If you travel to Lech in Austria, you should give up the search for the Arlberg. For he will not find it. These seven letters stand for a region and for a passport. It is exactly 1,793 metres high and connects the provinces of Tyrol and Vorarlberg. Today, the “Arlberg” sees itself as the cradle of skiing and was apparently derived from the Arlen, a bush that can be found almost everywhere here. Lech, with its somewhat smaller neighbour Zürs, is not only a worthwhile destination in winter. In the cold season, legendary slopes beckon here for carefree skiing pleasure. In spring, the slopes of Valluga and Trittkopf are transformed into a blooming paradise. And that’s why Lech am Arlberg is a year-round destination for holidaymakers who prefer exercise in nature. Either on the narrow boards that mean the world to many or as hikers on foot.

The Emperor and the Monarchs of the World

It is thanks to Emperor Franz Josef I that the remote villages of this region once awoke from their slumber. The regent opened the Arlberg Railway Tunnel and thus the connection from Bludenz to Landeck in Tyrol. A side valley benefited from this, which is now one of the most interesting winter sports areas in the Alps. Lech am Arlberg not only acted as a magnet for the monarchs of this world. More often, crowned heads wept over the slopes. As early as 1959, the members of the Dutch royal family gathered here. They stayed in the historic Hotel zur Post. It is the first house on the square, which is also geographically correct. Because if you reach the beautiful village of international winter sports celebrities, you will find yourself directly in front of the “Post”. It was probably also due to the celebrities from all over the world that the properties to the left and right of the small river that gave this place its name were soon no longer affordable for ordinary mortals.

With Hannes Schneider, the “white intoxication” began

A local named Hannes Schneider is considered a pioneer of alpine skiing. He opened the first ski school on the Arlberg in 1906. More precisely in Zürs, but in Lech this alpinist of the first hour is considered a “local”. Schneider taught his students technique and posture, although in the years after the turn of the century there were still boards without steel edges. It was the era when the “white rush” began in Lech am Arlberg. Leni Riefenstahl engaged Hannes Schneider for her film “Sonne über dem Arlberg”. At the latest this film brought the breakthrough for Lech and for the smaller neighbors Zürs and Hospiz. Today, there is hardly any other winter sports resort in the Alps that has such a large number of first-class ski instructors. They all see themselves as the heirs of the legendary Hannes Schneider.

Ernest Hemingway and the “grumpy peasants”

There’s no question about it: Lech am Arlberg is a pearl in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg. But that was probably not always the case, because none other than Ernest Hemingway was not particularly uplifted when he stayed in this area with his wife Hadley in the autumn of 1925 and immersed himself in his future book “Fiesta”. In his rather bumpy attempts to move in the young snow, he encountered, as he put it, “grumpy farmers”. Today, the region around Lech is a classic holiday destination with friendly ski instructors and locals who like to open the doors of their old farmsteads to their guests. The inhabitants of Lech, who are concerned about the preservation of nature, are equally concerned about the comfort of their guests, but at the same time feel a great deal committed to their surroundings. Therefore, for example, snow cannons may only be used in winter if strict conditions have been met beforehand.

Relaxation and edification at the Schlegelkopf

Lech stands for entertainment and boundless fun in the snow. When the days get shorter there, this place with its white splendour presents itself as the largest contiguous ski area in Austria. The ski huts and restaurants in Lech and Oberlech are an Eldorado for skiers and snowboarders, and an international community of people who seek relaxation and edification meet on the slopes of the Schlegelkopf. However, many winter sports enthusiasts also come to this region to be pampered with culinary delights. In the star-decorated hotels and in the restaurants, where top-class chefs pamper their guests. Some people rave about a culinary break after an inspiring winter hike after their holiday. The way of life of this beautiful area in Vorarlberg can also be experienced on a warm summer evening in Lech. Golfing, mountain biking, hiking, swimming in the forest pool – the offer in this intact natural landscape is extremely rich. And the mountains on the Arlberg – which does not exist – are full of surprises

Schladming is located in the upper Enns Valley and is the tourist centre of Upper Styria. The small town has become known above all as a winter sports resort, to which the Alpine Ski World Championships in 1982 and 2013 contributed as well as the Ski World Cup races that regularly take place here. The most famous ski area in Schladming is the local mountain, the Planai, which is easily accessible with a cable car starting in the centre. Other ski areas are a few kilometres away, such as the Hauser Kaibling or the Hochwurzen. Together, these mountains form a ski area with a total of 123 kilometres of slopes, 43 cable cars and lifts and 56 ski huts.

