Apres Ski in Montafon

Schruns is the biggest ski resort in Montafon in addition to which there are ten other ski villages – St. Anton-im-Montafon, Bartholomäberg, Vandans, Tschagguns, Silbertal, St Gallenkirch, Gortipohl, Gaschurn, Partenen and Gargellen.

Towns & Villages in Montafon

No matter which village you choose as a base, you can easily travel from one to another and to each of the valley lift stations by free ski bus, but if planning to safari each of the four main ski areas then Schruns is the most convenient place to stay.

Schruns

Schruns (700m) in the middle of the valley is closest to the ski areas on Hochjoch and Golm and a convenient base from which to explore the Silvretta Nova and Gargellen ski areas, and, being the two main resorts, they offer more other activities including Aktivpark Montafon sports and leisure park and a greater choice of restaurants, bars and shops in the centre of Schruns.

Schruns is quite spread out along the flat valley floor with the town centre surrounding the church (Pffarkirche) and Schruns railway station at the end of the Montafonerbahn railway from Bludenz. Schruns is more than just a ski resort. Schruns is attractive yet at the same time a quite ordinary town, which going about its business all year round while providing adequate facilities for skiers in winter, but it’s not a party town.

There’s a reasonable choice of restaurants and bars, but be prepared to seek them out, and good shops, which mainly satisfy day to day needs of the local community rather than concentrating on meeting the retail aspirations winter sports enthusiasts. Schruns has accommodation to suit all budgets including 4-star hotels such as Hotel Löwen and Hotel Taube which has long celebrated the fact that Ernst Hemingway stayed there for two consecutive winter seasons in 1926 and 1927.

Silbertal

The small village of Silbertal (890m), just 5km from Schruns, includes direct access to the main Hochjoch ski area via the Kapellbahn cable car as well as the Kristbergbahn cable car offering easy access to the smaller family-friendly ski area above Kristberg (1443m).

St Gallenkirch

About 10km farther up the valley in the other direction from Schruns is the village of St Gallenkirch (900m), which is dominated by a big lift station and huge car park for day visitors to the Silvretta Nova ski area – the biggest ski area in Montafon.

St Gallenkirch is not an especially attractive place to stay so if you want to be close to the Silvretta Nova ski area, and prefer a prettier village setting you’re better off staying higher up the valley at Gaschurn (1000m). If coming to Montafon for cross-country skiing, Gaschurn and neighbouring Partenen are the best places to stay to be nearest to the best high-altitude Loipe 2000 trails on the Silvretta Bielerhöhe.

Gargellen

Higher still in the other direction is the pretty village of Gargellen (1423m), the highest village in Montafon in a quiet unspoiled setting with no through traffic and no lift queues to its own Gargellen ski area on Schafberg, and skiing back down to your hotel from late November until end April.

Apres-Ski Bars & Restaurants in Montafon

Other Activities

Montafon has lots of activities besides alpine skiing ; including cross-country, ice-skating, winter walking, snowshoeing, tobogganing and sleigh rides as well as cultural and historical tours and there’s plenty of choice for non-skiers.

Cross-country skiing in Montafon

Montafon has 100km of well-prepared cross-country skiing circuits including double- tracks, single tracks and cross-country skating tracks. Besides numerous short (1-3km) circuits throughout the Montafon valley, there are longer valley level circuits such as the 15km Bartholomäberg-Gantschier circuit (650m difference in altitude) which connects to Schruns-Vandans, a new 6.5km cross country ski run in the Hochmontafon from Gaschurn-Partnenen, which is illuminated in the evenings and the St. Gallenkirch – Gortipohl – Gaschurn circuit (16km there and back).

At higher altitude, there’s 3km on Golm at 1520m, the 11km Kristberg Panorama trail at 1442m (altitude difference 100m) with views of the Rätikon and Verwall mountain ranges, but best of all for cross-country ski adventure is Loipe 2000 – Slivretta Bielerhöhe. The adventure starts in Partenen with a 5-minute cable car (Vermuntbahn) ride to Trominier 1731m where a minibus taxi takes you through tunnels to Bielerhöhe and the frozen Silvrettasee Lake with stunning views of the Silvretta mountains including Vorlarberg’s highest mountain Piz Buin 3312m and 22km of well-prepared cross-country trails (mostly easy) and 8km winter footpath which is unprepared but can be accessed on cross-country skis.

