offers free ski check for your equipment! After your overnight flight, buy a ticket to Zurich's main train station, and arrive in 15 minutes to this Hauptbahnhof. Here, purchase a ticket to Austria at the Reiseburo, or travel agency, and relax for about 2 hours on a direct train to St. Anton.
(You may also look at tickets flying into Innsbruck, Austria and catch the train to St. Anton's for a 1 hour 20 min journey!)
Your experience will be more authentic and economical when you choose to stay in Schnann, a small village just outside of the touristy resort area. Haus Schoepf is run by a lovely Austrian/ Australian couple who provide a delicious, complimentary breakfast every morning, complete with fresh baked broetchen and homemade berry and quince jams. Rooms at Haus Schoepf are quaint and clean with comfortable duvets and fresh sheets and towels. Bathrooms are communal, yet spotless, and guests can choose from private accommodations or dorm-type facilities. Whichever room is chosen, the wooden interior and friendly hosts make for a cozy, Alpine retreat.
After a morning meal, free buses start to pick up skiers/ boarders at 8 am, four times an hour, and run between the inn and the mountains. This convenient bus from Schnann to St. Anton enables skiers and boarders to experience an authentic Austrian village AND be on point for the morning's first mountain tracks. Lifts start running around 9 am and sometimes a few minutes earlier for anxious powder hounds!
When you can no longer use your legs to slice through butter-like snow, stop for an apres ski drink at Mooserwirt, then hop onto the bus to Schnann from the west terminal. Back at the inn, enjoy the sauna for a small fee or socialize in the inn's Stube or at one of the two delicious restaurants nearby.
Gasthof Traube, just steps from the front door, specializes in local Tirol-style dishes including a venison meal with cranberries and gravy; a Groestl, which is a hearty portion of finely chopped potatoes, bacon, and onions topped with an egg and served in a cast iron skillet; a salad bar with seasonal offerings and fresh bread and of course, German beer from the tap. The second restaurant, Cafe Bucher, serves very reasonably-priced gourmet pizzas, salads and soups with wine, beer and spritzers to "Prost" your day on the mountain.
Feeling guilty with all of this play and no work? It's possible to work remotely with Internet connections and a time difference in your favor. Haus Schoepf has Internet via a network cable in the typical Austrian Stube, or parlor. You may also choose to use the Internet at Gasthof Traube when you are patronizing their bar or restaurant. Your conference call just got a whole lot more enjoyable!
But before you decide to bring your work along, I can't help but mention that St. Anton gets voted "best après ski" by many locals and foreigners alike. It seems as though some come to St. Anton for the party alone, as bars are stuffed full by 3 pm or earlier. Skiiers arrive snowy, jackets unzipped and ready to dance the night away in their loosened boots. Visit Sennhutte for authentic, live music, and special guest performers. Mooserwirt, named "the mother of all ski lodges" by Playboy Magazine and lauded for "facsinating" logistics by Time Magazine, is a must-visit. If you can, leave the job responsibilities at home, and cut loose in St. Anton's ski huts!
Don't take my word for it. Watch footage of slopes and world famous après ski in this vast mountain range by visiting Peanut Butter Nomads.
Booking Information:
Haus Schoepf- Fiona and Egon
Address: a-6574 Schnann a.A. 32
Tel. 0043 664 82 08 125
Email: hausschmid@yahoo.com
Directions:
To the Haus Schoepf from St. Anton's Hauptbahnhof (Main Train Station)
If you arrive from 8 am until 5 pm, you may catch the paid bus to Schnann outside the front doors, or hop on the free ski bus by walking left out the main doors, down to the West Terminal. Ask the driver to notify you when you have arrived at the Schnann bus stop/ church. The ride will take approximately 15 minutes. If you want to take a taxi, be prepared to pay approximately 40 Euros for a short ride.
When arriving in Schnann, you will see "Gasthof Traube" on your right. Make a left up the street before the church and the inn will be on your right, three or four buildings up. Enter and climb a few steps to a door marked "Privat" where you should knock for check-in assistance.
Enjoy your time in The Alps and send greetings to Fiona at Haus Schoepf from me!
