St. Anton still is one of the most popular ski resorts in the Austrian or any other Alps, mountain range or country. It, along with its smaller sister resorts, Stuben and St. Christoph, have for years attracted fiercely loyal skiers of all abilities, all ages, all budgets and every concept of what constitutes a good ski holiday.

Why? Who the heck knows? What we do know is that the area has a consistent snow record, offers great skiing for all abilities, and in the face of galloping expenses - not only in the Austrian Alps - but throughout all of Europe's major ski countries - has pretty well managed to remain, if not downright cheap, then at least value for money. Well, that answers our question doesn�t it? But does that tell the whole story? Surely many resorts can make the same claims and draw the same audience. Well, yes and no. Lots have the same or similar physical attributes. After all a mountain ski resort is a mountain ski resort is it not?

Well probably not. You see there is a little thing called character that goes along with good looks and a respective high altitude. In that way, a ski resort can be almost like a person. Without character, no degree of make-up or good location can make one a star, and make no mistake, St. Anton and cousins are definitely high in star quality.

Nevertheless, supporting casts make stars, and it is here that St. Anton has great depth, and not in skiing alone we hasten to add. Look too to the guest list, the folks who visit the village on an almost annual pilgrimage. These pilgrims come from all lifestyles, all ages and the entire social scale spectrum, - therein lays the uniqueness.

By attracting this stunning variety, St. Anton defies pigeonholing on a social and perhaps marketing scale. Although plenty of first class hotels offer world class accommodations and service; scores of dynamite restaurants can blow you away with taste and value, there are still lots of superb little family run pensions and chalets where groups of younger and more budget conscious skiers and snow boarders can do their thing, hang out, and be in a world class resort on a less than world class budget.

Nightlife too reflects the diversified social and financial status of the clientele.
From sophisticated bars and discos, to hotel tea dances and quiet off lobby meeting points, to the "get down and do it" little beer meeting points where the young, broke, and "wanna act" young and broke set hang out. St. Anton attracts the lot, and in our opinion, is better for it. In winter, St. Anton, Stuben and St. Christoph know no low season. Oh sure, there are those times of the year when prices are slightly lower, but St. Anton is not an overpriced resort anyway.

And it's worth repeating that there are so many accommodations that something can often be found in just about every price category, but book early! St. Anton is on the Arlberg pass in the Austrian Tirol. It is a resort that grew and prospered out of the quality of its skiing.

Heck, it has only been in the past five years or so that the place took on any sort of a summer tourism profile at all. St. Anton has been a ski resort almost - no make that ever since man, and woman for that matter, first started sliding down hills with pieces of board strapped to their feet, and a pole between their legs.

However in order to grow and prosper, as well as make a living from the sport, St. Anton had to progressively offer ever improving amenities and comforts to those who came to conquer the slopes. Clearly, they have succeeded on that score.

A walk down the main street in the village will see hotels, shopping, services, dining, dancing and transportation on a world class scale. This skiers� resort has attained a position of world wide respect based on the quality of its ski able terrain as well as the comforts and services listed above. So what you say? Many resorts have good skiing and good support facilities. True, dear reader, true. Despite the previously mentioned changes and trends, St. Anton still, in our opinion, attracts the highest percentage of "gung ho" skiers that we know of.

They come to ski. True, with different sized bundles of cash in their pockets, and different degrees of energy and talent, but baby, this is still a skiers� resort. It should come as no surprise then, that the resort attracts and holds an incredibly loyal following. It surely is nothing new to this writer, as countless trips to St. Anton and it's satellite stations of St. Christoph and Stuben turn up many of the same satisfied faces year after year.

And before you think that a skier has to be a wunderkind on the boards to enjoy the skiing here, let me quickly assure you that recreational skiers from all over the globe are flocking to the Arlberg too. If indeed it is true that this area is the cradle of Alpine skiing, then it follows that skiing is very much part of the resort's culture. It is a tradition and culture that is jealously guarded by locals and visiting skiers alike.

Already boasting one of the longest ski seasons in Austria, as we said, St. Anton is now attracting summer visitors as well. I cannot imagine what attracts them, unless it is the fresh clean mountain air, beautiful surroundings, or quiet streets.

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