St Anton is recognised as the party resort of Europe and you really are spoiled for choice both on the slopes and in the village itself, says Sidney Reilly of www.st-antonamarlberg.co.uk.
On the piste, all of the après-ski action takes place above the Galzig. So let us take a ski down and visit them all, starting with the Heustadl. This is the first après-ski bar you will encounter as you head down Blue 1. Frequented by most nationalities and very family friendly, the Heustadl has live music every day except Sunday when there is a DJ. Seating is over two floors as well as on the large outside terrace – normally a great atmosphere with very good waitress service.
As you leave the Heustadl you can call in at the Senn H?tte - just about opposite and to the right - it is open for après-ski from 3 to 6pm each day. This is the home of Didi Diesel (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday) – a kind of Austrian Freddie Starr. He tells jokes, sings, does impressions and plays plenty of instruments. Whilst the whole show is in German and therefore attracts a large German-speaking clientele it is definitely worth a visit. After a few beers you will be dancing on the tables with everybody else - the owners actually force you up onto them - and laughing your head off.
When you leave the Senn Hutte you could cut to the left and follow the signs to the Krazy Kanguruh and Taps. All new for this season after a major summer refurbishment, Taps is to be found next to the KK and for many years has been a favourite haunt of locals, ski instructors and seasonaires alike. Taps, run by Egon and Ursula is pretty much a law unto itself. It will open until at least 8pm (with happy hour between 3 & 4pm) but can quite often still be going strong at 11pm if the party gets into full swing with Egon giving out free trays of homemade schnapps.
This year there is a chill-out room next to the main bar as well as an upstairs lounge with massive sun terrace. A great place to be when it all kicks off and even the staff are drinking and partying to the full. Every Tuesday there will be a live band.
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We have now had a few drinks so be careful how you stagger next door to the KK. Bought this summer by local hero and two time world champion Mario Matt, the KK will stay the same as in previous years - expect to find a young crowd with an English Scandinavian mix. Specialities are tequila slammer girls and wild partying. Every Wednesday and Sunday there will be gogo dancers, no doubt adding to the entertainment – not a place to take the kids to.
If we had skied straight on from the Senn Hutte, we would come to the most famous après-ski bar of them all – the Mooserwirt. My advice is to get there at 3pm and get a good seat inside and wait for the amazing final countdown that kicks off the après-ski party at 3.30pm. Every afternoon DJ Gerhard plays some great songs along with a large helping of cheesy Euro trash. Just watch the place fill up to the point that you can hardly move – try and sit upstairs so that you can watch the dancing masses below. Extremely good waiter service and closes at 8pm – be careful where you leave your skis, as when you depart there will be hundreds of pairs outside.
Now we are nearly back in the village, just before the Galzigbahn to the right is the Underground on the Piste - a predominately English après-ski bar run by St Anton stalwart, the lovably eccentric Joan. Here you will find live music most afternoons and happy hour from 3pm – 6pm. The après carries on throughout the evening when the restaurant opens. This is a good place to go with kids and is one of the few non-smoking bars in the resort.
So now we are back in St Anton village and there is really only one place to go – The Piccadilly. Every day except Saturday you will find great live music provided by Gunar – now in his 16th season. It is normally very busy, with a great atmosphere where those with energy left can dance until 8pm. There are guest bands on Tuesdays or Wednesdays.
As previously mentioned, 99% of the après-ski bars are at the Galzig end of the village. Your only choice if you ski back down to the Nasserein end is the Fang House. This is a small bar with a lively atmosphere and is found right next to the gondola station.
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Once you have been back to your hotel, had a shower and something to eat it is time to head back out and see what St Anton has to offer in the evenings. However a word of warning – there are many people who will carry straight through from après to the early hours – don’t walk close to anyone body still staggering around carrying skis. St Anton has two main nightspots – The Post Keller/Piccadilly and the Kandahar, both in the village centre.
The Piccadilly/Post Keller opens at 9pm with DJs playing in both sides: the Piccadilly side is more of a bar and the Post Keller more nightclub. Australian DJ Andi Joseph bangs out the tunes in Piccadilly until 2am whilst the Post Keller carries on until 4am. Always very busy, an entrance fee is charged although ladies do get in for free on occasion.
Kandahar begins the evening at 4pm as an après ski sports bar/wifi lounge, moves on to be a restaurant from 6pm to 11pm, from there it evolves into a bar playing classic disco tunes in honour of the late Michael Jackson before ending its night as dance club playing funky, happy house music. Resident DJ Pete Bidwell is making his mark at Kandahar, whilst still making a Saturday night dash back to London to play the Ministry and the West End.
Throughout the season there are a few guest appearances by visiting DJs – this season so far we have seen the mighty Tim Sheridan, long-time Space Ibiza DJ of the London and Leeds scene, he wowed the English cognoscenti with his progressive house tunes (and left the German après ski crowd baffled and confused). Tim was followed by Ash Carter, the amiable Birmingham DJ, a rapidly rising star in UK who absolutely took the Kandahar crowd by storm: a performance to be repeated very soon in January. Pete Gooding is preparing to visit in February, having once played here many years ago, and now finally about to make an overdue return to the Arlberg.
The younger generation will be found in the Funky Chicken at the top of Dorfstrasse. This hangout attracts the local youngsters, seasonaires and tourists with crazy fancy dress parties and frozen margaritas. There are big TV screens that show skiing and boarding along with the latest music.
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Two other places that help you see out the night are Bar Cuba and Bobo’s. Bar Cuba is a popular cellar bar at the Church end of the Pedestrian zone with live music Monday – Friday between 4pm & 7pm and Happy Hour until 6pm. If you like cocktails then this is the place to be – try out their very own creations - Cuban Cocaine and Love Juice. This is also the place to be if you are a sports fan – it has five large TV screens showing all the top matches and events. Bobo’s is another small cellar bar/nightspot that is popular with locals and tourists alike. DJs play different themed nights each evening with dancing and partying until around 2am.
Enjoy your skiing tomorrow.