Stuben

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Stuben am Arlberg Ski Resort Review

A tiny and unpretentious village on the fringe of the Arlberg, it is quieter, with more moderately priced hotels. The Albona lift, which rises in two stages, makes the connection with St. Christoph an St. Anton easy. Because of its altitude it can be colder than the other resorts, but with around 12m of snow each winter it is also the powder capital of the Arlberg. Stuben also has an advantage in the spring: its snow is still good when the snow in Lech and Zürs is tapering off.

The Ski Area

Stuben’s predominantly north-facing Albona includes some of the best skiing in the Arlberg and easy access to the entire Arlberg ski area – 85 ski lifts, 280km of pistes and about 180km off-piste – including St Anton and Lech-Zűrs.
No matter where you stay, the Arlberg is one of the world’s best ski areas so it’s worth making a plan to ski it as fully as possible – Stuben, St Anton (Gampen, Kapal, Galzig, Schindler, Valluga and Rendl), St Christoph (for lunch), Zűrs and Lech including the White Ring circuit, the Zuger Hochlicht runs above and beyond Zug and Oberlech (also good for lunch). The hands-free Arlberg ski lift pass also covers the Sonnenkopf ski area at Klösterle which is a short bus or taxi ride (5km) from Stuben

Ski and boarding on the Albona

Although the Albona has only a handful of marked red and blue runs, the quality of skiing is good with around 1,000m vertical descent of mostly treeless skiing. The beginner and intermediate runs are mostly wide, not crowded and, with the benefit of a long snow-sure season, snow conditions are almost invariably good. There are a couple of black ski routes marked on the ski map that run from Albonagrat 2,400m down to Stuben 1,407m and Langen 1,228m, but it’s not what’s shown on the ski map that attracts advanced skiers and boarders to Stuben, it’s the wealth of off-piste, low skier density on the Albona and Stuben’s proximity to St Anton and Lech-Zűrs

Great skiing and boarding nearby in St Anton, St Christoph and Lech-Zűrs

From the Albona middle station there’s an easy blue run leading to the high speed chair lift at Alpe Rauz which leads into the St Anton ski area. There’s a superb long run (red then blue) from the top of Schindler Spitze 2,660m back 1,407m via Alpe Rauz, but there’s massive of opportunity for intermediates and advanced skiers and boarders in St Anton and St Christoph is especially worth visiting for lunch. And it’s just a short bus journey to the ski lifts in Zűrs which open up the Lech-Zűrs ski area including the popular White Ring circuit from Zűrs 1,716m via Madloch-Joch 2,438m to Zug 1,511m and Oberlech 1,660m to Lech 1,450m, then cable car up Rűfikopf 2,362m and ski back from to Zűrs.

Terrific off-piste opportunities in Stuben and throughout the Arlberg

Stuben typically gets several meters more snow each year than nearby St Anton and Lech- Zűrs and the Albona includes some of the best off-piste in the Arlberg. And because there are fewer people staying here – just 670 guest beds in Stuben – the off-piste stays fresh in Stuben for longer than in other parts of the Arlberg, which is why experts “in the know” often ski over from St Anton to Stuben. Beyond Stuben there’s a huge amount of off-piste skiing in the Arlberg including the famous back of the Valluga descent from St Anton to Zűrs and guided heli-skiing at Zűrs (weather conditions permitting) which can be booked via the ski school in Stuben.