Former mining town

With around 3,500 inhabitants, Schladming is now a rather small village. In earlier times, however, things looked quite different: Schladming was in the Middle Ages and in the early modern period – especially in the 14. and 15th century – one of the largest cities in the region due to the flourishing mining industry in the area. One of the old mines, the Brom Giant Tunnel in the Obertal, has been converted into a show mine and offers an exciting journey into the past. A small museum has been set up in the ruins of the neighbouring former nickel smelting furnace.

Cozy main square

Schladming is a cosy village, but there are hardly any real sights here despite its historical significance. The center is grouped around the main square, which is more of an elongated wide street than a square. Not too much historical building fabric has been preserved here, but the center of Schladming with its numerous restaurants and many small shops is quite cozy. The Catholic parish church dates back to a medieval building, and it received its present baroque appearance in the 16th century.

Of the historic building fabric, the Salzburg Gate, the last remnant of the old city wall, is particularly interesting. To the south of it, in the suburb that used to be outside the walls, there is a quarter with more shopping and nightlife options. The small town museum, located in a historic farmhouse, gives an overview of the town’s history. A kind of second city centre is the modern building complex “Planet Planai”, located a few hundred metres from the main square, which contains numerous shops in addition to the valley station of the Planai cable car. West of the city centre is the Schladminger Brewery, whose products are often found in the gastronomy of the entire Enns Valley.

Numerous hiking opportunities

The tourist focus here is on the winter season, but Schladming is also a popular and attractive holiday destination in summer due to the countless hiking opportunities in the area. The location of the village between the Niedere Tauern on the southern and the Dachstein massif on the northern side of the Enns Valley is unique, the three valleys in the Lower Tauern – Untertal, Obertal and Preuneggtal – are easily accessible from here by car or by hiking bus. The mighty Dachstein massif is also within a radius that can be reached from Schladming as part of a day tour. A hiking bus also runs to the Dachstein cable car near Raumsau from the centre of Schladming.

Schladming’s local mountain: the Planai

The Planai is one of the peaks of the Niedere Tauern above the village and the local mountain of Schladming. The most famous ski slopes in the area are located here. In summer, you can start a day tour on the Planai to the centre of the Niedere Tauern, take a leisurely lap on the short panoramic circular trail, which is even suitable for prams, or simply enjoy the view with a coffee in the restaurant at the mountain station. This is mainly determined here by the monumental south face of the Dachstein massif, which rises to an altitude of almost 3000 meters on the opposite side of the Enns. For children, there is a small adventure play park next to the mountain station, the Hopsiland. If you are looking for a little more adventure in summer, you can ride a mountain bike down one of the numerous downhill tracks that have been set up on the slopes of the Planai. The cable car, which also takes bicycles, takes care of the ascent.

Untertal and Riesach Falls

One of the most beautiful excursion options in the area is the Untertal, which stretches from Schladming for about 14 kilometres into the heart of the Niedere Tauern. The main attraction in Untertal is the Riesach Falls. If you add up the two levels of the waterfall, it is one of the highest waterfalls in Styria. The Riesach Falls are accessible via a rather steep hiking trail that leads past several viewpoints. Above the Riesach Falls, you can continue the hike to the picturesquely situated Riesachsee or to the Preintalerhütte.

