St Anton Home Runs

AndyONeill has queried the difficulty of "the home run" in St Anton.

The first point I would make is that there are more than one ways of the mountain in St Anton, depending on where you have skied and where you want to finish. There is the main run down into St Anton itself off the Galzig/Gampen area (there is another steep black into the village but avoided by virtually everybody so I will ignore it, the run down into Nassarein from Gampen and the run down from the Rendl area.

Secondly, St Anton is not unusual in having a relatively difficult home run - it is often a feature of resorts that the home run is a bit steeper than a lot of the other runs because of the typical shape of the mountain. This aspect may be accentuated by the resorts desire to grade the run blue even though it may be quite difficult. This can lead to skiers who are simply not competent enough tackling the run.

Thirdly, home runs suffer from being lower and having very high volumes of tired skiers of varying skills levels in the evening which often results in sections of ice, moguls, deep slush and/or crowds. BTW, they are often wonderful and much under-utilised runs earlier in the day!

So back to St Anton! Is it particularly difficult? I think the runs down from Gampen/Galzig to the main village and Nassarein are reasonably difficult. The run off Rendl (Red) is probably a little easier, despite the higher grading, but it is quite prone to ice/slush depending on weather.

Overall, I would certainly think that these runs are not much worse than I have experienced in say Meribel, Soll (which at least has the honesty to grade it red) or Flaine (depending which way down you come). In fact, the only resort that I can recall with a genuinely easy home run is Alpe D'heuz which has a big wide green run down from mid-station.

None of these resorts would be a problem for an experienced skier and all are easily by-passed by taking the gondola down - the problem with this latter option is that even relatively inexperienced skiers feel they are wimping out if they do this.

Thanks for the laydown on the home runs ).
It is one of the things that stopped me from going to SA as my wife is a timid intermediate.
I've heard that Lech would be fine for her.
Is there a good ski bus service between the two :?:

Thanks for this Wanderer, much appreciated

The actual difficulty doesn't bother me (indeed there's something to be said for more honest grading as it would keep crowds down)

More that I'd read in WTS&S that the run below Steissbachtal was the only way back from much of the area and had "nightmarish crowds"

My wife had a horrific hit from an out of control idiot on such a home run a few years ago that left her needing surgery on her cheekbone and nose when we got back to the UK (the titanium will stay in). She's physically fine now with no outward signs but, though she has skied every year since and sometimes twice, she's not happy in such traffic at the end of the day (we were within sight of the hire shop to give kit back at the end of the holiday when she got hit).

I just don't want this to be a major negative for a resort that I've heard many great things about - especially as we love a chalet and a beer which I believe is St Anton's raison d'etre!

Do not put off going to St Anton because of what WTSS says about crowds on the home run.
I've only been for 1 week, and it was early Jan, but the run off was hardly nightmareish. It was busy if you skied off at 4pm, but thats par for the course in such a resort as Wanderer has said. Serre Che has a horrible run off to Villeneuve which gets packed at the wrong time although you can take the green track as an alternative.
Verbier was the worst I experienced in early April with early intermediates skiing it dangerously along with the usual smart arses who think its acceptable to tuck up at 70mph and ski it like they would a normal piste.
But back to St Anton.

My suggestions:

Take the cable car back down to town if it worries you

Ski off a little earlier and stop at either the KK or Mooserwirt for a couple of beers and let the main crowds pass

Ski off to Nasserain and walk or bus into town. Many chalets are in this area anyway.

The run off Rendl is fantastic, great at 11am but not so god at 4pm on a cold January when its got a bit icy. Again, you can take the gondola back down.

The run off St Anton into town is not a difficult run in its own right, not at all, but at certain times of day its hard because the snow has mogulled up or people are all over the place. Be careful and cautious if you do come off at peak times, thats all I can say. Do the run off from the top of the Galzig cable car early on, you'll see why we christened the run down the valley the Dentists Run when your face freezes by the time you get to the bottom!!!!!


My message: dont avoid St Anton because of the run off or what you've read. Its too good a place to avoid.

Thanks for the considered (and considerate) views Tony, thats why I love these forums 8)

We too found exactly the same thing in Verbier, as it was the first week back on snow afetr my wife's accident she was freaked and weve been careful ever since

I think that SA may well be back high on the list for next year - though its funny you should mention Serre Che (a fave with one of my mates)....

That said much of the group fancies Whistler or Colorado so it may need 2 years of saving up......

Andy, each year I look at the States and think.....hmmm, theres some cracking places to ski.
And then I think:

Europe - under 2 hour flights; tons and tons of skiing; wonderful stunning scenery; good beer.

With the states you need to go for a min of 10 days IMO, and the lift passes are horribly expensive. Plus theres the jet lag to think of, and all those "have a nice days...."

Each year I think about it, and each year I return to Europe. And probably will continue to do so for many many years. Unless money becomes no object of course.

Nowe, be off with you and book St Anton. I can highly recommend Chalet Sonnenalp.

Andy, you have had the very best of advice and Tony H sums it up for me. I spent Xmas there this year. It's the Mecca of must do's for me. I recommend Rendle after Galzig. This means you're already clued up for 'That' Galzig run home later. Depends which end of village you are based. Yes, it will be busy, due to most folk skiing from Galzig down 4 into 1 to drink in the KK bar apres. It's a very sharp left-hander if your looking, with one only sign post!

For me, I prefer to use the cross-over to Kapall(oops, wrong key).
This means on down the blue 4/blue 20 for either 20 and 23 all the way to Galzig end of village, OR short Mattun lift to German-bar (hic!). Then a bit of Blue 36 into blue 24 all the way to down to Nasserein,the other end of resort.

And, tell me if that takes you less than my usual 2-days-worth!

If that's too easy, next day try the red 20a x-over to same Bar. The cross-fall is what gives it the red-rating, but slowly, on tired legs.

'Ware the ratings, though, several reds would be black, elsewhere.

See you both on the Valluga.....(lift).

Don't let the run home stop you going to St Anton, it's simply too good for that. If it's crowded and icy take the lift down, problem solved.