St. Anton Review
When I think about St. Anton, all I can remember, and not remember at the same time, is Après Ski. Before heading to this snowy ski town I was told that people ski during the day just so that they can go to Après Ski – the partying each afternoon after a hard (or easy) day on the slopes, which kicks off at around 2pm.
The view down towards St. Anton
Don’t get me wrong, the facilities and skiing were world-class at St. Anton, but the partying was equally as good. By 5pm each evening, we were stomping on tables and chairs in our ski boots to German and English songs whilst chanting along and drinking beers and traditional schnapps.
Après Ski with Patrick
I learnt to ski at Mt. Buller in Victoria but have only skied a couple of times in my life, and in comparison, the slopes at St. Anton would have been more than five times as long. With so many different runs and mountains, at one stage it took Patrick and I at least five or six tries of different routes to get to the bottom of the mountain! Pat is one of my best mates who I went to high school with and we’ve been mates for over 11 years. He had 10 days off work and came to spend it with me in Europe, what a champion. Whilst I skied for the four days, he snowboarded and we both took a few tumbles, but I’m pretty proud to report that we made quite a few clean runs down black-rated slopes, something that I hadn’t even attempted before!
Après Ski Bar on the mountain
The Five Senses of St. Anton
St. Anton looks like moguls. Not much is more disconcerting for a novice skier than standing at the top of a mountain and seeing moguls. It’s like having land mines all the way down a four or five kilometre run that constantly keeps you second guessing yourself!
St. Anton smells like cigars. I’d never smoked a cigar on the top of a mountain before but can now well and truly tick that off the list. Thanks to Pat for bringing the Cubans!
St. Anton feels like Groundhog Day. The music that is played at each bar/pub on the mountain for Après Ski is the same everyday and at the same time as well. One of my favourites is this German track.
St. Anton tastes like schnapps. A quick nip of schnapps on the gondola ride up the mountain first thing in the morning, and shots of it during Après Ski are a traditional favourite. We only did it to immerse ourselves in the culture, obviously.
St. Anton sounds like fresh powder being carved up. Skiing is quite peaceful and the sounds that come off your skis as you carve a path down the mountain are unforgettable. It’s hard to put into words, but it would sound something like this: CCCHHHHRRRRRRRRRR. With a sharp ending of course.
When you’re skiing all day and partying all night, four days in St. Anton feels like four weeks but it was awesome to experience a true European ski resort in full flight with my best mate!