Preuneggtal and Ursprungalm

In addition to Untertal and Obertal, the Preuneggtal forms the third of the Schladming Tauern valleys. The road leading into the valley ends after about 15 kilometres at the 1600-metre-high Ursprungalm, which is certainly the most beautiful head of the valley near Schladming: the rustic alpine huts are widely scattered on a green meadow, surrounded by steep rocky slopes. A half-day hike leads up to the Giglach lakes, which can be circumnavigated on an easy walking path

Skiers from the New World find it difficult to hear the word “Sankt Anton”. And since this is obviously unchangeable, the name of the popular winter sports resort in the Alps was unceremoniously “Americanized”. Anyone who travels from the United States to the Arlberg on their skis or snowboarders speaks of “Stanton” when they mean Sankt Anton. The inhabitants of the lively town on the border between the Austrian provinces of Tyrol and Vorarlberg take note of this with great equanimity, and for the large number of ski instructors, “Stanton” has become a name corruption that is easy to live with. After all, the numerous guests from the USA don’t let themselves be left with tips.

The memory of the pioneer Hannes Schneider

Four towns in this region claim that the cradle of winter sports once stood within their walls. This is associated with a certain Hannes Schneider, who founded Austria’s first ski school in the early twenties of the last century. In Lech and the neighbors Zürs and Sankt Christoph, he is said to have taught his students the first stem bows. And this at a time when the telemark style was still very popular with alpinists. If you go in search of traces in Sankt Anton today, you will even come across a monument in memory of Hannes Schneider in the park in front of the Ski and Local History Museum. Sankt Anton claims this pioneer for itself because he launched the local ski school and was already employed as a ski instructor in Sankt Anton at the early age of 17. The fact that American vacationers have a special relationship with Hannes Schneider and cultivate it with “Stanton” can probably be deduced from the fact that this ski instructor emigrated to the USA with his family in 1939 and spent the rest of his life there.

Once upon a time, the people at the pass were very poor

For most holidaymakers, Sankt Anton is something like a synonym for carefree days and for the great freedom in a white paradise. Where Hannes Schneider once crouched down and taught the well-travelled excursionists the right swing while having fun on boards, winter sports are at home. The ski area around the Valluga, the highest mountain in the region, is one of the largest in Austria. Sankt Anton, the main town in the upper part of the Stanzertal, has changed its original appearance, but it has retained its very special charm. He is still down-to-earth, but has opened up to an international crowd of guests, not only in the cold season. Sankt Anton was once an important stop on the heavily frequented pass on the local mountain Gampen. The people who professed their homeland here were traditionally poor, but the farming structures in this community, one hundred kilometres from Innsbruck , changed with the start of international tourism.

The freestyle enthusiasm in “Stanton Park”

However, a first hotel opened its doors in Sankt Anton as early as 1895. It had around a hundred beds and even then boasted centrally controlled heating in all rooms. Today, the town with its excellent hotel industry is approaching the million mark in annual overnight stays. In 2001, Sankt Anton was the venue for the Alpine Ski World Championships, and World Cup races take place there on a regular basis. If you are enthusiastic about freestyle skiing, you will be drawn from the Rendl mountain station to the so-called “Stanton Park” and you will find rails and boxes of all levels of difficulty. Skiers on the Arlberg rave about the above-average long slopes and the snow reliability. It is guaranteed, among other things, by the installation of snow cannons. The cable car takes you up to the 2,650-metre-high summit of the Valluga, and those who dare to do it and have the appropriate skills can even descend from there to Zürs and Lech.

The sport here is not seasonal

But Sankt Anton is more than just fun in the snow. This place is a year-round destination with hospitable people and cozy dining rooms. But there is also the parish church of St. Anton, which is built immediately before the threshold of the 16. To 17th century and dedicated to three saints: the Virgin Mary, Francis and Anthony. The second church in Sankt Anton presents itself in a baroque robe, and its spire was the landmark of the village for a long time. But then it was destroyed in a fire. The Ski and Local History Museum is located in the so-called “Trier Villa” and conveys the history of Sankt Anton from the Middle Ages to modern times. In summer, holidaymakers hike through wonderful nature with numerous lakes, alpine pastures, waterfalls and moors. The fact that the place is not only a worthwhile destination for winter sports is known to those who know the scene. Because the sport there is not seasonal. The “Arlberg Giro” and the “Bike Marathon” take place here. And if you are interested in the country and its people, you should come there for the cattle drive or the Advent market, which traditionally heralds the “white season”.