St Anton Am Arlberg Ski Resort

Few resorts can match St Anton's pedigree, with skiing being founded here over a century ago with the formation of the Arlberg Ski Club. Millions of skiers were taught the Arlberg technique, struggling to turn with knees and ankles locked together.

Modern carving skis demand the opposite. While ski design has been revolutionised, so has St Anton. Changes which accompanied the staging of the Alpine World Championships in 2001 saw the railway line and station shifted so they no longer divide the town centre from the slopes, modernisation of an aging lift system, and the creation of a magnificent new sport and fitness centre.

The state of the art Galzigbahn gondola accesses the heart of the ski slopes and both of St Anton’s ski sectors have been joined recently by an improved gondola link to Rendl. But the resort's soul is unchanged. Each evening its pedestrianised main street, lined with shops, hotels, bars and restaurants, is bustling with skiers and boarders euphoric after a hard day on some of Europe's most invigorating slopes.