 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Bergsteiger278, No problem, more relevant than posting weather forecasts from a beach in Asia! The trains that start in Bludenz stop in Langen (& Pitztal) and those that start in Zürich stop in St Anton (& Ötztal) - first and last trains might be different. Not sure the ÖBB explanation adds up, both in the Stanzertal & Klostertal there are large sections of twin track which allow trains to pass, the cross over point seems to be St Anton. The trains in St Anton connect to the Lech busses too so there is little odds if traveling to Lech where you get off (though Langen will be a bit quicker because of the time taken to traverse the Arlberg tunnel), no busses from Langen to St Anton though. It is a bit odd that there are (practically) no regional trains (or buses?) between Vorarlberg & Tirol, perhaps a hang over from when the Vorarlbergers voted to join Switzerland rather than the new republic of Austria!
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Hi there, I thought I would ask this group about possible snow conditions in later March, specifically week of March 21-28th as we are looking to do a week-long trip to Lech at that time. First time to the Arlberg region so we don't have any previous reference points. I have read through the last several pages in this thread and it seems that conditions on piste are OK with some areas bare and rocky. I know that no-one has a crystal ball but how do conditions normally progress into later march and how do you think they might look with current conditions? We are coming from Canada so want to make a wise investment and either make the trip this march or perhaps wait until next season. Thanks for your prognostications! 
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@brew99, As you know trying to guess snow conditions in a month's time is a fools game. Currently (I was last there 3 weeks ago, again this coming weekend) on piste conditions are good, off piste & ski routes (not sure how that translates into Canadian but I guess something like in bounds ungroomed runs) are variable some perfectly OK but in other places thin and rocky. No doubt more snow would be welcome but that is due to arrive this week. One of the popular snow forecast sites is suggesting daily snowfall for the next 10 days or so https://wepowder.com/en/villages/st-anton-am-arlberg#valluga though other places might not be so optimistic. I would say this year mid to late March is likely to be as good as most years, sadly the days of 5m snow depths in March are now going to be very much the exception rather than the rule.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@brew99, presently the pistes are excellent down to the village, both in snow cover and snow quality. The offpiste is not worth consideration apart from a few gullys.
For late March heavy snow/wet snow on lower slopes should be expected. Most slopes, Gampen and Galzig are south facing, so best skiing above mid stations.
But I have seen 1 metre snowfalls in March.
Remember March is Spring and strong Sun.
St Anton does have an snowfall record with fabulous Spring skiing on occasions.
But it is a bet.
Highly recommend the train from Zurich.
Purchase ticket from OBB, cheaper than SBB.
Reserve window seat on left side of carriage, direction of travel.
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| munich_irish wrote: |
| @brew99, As you know trying to guess snow conditions in a month's time is a fools game. Currently (I was last there 3 weeks ago, again this coming weekend) on piste conditions are good, off piste & ski routes (not sure how that translates into Canadian but I guess something like in bounds ungroomed runs) are variable some perfectly OK but in other places thin and rocky. No doubt more snow would be welcome but that is due to arrive this week. One of the popular snow forecast sites is suggesting daily snowfall for the next 10 days or so https://wepowder.com/en/villages/st-anton-am-arlberg#valluga though other places might not be so optimistic. I would say this year mid to late March is likely to be as good as most years, sadly the days of 5m snow depths in March are now going to be very much the exception rather than the rule. |
Thanks! Yes I saw that there is a large system making its way into the alps and hope that it brings good things  . Appreciate the feedback!
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| davidthornton wrote: |
@brew99,
Remember March is Spring and strong Sun.
Highly recommend the train from Zurich.
Purchase ticket from OBB, cheaper than SBB.
Reserve window seat on left side of carriage, direction of travel. |
Thanks! Great advice on the train! Would end of march typically have skiing all the way into Lech village? Apologies if this is a dumb question  And any thoughts or advice on staying in Lech or in Oberlech? Oberlech seems quieter with more luxury options and nice terrace's for apres but is it too quiet?
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Yes.
Not a dumb question, it will be wet and slushy but doable of course. Lech is higher than St. Anton.
A matter of personal taste and budget.
Yes. Half board quiet evenings.
Yes. Half board quiet evenings away from Krone.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I think these forecasts are going to very very wrong. Unless something changes there will not be that much snow at all.
