I reserved two days of snowboarding, with the idea of extending it by one additional day if the snow conditions were excellent.
Here is a map of the Ski Arlberg Ski Resort:
Sunday, December 22, 2024 - Renting Snowboards
After lunch, we boarded the hotel's shuttle for a short ride to Nasserein,
where we stopped by Alber Sport to pick up our rented snowboards.
We first tried out various snowboard boots, and Alex found that the K2 Maysis
(size 10.5, 28.5 cm) fit his feet well. These same boots also worked for me (Alex
and I have the same shoe size), but Alber Sport did not have any additional
boots in this size. I had to rent a larger boot (size 11, 29 cm), which was too
large (and my foot moved around too much).
For snowboards, Alex selected a
Burton Custom 168W (wide) version for better float on powder. I selected a similarly sized
Capita Defenders of Awesome 163W snowboard. We also selected large helmets and picked our storage lockers
(our hotel provided us with free locker access).
Both of our snowboards were set up with standard bindings.
My snowboard was configured for the following duck stance:
- +15 degrees (angled forward) for the front foot
- -9 degrees (angled backward) in a classic duck stance.
- +18 degrees for the forward foot
- -6 degrees on the back foot
After we dropped off our boards in locker #142, we talked to Inna, who was
also finishing up her cross-country ski rental. She planned to cross-country
ski the next day and stored her gear in locker #143. The lockers can be opened
with the St. Anton Ski Pass (once registered in the system).
Monday, December 23, 2024 - First Day of Snowboarding
We arrived at Nasserein at around 08:30 and had our lockers opened. We put on
our snowboard boots and helmets. I noticed that my snowboard boots were too
big and decided to try to change them later that day (which I did).
We boarded the Nasserein Gondola (there was a very long line, mostly of
skiers). It was not very orderly, but we managed to get on and make it
there.
Here is a GoPro Hero11
video
that I recorded on the first run down the mountain.
The weather started sunny and beautiful, and not overly cold.
We boarded the Kapallbahn chairlift and snowboarded down nearby trails
multiple times. The mountain had light powder, and we had an enjoyable time
snowboarding down.
For lunch, we stopped at the Gampen Lodge/Restaurant. It's a very
quaint, modern lodge with excellent facilities. We found a table and dropped
off our wet gear (sharing it with another party). We ordered the following
items:
- Boris: Wiener Schnitzel with Fries, Pretzel, Hot Chocolate with Cream, Sparkling Water
- Alex: Wiener Schnitzel with Fries, Hot Chocolate with Cream, Sparkling Water
The schnitzel was excellent, and the hot chocolate hit the
spot! The pretzel was not bad either. Given the amount of food
and drinks, the overall cost was very reasonable at 60 euros.
After lunch, we tried snowboarding on a different part of the mountain. By
this time, the weather had turned cloudy, with very low visibility and
blistering winds. Riding the chairlifts was less enjoyable, and seeing the
moguls was more difficult.
My left foot started to hurt (probably because of the oversized snowboarding
boot I was wearing). I had to overtighten it multiple times because my foot
kept sliding around in it.
Later, we stopped by the Gampen Lodge again
for Hot Chocolate (to warm up). We rode the Nasserein
Gondola back down because visibility was abysmal. We stopped by Alber Sport to
drop off our snowboards and boots. Luckily, the shop had a smaller boot for
me, and I swapped out my oversized snowboarding boots! After storing all the
gear in the locker, we returned to the nearby shuttle/bus stop.
We met up with Inna (who had returned from her cross-country skiing adventure)
and waited for the hotel shuttle to pick us up. At 13:30, the shuttle came by,
and we were back in our hotel, resting.
Tuesday, December 24, 2024 - Second Day Snowboarding
We arrived at Nasserein at around 08:45 and had our lockers opened.
We put on our snowboard boots and helmets. Finally, my snowboard boots were
the right size!
We boarded the Nasserein Gondola (there was a very short line, quite
unexpected for Christmas Eve!).
Here are a couple of GoPro Hero11
videos I recorded on this fabulous day:
Here is another GoPro Hero11 video:
The weather was a bit cloudy, with light snow falling.
We did not expect such deep powder coverage. The snow forecast called for 4
inches, but there was a couple of feet of fresh powder on the tracks.
It was awesome! An epic powder day!
We boarded the Kapallbahn chairlift and snowboarded down nearby trails
multiple times. We were thrilled to have the chance to snowboard on such
fantastic, fresh powder.
For lunch, we stopped at the Gampen Lodge/Restaurant. We found a table and
dropped off our wet gear (sharing it with another party).
My
Telesin G3 carbon selfie stick (used to hold the
GoPro Hero11 Black mini)
had jammed during previous runs, and I tried to clear the jam, eventually
succeeding. I also charged the GoPro Hero11, whose battery had died.
At the Gampen Lodge, we ordered the following items.
- Boris: Spaghetti Bolognese, Espresso, Sparkling Water, Chocolate
- Alex: Beef Soup, Latte, Sparkling Water
My Spaghetti Bolognese portion was huge and so delicious! I really
enjoyed it! Alex liked his soup so much, he returned for a 2nd helping.
We continued to snowboard after lunch for a few more runs. We stopped by the
Gampen Lodge for a light snack, where I ordered another espresso and chocolate
(while Alex had a latte).
As my feet were tired and my left foot was hurting, we decided to end the day
and ride the Nasserein Gondola back down to the village. We returned our
snowboards, boots, and helmets and boarded the hotel shuttle to our hotel.
We were surprised to discover Christmas Presents from both the hotel
(chocolates and a bottle of wine) and from Inna. It was very kind and
thoughtful!
Snowboarding St. Anton Report
Highlights
- Epic Powder Day on Tuesday, December 24
- Light powder day on Monday, December 23
Lowlights
- Alber Sport did not have the correct size snowboard boot for me
- Due to the oversized boot, I developed numbness in my left foot
Links
- Ski Arlberg (ski resort)
- Alber Sport (ski/snowboard rental, ski lockers)
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