Tips for a day in St. Anton am Arlberg

8:00 am // St. Anton am Arlberg railway station

We choose the railway station as the meeting point with our guide Rosanna. It is particularly important for locals and guests in St. Anton am Arlberg. From here you can quickly get anywhere in the world - and back again. All Intercity and Railjet trains stop here, and it is only a short walk to the town centre and the ski area.

Our St. Anton guide Rosanna works in the social sector and loves travelling. Today she shows us the area where she lives - one of the world's most famous ski resorts and a pretty village that has largely retained its charm.

08:30 // The Snow Witcher

When it snows in St. Anton, it really snows. Young and old try to master the masses of snow with so-called "snow witches". Just like this gentleman, born in 1927 and Rosanna's grandfather.

09:00 a.m. // Hotel Arlmont

Anyone checking into St. Anton has the choice between traditionally run top hotels, beautiful apartment buildings or modern design accommodation. Rosanna shows us her tip for fans of modern architecture, the Hotel Arlmont: "I think the hotel is a good contrast to this traditional ski resort. Firstly, the location right next to the Nasserein mountain railway is of course a dream. Secondly, I myself celebrated a friend's wedding there in the summer. The staff took great care of the guests." Rosanna's second tip, the Waldhof, is cosy and has a very good restaurant.

09:30 // Sportshop SkiWest

We accompany Rosanna to what is probably the smallest sports shop on the Arlberg (SkiWest) run by her father. He still services skis by hand in the ski cellar and also stocks a selection from the Tirol-Shop fashion collection. The density of sports shops in the centre of St. Anton is high: Alber Sport, Intersport Arlberg (2x), Sporthaus Jenewein (Sport 2000), Skisport Fauner. offer the right equipment for freeriders, snowboarders and all other winter sports enthusiasts.

10:00 a.m. // Galzigbahn

It's just a snowball's throw from the village centre (and the train station) to the ski slope. We walk to the valley station of the gondola lift, which takes us up to the 2,184 metre-high Galzig. The first cable car ran up here in 1937. The new, architecturally spectacular Galzigbahn opened in 2006. A Ferris wheel inside the valley station lifts our gondola into the air as we float uphill.

10:30 // The ski guide

When you say Arlberg, you usually think of deep snow descents. And rightly so, as the view from the gondola, which takes us up to the Galzig through the thick snow, confirms. Sitting next to us is 30-year-old ski guide Daniel Federspiel. We talk to him about the current snow conditions, the beauty of his job and why even experienced skiers should explore the Arlberg with a ski guide.

"It's snowed about a metre in the last week and a half and there's more to come next week," says Daniel. As a ski guide, he has turned his hobby into a profession. When asked why a ski guide is needed on the Arlberg, he explains: "Because the ski routes are different every year. Many guests only come for a week. The descent on the rear Rendl can be a mogul slope one day and then suddenly there's a metre of fresh snow the next." Only local experts with the appropriate training and experience can judge the avalanche situation in such a situation and know whether, where and how to ski a powder slope. And, of course, they know best where fresh powder snow can still be found. You can book local mountain and ski guides at the Arlberg ski schools.

11:00 // Galzig and Valluga

Today we actually wanted to go even higher - to the 2,809 metre high Valluga, the highest peak on the Arlberg. Our plan was to take some nice panoramic photos up there and then take the gondola back down - but the heavy snowfall and strong winds made us doubt it. Daniel explains that only experienced skiers accompanied by a mountain or ski guide are allowed to ski down from the Valluga. We would be happy just to be allowed to take the gondola up and down.

There is a lot of snow at Galzig, the wind is blowing outside and Daniel tells us - to our disappointment - that the Valluga cable car is closed today due to the weather. We are lucky: Rosanna had already been to the Valluga summit three days earlier with a friend and had taken some photos with her mobile phone. The view from up there is impressive when the weather is right, as this snapshot shows:

12:00 // Ski slope no. 1

We follow Daniel on piste no. 1 towards the Sennhütte. The snow is a dream, the visibility could be better.

If the weather had been fine, we would have liked to have followed Rosanna's recommendation and made a detour to St. Christoph and Stuben am Arlberg. Her tip: "I prefer to ski down from Schindlergrat to Rauz, it's a super long descent where you can really step on the gas. You can always make two or three turns in the deep snow here. If you then decide to continue in Rauz instead of taking the Valfagehrbahn lift, you'll end up in Stuben and reach the Albona lifts - there's a great off-piste descent! Otherwise always great: Bachseite, which is (almost) always good, no matter what the snow is like."

Rosanna's panoramic tip: "For me, the most beautiful panorama, apart from the Valluga, is on the ride on the Schindlergratbahn and after the long run from the Ulmerhütte, when you can admire the Patteriol (a towering mountain over 3,000 metres high) in all its glory."

12:30 // Sennhütte

We say goodbye to Daniel and stop off for lunch at the Sennhütte. This typical Arlberg ski hut with its excellent cuisine is also a perfect place to celebrate après-ski, as Rosanna tells us: "I like the owners of the Sennhütte, they are very friendly, like to sit down and talk to you. It's always fun when you're there. There's really classic après-ski here, the food tastes good and the sun terrace is the highlight here in spring."

If you want to dine in the proverbial upscale ambience, you should visit the gourmet restaurant Verwallstube am Galzig - Europe's highest gourmet restaurant. Chef Bernhard Neuhold is known above all for his excellent fish dishes, and every Thursday he serves a candlelight dinner. Caroline of Monaco and the former Spanish royal couple Sophia and Juan Carlos I have already dined here.

Rosanna also recommends the restaurant in the local history museum near the centre of St. Anton, within sight of the modern Galzigbahn valley station. The museum tells the stories of the Arlberg region - from the founding of the St. Christoph hospice in the 14th century, from the once poor life in this region to the construction of the Arlberg railway in the 19th century and the growing importance of skiing and tourism in the 20th century.

14:00 // The freeriders

People know each other on the Arlberg. So it happens that Rosanna spots Geli Häusl, a well-known freerider and ski guide in St. Anton, in the Sennstube. Geli is travelling with a group of six women who have booked a multi-day freeride course with her. Directly below the Sennhütte, the group is practising how to use avalanche safety equipment. Geli explains more about this.

Katharina from Munich is one of the participants in the freeride camp. She is happy about the fresh powder and wants to stay two days longer in St. Anton after the camp to do a few more "cool powder runs", as she says.

15:00 // The town centre

We end the day's skiing and take a walk with Rosanna through St. Anton's pedestrian zone. "St. Anton simply exudes a very special charm, and it has never lost that," says Rosanna, "even if there is a lot going on here - St. Anton has retained its special character. People walk past here on their skis in the morning, there are sports shops, cosy cafés, bars and restaurants. The place is simply alive. As a local, I always bump into people I know here. It's also simply the most beautiful ski resort for me personally, especially for off-piste skiing."

16:00 // Après Ski

St. Anton prides itself on having invented the term après-ski. In fact, almost everyone meets up here in one of the countless bars in the ski area and in the village: ski guides, ski instructors, locals and guests celebrate the end of the ski day together. Rosanna's recommendations for après-ski in St. Anton: "The Krazy Kanguruh, where you'll find more of an English-speaking crowd, and the Mooserwirt - somehow I think you have to see it. What I also like: the Sennhütte! Cosy, with a lovely sun terrace and live music, especially recommended on Saturdays when people dance on the benches." All three are located directly along ski piste no. 1 and are hard to miss. At the base camp at the Galzig valley station, we take a few more photos and say goodbye to Rosanna - see you next time in St. Anton!