#1. St Anton Am Arlberg
Once upon a time St Anton was but a sleepy village, defined by the falling and melting of snow and the coming and going of cattle, until one day the locals beheld the virgin powder on their doorstep and discovered their happy-ever-after…
In 1901 the resort founded the first ski club in the Alps and downhill skiing was born, so if ever the ski bug is going to bite you it will surely be here. Nestled at the foot of 2811m-high Valluga and strung out along the northern bank of the Rosanna River, St Anton am Arlberg is a cross between a ski bum’s Shangri-La and Ibiza in fast-forward mode – the terrain fierce, the nightlife hedonistic.