Ice skating in Montafon

There’s a covered ice-rink at Aktivpark Montafon in Schruns-Tschagguns for ice-skating and curling. Opening times vary and can be altered because of major events such as ice hockey or pair-skating and ice dance events. Telephone +43 (0) 5556 75191 or email: [email protected] to check opening times and if these don’t suit you there a natural ice rinks in Silbertal (Tel: +43 (0) 5556 74112), Vandans (Tel: +43 (0) 5556 75971) and Gargellen (Tel: +43 (0) 5557 6319).

Winter walking and snowshoeing in Montafon

Montafon has around 290km of winter walking including over 40km of groomed and signposted trails and more than a dozen define routes starting from Bartholomäberg, Silbertal, Gargellen, Schruns and Tschagguns. The 10km route 8 (2½ hours) from the top of Kristbergbahn (1450m) to Kristberg (889m) is recommended including a break at the Panoramagasthof Kristberg and a visit to St. Agatha Miners’ Chapel, the oldest church in Montafon.

Bergaktiv Hiking Guides Montafon
Tel: +43 (0) 664 921 6810
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.bergaktiv.org (German language website)

Tobogganing in Montafon

Montafon has half a dozen toboggan runs, three of which are floodlit for night tobogganing:

Golm – 3km floodlit toboggan run from Latschau to Vandans (demanding)

Grabs-Gauertal – 5km floodlit run from Latshchau to Tschagguns

Hochjoch – 5.4km family friendly run from Kapell to Kropfen (easy)

Lindauerhűtte – 7km natural toboggan run with a the long ascent is from Latschau

Muttersberg – 3km toboggan run from Muttersberg to Laz

Silvretta Nova – 5.5km floodlit run from Grafrescha to St Gallenkirch

There’s night tobogganing weather permitting and only in good conditions at Silvretta Nova on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 18:00 – 21:30 and at Golm on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 18:00 – 21:30. Toboggans are available for hire on the spot and at many ski hire shops.

Alpine Coaster adventure ride on Golm

The Alpine Coaster 2-seater ride from Latschau to Vandans is a toboggan-like roller coaster ride at speeds of up to 40kmph through fifteen 180° degree bends, a 360° degree spiral and 44 jumps on rails 6m above ground. It drops 350m vertical over 2.6km in 8-10mins and riders can brake to control the speed of their descent. It opens in winter from early December until mid-April.

Horse-drawn sleigh rides in Montafon

Contact the Tourist Office (Tel: +43 (0) 5556 721660) to pre-book a 30-minute horse-drawn sleigh ride through Schruns-Tschagguns every Friday (14:00-16:00). Alternatively, contact Alfred Maier (Tel: +43 (0) 664 866 3506) who offers sleigh rides daily on request.

Cultural and Historical Tours in Montafon

Local guides offer cultural and historical tours of Montafon’s museums, baroque churches, old crafts and themed hiking trails. Dr Andreas Rudigier (Tel: +43 (0) 5556 74723 Email: [email protected] if you would like to arrange a guide or you can contact museums directly.

Museums include the Montafon Heritage Museum (Tel: +43 (0) 5556 74723) in Schruns, the Montafon Museum of Tourism (Tel: +43 (0) 5558 82010) in the centre of Gaschurn and Montafon Mining Museum (Tel: +43 (0) 5556 74112) in Silbertal, which portrays the work of the mining companies (iron, copper and silver) and the hard-lives of miners. Alternatively, to experience an entirely different cultural exhibition, the Muntanella Stöbli in St Gallenkirch is home to the world’s second largest collection of beer bottles including the smallest beer bottle in the world.

Silbertal Forest School (Tel: +43 (0) 5556 74112 offers 3-4 hour guided walks through the forest with expert guides who explain the importance of the forest to the local economy and the animals that live there or you can take your children on a farm adventure to visit Kristahof in Tschagguns (Tel: +43 (0) 5556 76129 Web: www.kristahof.com) and buy organic produce at Kristahof’s farm shop.

Montafon Tourist Information

For more information contact the Tourist Office:

Montafon Tourist Office
Montafonerstr. 21
A-6780 Schruns, Vorarlberg, Austria
Tel: +43 (0) 5556 722530
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.montafon.at