I’d never heard of the ski resort of Pettneu am Arlberg in the heart of Austria’s ski region, but I was very familiar with St. Anton, an eight minute drive away. Compared with that more famous destination’s fancy shops and restaurants, Pettneu is more paired back.
There are just a couple of bars, a few hotels and little else. You won’t be dodging people donned top to toe in designer gear strutting down the main drag, but stay in this lesser-known village and you will save yourself a small fortune.
On the mountain costly rounds of drinks induce a wincing, “how much?” but in less touristic Pettneu, it’s not long before I’m say- ing “yes, I’ll get another round in”. But it’s more than money: Pettneu is an incredible place to enjoy a ski weekend with old friends. There is a Hotel Schwarzer Adler in both Pettneu and St. Anton. Both are wonderful places to stay.
One will pamper you with saunas, swimming pools, exquisite staff, six course dinners with dishes presented as artwork, and to cap it all a “ski butler”. The other will provide a comfy bed and good old-fashioned Austrian cooking like Wiener schnitzel and apple strudel.
From ski resort to the slopes
The real appeal of the ski resort of Pettneu is access to great skiing without blowing the hotel budget. For anyone with a single-minded approach to get- ting the maximum skiing with minimal fuss, Pettneu makes total sense. The sheer scale and variety of the slopes in St. Anton is the core appeal.
We planned to explore some of this diverse 300km of ski ter- rain by traversing across several valleys to the village of Lech at the far end of the ski area. We found that each and every run brought a new aspect, with different gradients and pitches. Long, thigh busting reds; steep sections with gullies and dips and thankfully some relaxing cruising runs as well.
Our favourite area on route from St. Anton to Lech was served by the Muggengrat lift. Never busy and offering a huge area of north facing off piste, as well as a wonderfully long, remote run on the backside of the resort, the ride gives you a real feeling of remoteness. We stop for lunch at the Seekopf restaurant, perched on a ridge accessible by both the Seekopf and Zürsersee chairlifts. Great value spicy goulash soup fits the bill and the waiter’s desire to turn tables quickly helps us on our way.
During our trip we tackled more runs from the top of the Madloch chairlift, but the luxury brands being advertised in the Zugerbergbahn gondola station are a clue that we have reached Lech and its time to head back to the peace and quiet.
The best Apres ski
No trip to the ski resort of St. Anton is complete without experiencing the famous après ski scene. The final descent into St. Anton has a choice of cracking spots. We choose the Senn Hütte, which has a live band playing Germanic classics and sing-along bangers all run by the effervescent owner Tania, who orchestrates brilliant rowdy bonhomie.
If you still have the energy, and the budget, your next stop has to be the Mooserwirt, one of the most famous après ski bars in the world for an evening of ski boot stomping. Far too many table dances later and we’re catching our favourite free-to-use bus home to the tranquility of Pettneu.
Sure, it’s is good for the budget conscious, but it’s so much more than that: the savvy skier will find that Pettneu is great way to enjoy a weekend ski trip with all the best of St. Anton, but with the opportunity to retreat to a quieter village for a better night’s kip. Dreamy.