After a very mild start to the season, the Arlberg has finally put on its winter coat.  The snow started on the evening of December 25th and has rarely stopped since.  The base at Galzig is now measuring 140cm and lots of the classic storm skiing runs like Maienplatt, Maienwasen and Schongraben are starting to take shape.  The high alpine has a lot more snow and is skiing like mid-winter for the most part.  This system has come from the northwest which works best for St. Anton as it bares the brunt of the storm first at its flank in the northern Alps.

We have more snow in town already then we did all of last winter and today was about as cold as it gets in St. Anton.  It is indeed, great to have real winter back, just in time for the holiday makers!!

We have a few weeks left on the calendar.  Please inquire for availabilities.

All the best to all of our former and future guests, friends and family for a prosperous 2015.

Kind regards,

R&M

Just about the last time we saw the sun.

Faceshots have been plentyful since Christmas day!

St. Anton has been open since December 12th.  This skiing was pretty good on Galzig on the season opener and a few storms and some excellent work by the piste machines has helped steadily open more lifts each a day and allow for top to bottom skiing.  The most recent additions to be opened were Schindler and Zammermoos.  Schindler was skiing excellent today and with these additions it is now possible to ski all the way from Nasserein to Valfager where you can extend your day to Lech and Zurs if you desire.  We are still asking for our first big snowfall from Santa, but St. Anton can offer a decent amount of skiing for the holiday makers to enjoy.

Happy holidays from Maaike and I.  Enjoy the break and spending quality time with your families!

Powder skiing on opening day!

Schindler open for business and a whiter looking Arlberg behind.

December is the best month for sunsets at the chalet. This has been top so far!

It has been a slow transition to winter in the Arlberg.  St. Anton is ready, excitement is in the air, and we are patiently awaiting some help from mother nature to get the winter season rolling.  In the last days, the community of fantastic people that make St Anton have showed their resiliency and kept spirits high.  Hey, when there is no snow, why not have a party!!  So, the KK has hosted apres skis, the chalets have opened their doors and the bars have been full with people have nothing short of a great time.

Last night it was dumping on the way home from the dorfestrasse and things are much whiter today.  I am happy to report that there has been about 20cm of new snow at Ulmer Hutte and that there will be lifts open on Friday and skiing available to enjoy.  But still, please do a dance, pray to the snow gods, and keep on smiling St Anton!!

We are looking forward to our next guests and getting back in a more regular winter routine.  See you soon Hank and company!!

Well folks, it is officially October and the snow has started hitting the summits of the glorious Arlberg. Soon it will be time to chase white gold down chutes, open bowls and through the trees – hooting and hollering with friends and smiling ear to ear. It will be time to make a pit stop for a beer at the KK after a long day of making turns, soaking in incredible vistas and riding chairlifts with like minded people. At the KK, it’ll be time to get up on the tables, have a shot and peel down into your long undies and dance, dance, dance. It will be time for so so many things.

We are indeed on the cusp of another winter in St. Anton and the wide variety of options for life time memories it provides.

So, book your stay at Chalet Rafalt and come make some memories in the Arlberg!

With 5 weeks booked and 2 more weeks tentatively booked, it is shaping up to be a busy winter in St. Anton.  Please contact us soon to make your reservation to experience the best of the Arlberg.  We look forward to the possibility of hosting you!

Kind regards,

R&M

St. Anton is now in full swing with Kapall, Gampen, Galzig and Schindler all open.  It has been  lean winter so far in The Alps terms of snow but we are lucky to be fairing better than many other resorts, some of which still have not opened.  We received 25-30cm of snow on opening day which made for excellent skiing.  Since then we have enjoyed a lot of blue skies and empty pistes.  There is a lot of terrain to choose from and the excitement of the new season is keeping spirits high as we wait for some classic St. Anton snow!

We are having technical difficulties uploading pictures but I will hope to be posting again as soon as possible.

We have some availabilities towards then end of March so please contact us to make your reservation today!

R&M

Dec 4th Powder skiing next to the new Tanzboden 6 person lift.

St. Anton season start 2013/14 is tomorrow, Dec 6th!  We have been ski touring up Galzig this week and have had a chance to ski the slopes pre-opening.  The coverage is looking great for this time of year and should provide many powder turns for riders excited to get the season rolling.  Nasserein, Gampen, Galzig, Zammermoos, Tanzboden, St. Christoph and Osthang bahn’s will all be open.

The chalet is looking as comfortable and cozy as ever.  We have been busy making minor improvements here and there, and the major improvement of building and covering new furniture in the stub.  We have also added a new tab to our website entitled “concierge” which describes some of the ways we can enhance our guests experience when visiting.  Check it out!

New three seater couch for cozy times!

We are looking forward to welcoming our first guests of the season tonight from Finland. Finnish independence days is tomorrow we look forward to the celebrating with them!

We have availabilities beginning mid-March and would welcome the opportunity to host you here in the winter wonderland of The Arlberg!

R&M

Here’s to December 2013 being another day closer!

Chalet Rafalt is closed after another fantastic winter in the Arlberg.  This season saw consistent snow throughout the winter and a snowpack that measured over 3.5 metres on closing weekend at mountain top.  We feel very fortunate to have hosted a wide variety of fun and interesting guests from all over the world and to have been able to help them feel comfortable at the Chalet and in St. Anton.  All season our guests were keen skiers who were up early to enjoy breakfast before heading out the door to take advantage of many stellar days on the mountain and afternoons at the apres skis.  We also can’t say how much we appreciate the many visits from family and friends over the season.

Thank you all for making it a successful winter with great memories to look back on.  We hope to host your again next winter!!!

Kind regards,

R&M

Fluffy powder is still falling!

Great time of year for relaxing on summits.

North facing powder skiing!

The temperatures have been warmer but it has been generally a cooler spring then normal in the Arlberg.  This has kept the skiing in fine shape as of late.  We have had pretty consistent snowfalls and some nice doses of sunshine and vitamin D to enjoy.  At the moment Larry Stanier is visiting the chalet and we are thrilled to be hosting a Canadian guide.  Larry has an incredible resume guiding all over the world but particularly in western Canada where I grew up.  He is off to the Silveretta next with his clients before doing the Haute Route from Chamonix to Zermatt.  Thankfully St. Anton has delivered blue skies and dry north facing powder for him and his clients to make the most of!

The season end parties have started and this weekend will see Piccadilly and the Krazy Kanguruh close.  We do have availability this weekend so if you are within shooting distance please come on by and join the festivities!

Kind regards,

R&M

Benoit enjoying sunshine and powder!

Berger making us amateurs look somewhat professional.

Me feeling lucky to ski with Berger.

Another tasty dinner in the chalet.

Team Canada and friends.

Gamsk on Sulz spitze.

Eric Berger was back in St Anton last week with a great crew from Canada, Spain and England.  Eric is a professional photographer based out of Whistler.  He recently scored another cover of Powder Magazine with Dan Treadway and we were excited to have him back in the chalet.  Ben and myself had the opportunity to take a few pictures with him and were pretty blown away by the results.  Thanks Eric!

It was a stellar week with the bunch that included great days skiing around the white circle, touring up Augstenburg, racing down the rodel track and the odd beverage at the Krazy Kanguruh and Piccadilly.  Thanks for a great week – we look forward to many more like it!

We have a very nice group from Sweden right now and they have been enjoying the skiing in St. Anton and dinners at the chalet.

Snow is in the forecast and it is shaping up to be a great spring so please contact me if you’d like to come in April.

Kind regards,

R&M

(All photos above are property of and copy write by Eric Berger)