With the end of the season fast approaching in St Anton, and skiing conditions not at their all time best, many people will be left wondering what else there is still left to do in St Anton. In previous weeks I have blogged both on the après ski and activities other than après to do in town. Whilst all these options still exist, this week I am going to focus on a number of events taking places in St Anton over the coming weeks, which will provide entertainment for both the casual skier and the skiing enthusiast.

Over the final weeks of the season, St Anton has a surprisingly packed events calendar. Of these two in particular stand out as the most noteworthy and famous; the Intersport Spring Festival and the White rush ski race.

This weekend, April 9-11, sees the Spring Festival, an integral part of St Anton’s growing event calendar. This year it takes place up on the Rendl ski slopes, facilitated by the opening of the new centrally located gondola at the beginning of the season. The festival sees both skiers and boarders come from far and wide to participate in a range of different scheduled events as well as just to soak up the atmosphere. The different events include the Austrian Ski instructor Championship, the Figure 8 Ski Championships, a Big Air contest, a freeride competition, a giant slalom contest, the Austrian ski demo-team championship and the Arlberg X-ride challenge.

On top of this, for the casual observer, a giant ‘lounge’ is being built on Rendl beach, which provides great views of the snow park, from a number of comfy sofas and tables, situated on the edge of the piste. There is also set to be performances from a range of live bands as well as a DJ throughout the days of the festival to keep the atmosphere going throughout the different events. In the evening, to coincide with the festival, a number of events are taking place throughout the town, both at the wellness centre and in the specially built Winter lounge.

April 24th sees the infamous White rush ski race, which sees skiers, snowboarders and telemarkers throw themselves down from the top of Valluga (at 2650m) down a tricky 9-Kilometre slope that finally ends up in the centre of town. The race is best described as organised chaos, as competitors launch themselves in all directions, both skiing and running at different points in the race, in a desperate effort to be the first into the town centre and win the legendary race. See the race on YouTube here and here.

So even as the season begins to wind down, there are still a range of different exciting events taking place in town and on the slopes, adding to the ever present wealth of apres-ski and other non après activities that St Anton has to offer.