The start of the ski season in St. Anton

The ski area of St. Anton am Arlberg opens for the 2026/27 season on Wednesday 2 December 2026. The season runs until 18 April 2027. The first weekend is celebrated with the Stanton Ski Open, from Friday 4 to Sunday 6 December. Entry to the festival is free.

The Stanton Ski Open

For three days there is live music on three stages in the centre of St. Anton: on the Griesplatz, at the Gemeindeamt and in front of the tourist office. On Friday and Saturday the food trucks open at 16:00 and the music starts at 17:00. On Saturday evening the Krampus parade comes through the village, and there is a talk on practical avalanche knowledge.

At the Galzigbahn valley station you can test new skis and snowboards for free, from 08:30 to 16:00 on Friday and Saturday and until 15:00 on Sunday. On Sunday the Arlberg Safety Camp takes place on the Galzig, from 08:00 to 15:00. The organisers note that the programme may change.

Which lifts are open

Which lifts and slopes run in the first days depends on the snow. According to Ski Arlberg, the Rendl usually opens a week or the weekend before Christmas. The live status is on skiarlberg.at.

Staying in Schnann

Schnann is a quiet village in the Stanzertal, in the municipality of Pettneu am Arlberg. The ski bus stops in Schnann and takes you to St. Anton. In high season it runs every 15 minutes at peak times. Outside the period from 19 December to 20 March, the minimum stay at Haus Alpzeit is three nights, so the opening weekend fits a long weekend away. This is our first winter, and we are looking forward to it. Our three apartments are Hoher Riffler, Eisenspitze and Mittagsspitze. View the apartments