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@mcg, Wepowder's automatic forecast is suggesting around 2m over the next 2 weeks (at the top of the Valluga). I agree that that is often too optimistic for snow fall amounts, the written forecasts are more useful and insightful. However other forecast models are suggesting a snowy couple of weeks too, so a significant improvement (and heightened avi risk) seems very likely.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Heading to Sonnenkopf on Sat with family. Can see some 'speccly' snow on web cams at moment and a bit more forecast. Avalanche risk 3/5 at moment. Usually we like to muck around to the sides of pistes e.g. sides of '7', or nice short pitches dropping down off 5, just after it becomes '1', down to the blue path next to 'Sattelkopf' lift. But given the slides this season, 3/5 risk and more snow coming in probably best to just take whatever light powder there is on piste and stick with that I guess...? Is there an English version of the avalanche risk page (https://warnung.vorarlberg.at/vtgdb/dist/index.html#//lwd_lagebericht_de.html)? Google translate doesn't seem to cut it somehow.
Also does anyone know if the Bundthutte is definitely open this year? Didn't open when we were there in same week last year...
Thanks v much.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@Scarlet, that worked thanks - helpful, even though not that encouraging!
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You know it makes sense.
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@Alex_D, In what way? They also have a snow forecast under the weather section, and predict 50cm in the Arlberg by Saturday, which is fine enough that I might pop over to try it out
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@mcg, out of interest what make you think there won’t be much new snow?
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Poster: A snowHead
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@Scarlet, agreed love the fresh snow, but thinking with family might be cautious and stick to the soft stuff on edges of pistes. The helpful avalanche report you linked to me has words like "tendency: increasing avalanche danger" and "still a highly unfavourable snowpack, caution urged towards fresh snowdrifts" which was what I meant by 'not that encouraging', but that is obviously for off-piste.
Thanks again
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@kitenski, I have looked at various models and the variety in the forecasts is marked. Generally when one sees that then it is not good to be optimistic. Don't get me wrong, I hope I am seriously wrong here as I arrive on Saturday, and a big dump would be greatly appreciated. Also Avi risk willbe high but if there is that much new snow then there will be plenty to play in.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@mcg, yeah GFS still all over the place, AIFS is very optimistic!
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@brew99, Oberlech is a nice base BUT quiet. Stayed at the Montana a month ago and food was excellent. We last stayed there 18 years ago when the kids were younger (4, 7 and 10) and we had a ball doing the toboggan run every night. The Burg does have a wee bit of apres going on but nothing special. Have not stayed in Lech before but possibly better base if you want to be closer to the apres.Have a look at Stuben as a base if you're not overly concerned about apres - cheaper base than Lech for the Arlberg
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@Alex_D, yes, fresh snow does often increase the avalanche danger. However, you can safely use the marked ski routes once they have opened.
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Hi everyone! quick question...sorry if it's the wrong thread as it's not specifically weather related, more logistics related....
We are looking at staying in klosterle (it's the only place we can find suitable/affordable accommodation). We understand that it will be a bus ride to/from Stuben to access in to the main Arlberg area which is fine, don't mind that.
However, what are our options between St Anton and Klosterle? in the event we decide to indulge in some Apres one day? From what I can see it looks like you'd have to get a bus up to Zurs? and then back down to Kosterle? Taking circa 1-1.5hrs. Can anyone 'in the know' verify this please? or is there a more direct option? Also the approx cost of a taxi if that is the only other option! Thanks!!
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@Drifter210, look at the local trains that stop at langan, direct to st anton.
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@mcg, Thanks, I just check the OBB rail and it looks as though is an 9 minute connection from St Anton to Langen although it's fairly infrequent. Presumably once we get there a short taxi ride would be possible back to Klosterle.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@Drifter210, sadly its not easy to get between Klosterle and St Anton without a car or on skis. As mentioned above there are practically no local trains and besides very early morning or late at night trains that stop at Langen dont stop at St Anton. The bus option means going to Zürs and changing back in the opposite direction (generally only as far as Langen) with I presume a fair wait and would guess the last bus would be fairly early. Maybe if you got the 19:00 train from St Anton to Bludenz there would be a bus back to Klosterle? You might have to breath in and pay for a taxi or book a hotel for one night in St Anton!
