A ski holiday is pretty self-explanatory and most of the time will be spent on the slopes. But what if you’re not too keen on whizzing yourself down a black run at 70kmh? Well, there’s plenty to get up to in resort and they don’t all have to be cost-heavy. This article will talk you through just some of the options available to non-skiers…

Good Morning

A typical morning set up will be the entire family racing off in their ski gear hankered on catching that precious first lift. You on the other hand, don’t have this morning trauma so enjoy a lay in and get up as and when you please. Alternatively, if you’d like to leave the chalet with the family, why not stop for a morning coffee after dropping them at the Galzig lift. The Galzig Bistrobar is a lovely little area to plant yourself in for some morning people watching. Maybe after that you could head down to the Schneider Café and buy a freshly baked pastry from Rosemary, the owner, and her husband Peter. Eat inside, or out, or take away. Whichever you chose, just make sure to savour every last bite of that buttery croissanty goodness.

Wellness

Following your chilled awakening, why not head over to the St Anton Wellness Centre where you can enjoy a swim & a sauna all day long. Bathe in the heated outdoor pool while admiring the heights of the towering mountains above. The views inside the sauna however, could possibly leave more to the imagination…For lunch, we at BackHackers strongly recommend sampling the tapas at Bodegas (a cute spanish bar on the high street). Sip away the hours with a glass of red to match your meal, brought to you in teeny tiny glass jugs.

Toboggan

If you’re feeling more active, why not try the Toboggan Run? You’ll need to pay for the rental of the toboggan (9 euros for the whole day) and a lift pass (perhaps look in to renting a half day pass if you’re not planning on spending hours on this) to access the run via the Nasserine bubble lift. The toboggan run itself is separated from the slopes where the skiers and snowboarders are and isn’t too steep at all. It’s a very bendy, extremely scenic little route and once you’ve mastered the toboggan, you can go as slow or as fast as you please. The descent will take you about 10 minutes dependant on how fast you’re planning on going. A short walk back from the bottom of the run to the nearest bubble lift will get you back up to the starting point in no time, if once isn’t enough!

Views for days

If you want to make the most out of your lift pass, head on over to the Galzig bubble lift and make your way up to the astonishing 2811m Valluga Viewpoint. Make sure you wrap up for this one, as the chills up there can get a little frosty. Once you depart the Galzig lift, simply hop on over to the Valluga bubble lift which takes you even further up. After this, if you’re daring enough, you can hop into a 2-man enclosed lift taking you right up to the platformed viewpoint. If it’s a clear enough day, you’re able to see over 5 different countries from this 360 degree viewing platform: Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Lichtenstein and Italy. But don’t dawdle for too long, and definitely don’t take that hand out of your glove – we really do need to press how cold it gets up there mid-winter.

Chalet Girl

If you’re looking for some history of the resort, head on over to the Ski Museum (which is also the building used as the outside of the chalet in the film ‘Chalet Girl’). Inside there’s a restaurant providing food and beverages if you’d like to make more of a day of it. That is if you can draw yourself away from reading up about St Anton, an accident to do with a Pope and Hannes Schneider’s contribution to skiing.

Italiano

Another great place to eat is Floriani, a lovely little Italian. This is also a great place to pick up take away pizzas if that’s what you’re after! If you venture here in the evenings, and sit at the back of the restaurant, you’ll be able to watch the piste bashers bash their way up the Rendl side of the resort.

Rendl Beach

If a sunbathe is what you’re after, again you’ll be needing a lift pass. But it is totally worth it for the views you’ll have at Rendlbar. Take the Rendl bubble lift up and right across from the exit, you’ll see the bar of your dreams. This little spot soaks up the sun all day and with its multitudes of deckchairs, you’ll find it an easy afternoon lounging around with a Gluhwein or two as you watch the snow park below. You could even arrange to meet your family for lunch here or at the Rendl restaurant just opposite.

Après!

Don’t feel left out if you really want to Après. Moosewirt and Krazy Kanguruh can easily be accessed on foot or by bus. Just make sure you plan ahead as the journey will take a little longer than it might seem. All those windy roads take a lot longer than a simple ski down from Gampenbahn.

Alternatively, if you’d like a jolly good après, travel free, head down to Basecamp, located just next to the Gampen chair lift. Often you’ll find an extremely enthusiastic saxophone player enhancing each song booming out from the bar.

Of course, there are plenty of other non-ski related activities which you can find on the official St Anton website. We thought we’d just give you a little taster of things you can get up to that don’t cost quite as much as the individual husky sled ride!