Ski resorts suffer ‘worst start to peak season for years’

Below a chairlift in St Anton last Friday

Austrian ski resorts are hoping for a heavy dump of snow as the recent dry weather and mild temperatures have left some slopes looking decidedly bare at the start of the peak season.

So far major resorts, such as St Anton, have been able to keep the majority of pistes open thanks to a heavy investment in snow-making facilities, but fresh snow is needed.

In St Anton, 86% of runs are covered by snow canons and at the end of last week 95% were open and conditions were surprisingly good, despite the recent drought. And as long as it stays cold enough, they can continue to make snow and keep runs open.

Most runs are open in St Anton

However, skiers who arrived in the resort this weekend for the Christmas break will have been disappointed to find there was barely any off-piste skiing, which is likely to mean marked runs will be busier than usual during the peak weeks.

The picture is similar in many French and Swiss resorts where, despite early snowfalls in October and November, the snow levels are below average fo the time of year.

One ski guide in St Anton told TravelMole it was the worst start to the peak season for 14 years for the resort that typically gets an average of seven metres of snow every winter. "20,000 people will arrive over Christmas, many of them will have come for St Anton’s off-piste skiing but they will have to stick to the slopes," he said. "It’s going to be very very busy."

James Box, head of ski product for specialist agent Iglu, who was skiing in St Anton last week, was more upbeat. "The slopes here are in good condition and it is cold so they’re making plenty of snow. It’s too early to say what might happen in January, but it’s snowing in France at the moment and hopefully there’ll be more snow in Austria soon."

St Anton is the second biggest seller for Igluski.com, after the French resort Val d’IIsere.

The French Alps, particularly those furthest south, did get a reasonable amount of snow last Thursday, but Austria benefited from only a few flurries.

According to the website weathertoski.co.uk, the Italian Alps will be the first to get the next significant dump of snow, which is due on Tuesday, spreading north and east on Christmas Day. The Austrian Alps are not due any meaningful snowfall until January, meaning resorts such as St Anton will have to continue to rely on snow canons.

St Anton is famous for its long steep runs and its challenging off-piste terrain, but even if this turns out not to be the best season for snow there are plenty of other reasons to sell packages to the resort, which has been included in the first Cosmos Ski & Snowboard brochure for this winter.

For a start, there’s the legendary après-ski, starting at either the slope-side Krazy Kanguruh or the Mooserwirt, and continuing in the resort’s bars and nightclubs until the early hours. If you bother to stop to eat, there are plenty of restaurants from pizzerias to upscale dining, including a brand new Italian at the foot of the slopes, the Osteria di Parma.

There is also a sport and climbing centre, an ice-rink and a fabulous wellness centre with indoor and outdoor pools. In January, when the resort  is traditionally invaded by male powder hounds, St Anton is hoping to lure more women with  "Ladies First Feel Good Weeks", offering freebies and discounts on a range of products and activities. Vouchers can be collected from the tourist office from January 4 to 25.

"We want lots of ladies to come here in January," said head of marketing Wilma Himmelfreundpointner. "We always will have lots and lots of good-looking fit young men coming then, it is a good time to be here!"

For sports gear, food and souvenirs there is an abundance of shops in town, but for more retail therapy and cultural attractions, the historic and lovely city of Innsbruck, capital of the Tyrol, is only an hour away and accessible by train. Several Christmas markets will be open until January 6.

There are some excellent top end hotels in St Anton, but Cosmos also offers more affordable three-star options, including the Tirolerof (half-board packages from £665 including flights) and the Alpenhof (from £779).