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@munich_irish, Thanks for the insight. Looks like there's a train to Langen at 18:25, 20:23 and 23:10 which isn't too bad, and then most likely a taxi to klosterle from there, which would be considerably cheaper than a taxi the whole way.
a quick Google search suggests 90Euro for a taxi in the evening...not ideal but between 5 not the end of the world for a one off....
Thanks for your help!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@Drifter210, not sure where you see those trains, they dont exist on https://www.oebb.at/ ? €20 each in a taxi is probably your best bet, probably can get one direct from the Moose but make sure you agree a price before getting in!
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@brew99,
*Lech normally has skiing down to village until the end of season (end of April). Unlike in many other resorts, in Lech people ski down to the village several times a day, as it is in the midst of it all. It's part of the charm of Lech.
*And yes, normally, highest cumulation of snow is in March.
*Yes, lots of 4**** star hotels in Oberlech, but the most luxurious are down in the village (Hotel Arlberg, Gasthof Post, Hotel Almhof Schneider (Lech's most beautiful hotel) (never stayed though, only eaten  , (if that's what you're looking for). Lots of ski-in/out (or close-by) in Lech too by the way, not just in Oberlech.
*You'll find some après in Lech, but Lech is not party-central like St.Anton and other Austrian resorts
*There is an excellent cablecar connecting Oberlech and Lech 7am-01am.
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You know it makes sense.
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@Drifter210, You need to look at the detail as most of those trains dont run every day (not today for instance). The last train at 23:00 does run every day so you should be good for a long post ski session  . It is very odd that in a country with such a good public transport system there is so little connection between two adjoining valleys linked by major road and rail tunnels and a pass kept open all year round.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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But one's in Vorarlberg and the other's in Tirol, so they may as well be on different planets 
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Scarlet, Indeed, Vorarlberg used to be part of a collection of Habsburg possessions called "Further Austria" (Vorderösterreich) which extended through modern Baden Württemberg to the Rhine. After the Napoleonic wars all that was left was Vorarlberg which ended up in the post 1918 republic of Austria despite the locals voting to join Switzerland. The folk from Lech & St Anton view each other as foreigners to this day! It used to be that you could pay for the bus ticket from St Anton to Lech in Swiss Francs
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@munich_irish, I was not aware of that, but it does explain some things
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@munich_irish, @Scarlet,
Lech is one of the villages in Austria and Italy (and Switzerland) founded in the 14th century by the Walser (people from Wallis). And still very proud of that heritage. One of the big families in Lech is named Walch.
Other villages are e.g. Kleinwalsertal, Galtür in Austria (and many more in Vorarlberg, indeed) and Alagna Valsesia (Valsesia!) in Italy
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walser_people
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I'll be staying in St Anton first week of March. Forecast leading up to then looks great, so hoping things fill in a bit. I've been curious - where do you recommend skiing on stormy days when there's no visibility above treeline? Seems that St Anton has a pretty low treeline overall, and a lot of tree skiing is forbidden.
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@amarder1, You are right there is limited tree skiing (keeping fingers crossed that it snows today & tomorrow and clears for the weekend!). The home run down from Rendl is ideal, the various runs down from Gampen are good too (though sadly it doesnt look as if the Platti black will open this season). For off piste maybe Maiensee from St Christoph, traditionally the tree runs towards Langen were popular but that does mean an approach from the top of Albona and is very exposed to bad weather before you get to the tree line, dont even think about Schöngraben from the bottom of the T bar its a death trap. As ever if you plan on going off piste without a guide make sure you take local advice and be cautious.
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@amarder1, tree skiing (as in off-piste) is not really a thing in the Alps in general, and neither at Arlberg. Exceptions aside, but most slopes with trees the forest is too dense and/or too steep. And yes, often forbidden for wild life protection.
Treeline in the northern Alps is at 1800 m.
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@Langerzug, there is plenty of off piste tree skiing in the Alps.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@kitenski, I'm not saying there is none.
But still the vast majority of forest in the Alps is too dense and/or too steep. As the forest in the Ski Arlberg skimap is. (I'm not writing about pistes cut through forest)
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It's snowing and the sun is shining on Rendl
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