The Malfon Valley Side Country Ski Tour at St Anton am Arlberg, Austria

St Anton am Arlberg is a ski resort destination that sits comfortably in the Alps of Western Austria. It boasts over 300 KM of skiable terrain that is accessible by 85 ski lifts. For comparison’s sake, Vail has 234 KM of terrain and Whistler/Blackcomb has 200 KM, both of which are renowned for their size. St Anton dwarfs them. In addition to the 300 KM of skiable terrain, St Anton also has an additional 200 KM of off-piste terrain. Simply put, St Anton is enormous. It also has the #1 voted apres ski scene in Europe. MosserWirt, a slope side bar, is perhaps the most famous ski apres destination in the world. What makes it famous? That’s a tough question to answer. Maybe it’s because people stay there for hours dancing on tables in their ski boots and listening to music before putting their skis back on and skiing to the base lodge. As you can imagine, that is a recipe for…… chaos. There is also a strange custom (not the right word, but can’t find a better one) of throwing your beer glass on the ground when you’re done. The glass shatters into a thousand pieces. If you are wondering why everyone at MooserWirt is in ski boots, the shattered glass could be the main reason.

St Anton has everything you look for in a destination ski resort. An amazing ski village filled with great restaurants and bars. Epic, unending skiable terrain. An apres scene that is unmatched. And don’t forget about the beauty. The European Alps in the wintertime provide some of the most beautiful landscapes I have ever seen. St Anton had always been on my shortlist of places I wanted to visit.

In February of 2020 (just before COVID hit) I went to St Anton am Arlberg with two of my friends. We didn’t know what to expect, but we certainly didn’t expect to go back-country skiing for the first time. We hired a guide to take us to some off-piste terrain. We did some hikes and found some snow, but the conditions were not great. Our guide explained to us that if we had skins, we could find some really amazing terrain and potentially some really amazing snow. We didn’t think twice about it. We rented all the gear eager to find out what we had in store for us.

Some may ask the question, “Why do you need to ski off-piste when there is so much in bounds skiable terrain?” The answer to this question depends on the person. For us, we wanted to experience a new adventure, challenge ourselves, avoid crowds, and find fresh tracks. When resort ski conditions are bad, there is a chance that off-piste is considerably better. That was certainly the case while we were in St Anton.

We met our guide early in the AM and he walked us through the standard backcountry safety protocol. How to use the beacon in case of an avalanche. How to use the shovel and probe. We practiced using our beacon to be the searcher. We practiced using our beacon to be the searched. The lessons didn’t last too long and before we knew it, it was time for our adventure to begin. Our guide told us he had just the spot for us. The Malfon Valley. The anticipation built and we were off.

From the top of the lift, there is roughly a 1-hour skin up and over a ridge to a completely deserted skiable area that overlooks the Malfon Valley. The hike is exposed in some areas and needs to be navigated carefully. One section follows along a ridge overlooking the valley. The snow on this section was windblown and slick making it a challenge to maintain balance. It didn’t help (or did help depending on your perspective) that you are completely enveloped by spectacular scenery. Scenery that is distracting to the point of paralysis. To this day, it is one of the most beautiful views I have ever seen. I think back on this skinning experience and it’s difficult to recall how challenging the hike was. However, I do vividly remember the scenery. It was surreal. It felt as if you were hiking through an alien landscape of white. It felt like you were walking amongst clouds. We were lucky enough to have good visibility while there and I am very thankful for that.

Once the ridge traverse is complete, most people opt to take their skis off and hike the remainder of the way. A staircase of snow brings you to a windy plateau where you can take a rest and transition your gear to prepare for the downhill. On the other side of this plateau is a vast white playground of infinite ski lines. No trees. No people. Just a white blanket of snow for as far as you can see.

The run itself takes close to 1 hour and it involves skiing continuous fresh tracks all the way down to a long, but enjoyable, ski out. The feeling of skiing down this vast uninhabited terrain is like nothing I have ever felt before. Completely isolated. No people. No Sounds. Just a vast ocean of white to tackle. It was pure joy.

The ski out ends at the village of Pattneu where you need to catch a bus to get back to St Anton. Yes, you literally ski to a completely different village! A short bus ride brings you back to the main ski village where, if you are so inclined, you can do the run again. We skied this run once with a guide and twice without. Each run was more memorable than the previous. To this day, this was the most fun I have ever had on a ski tour.

This ski tour was the first for me and because of that it is responsible for giving birth to a new passion that would satiate my ski adventure itch for years to come. My friends and I now mix downhill skiing and backcountry on our ski trips. This allows us to take advantage of the best parts of both skiing styles. It allows us flexibility should the ski conditions be bad at the ski resort and it allows us to continue to grow our back country skiing knowledge. We have done back country skiing tours in Colorado, British Columbia, Wyoming, Montana and Austria. We have gained knowledge and experience from different guides along the way. My backcountry skiing skills have improved over time and the physical demands have conditioned me for the many athletic endeavors that I continue to pursue as I get older.

As I get older I realize more and more that it’s the adventure that I crave. It’s not necessarily the skiing or the hiking, but the sum of all the little parts. It’s the preparation, the gear, the exercise, the anticipation, the camaraderie, the challenge, the beauty, and the fear of the unknown. John Muir has many famous sayings that perfectly encapsulate the feeling of adventure. Perhaps there is no better way to describe the way I feel about my experiences back country skiing then with this famous quote, “In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."

Till next time.

-MikeHikesTheAlps, 2020

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-MikeHikesTheAlps