I went to St Anton in Austria on Thursday and came back last night. It is still only 2.5 hours by train.

After a meter of snow on Friday, then a perfect day on Saturday, I found myself thinking, "this is what it is all about".

This season I have visited Zermatt, Davos, St Moritz, Andermatt, and St Anton (3 times) totaling approximately 26 days. I have to say that Saturday was the best day of them all.

The terrain in St Anton is unsurpassed, as is the Apres ski.

So: I am a skier, the whole mountain was good (for intermediate to very advanced). The lifts are sensational. Many of them, and mostly chairlifts. I am not so good with cable cars.

Elevation: Base/Village: 1,304 m (4,278 ft); Top: 2,811 m (9,222 ft). Stuben: Base: 1,407 m (4,616 ft); Top: 2,600 m (8,530 ft)
Vertical: 1,350 m (4,428 ft). Stuben 1,207 m (3,960 ft)
Longest Run: 10.2 km (6.3 mi); Valluga to St. Anton
Terrain: 280 km (174 mi) of downhill runs in region; 39% beginner (blue), 50% intermediate (red), 31% advanced and expert (black) Plus 180 km (105 mi) of deep snow runs
Skiing Circus: St. Anton am Arlberg-St. Christoph-Stuben; Lech, Zürs, Klösterle, Sonnenkopf
Lifts: 85 (Arlberg Ski Area)
Types: 10 gondolas, 39 chair lifts 36 T-bars. New Galzigbahn looks like a ferris wheel with 28 bubbles
Lift Capacity: 123,600 p/h
Ski Season: Late November-late April or beginning of May
Cross Country: 40 km (25 mi) in total: Stanzertal 24.5 km, Ferwall 10 km, St. Christoph 2.5 km, Ganderau 3km., Arlberg region has 66 km (41 mi)
Ski School: At both St. Anton and Stuben
Mountain Restaurants: 18
Other Winter Activities: Curling; hiking; ice skating; indoor and outdoor swimming; indoor tennis, sauna, snowboarding; hiking, tobogganing, squash, horse-drawn sleigh, paragliding
Après-Ski: Ski museum; 15 cafes, 8 ice bars, 3 discos, 8 bars