Lessons (2007/08 prices)

St. Anton prides itself on teaching skiing to all levels and has two ski schools, Skischule Arlberg with over 300 instructors and Skischule St. Anton with 60 instructors. This is the home of the Arlberg Method, the standard for ski instruction throughout the world. The school classes form in amazing numbers each morning at the base of the Gampen. Lech and Zürs also have 300 instructors, with classes forming at the base of the Schlegelkopf lift, in Oberlech and in Zürs. Ski school prices are approximately the same throughout the region.

If you can swing it, hire a private instructor for at least a day. One contributor noted, “In less than five minutes and without having to look back at me once, my instructor pinpointed my many bad habits. We spent the rest of the day hammering them out of my system. In the process, I easily skied slopes I’d have thought twice about before. And I lost my American-bred fear of mass mogul fields after I learned the right techniques for attacking them.”

Ski school prices for St. Anton/St. Christoph:

Private lessons cost €227-€303 per day, with €20 per each additional per-son.

Group lessons are €59 a day; €139 for three days.

Snowboarding lessons for one day is €63, lessons for three days cost €146 and a snowboard college for five days will run €198.

The cross-country ski school prices are the same as for Alpine lessons. Also ask about special family and senior rates.

Ski school prices for Lech/Zürs are normally within a few Euros of the prices in St. Anton.