St. Anton and Ischgl are neighbours in western Tyrol, less than an hour apart by road via Landeck and both about 90 minutes from Innsbruck airport, and both famous for the same two things: serious skiing and serious après-ski. The data separates them cleanly. St. Anton is the bigger mountain and the one with the off-piste flag: 305 km of slopes, of which 51 km, 17%, is graded black. Ischgl is the intermediate’s arena: 239 km, 60% of them red runs, with a longer season and a slightly cheaper pass. Choose St. Anton if you ski black runs and off-piste; choose Ischgl if you want to cover ground on groomed pistes from November to May.
Key takeaways
- St. Anton (Ski Arlberg): 305 km, 88 lifts, 132 km easy / 122 km intermediate / 51 km expert, 1,304 to 2,811 m.
- Ischgl (Silvretta Arena): 239 km, 45 lifts, 48 km easy / 143 km intermediate / 48 km expert, 1,377 to 2,872 m.
- Marked expert piste: 51 km at St. Anton, 17% of the area, against 48 km and 20% at Ischgl. St. Anton’s name for steep skiing rests on its off-piste, which piste gradings do not count.
- Season: St. Anton December to April; Ischgl November to May.
- Day pass: St. Anton €85 (2026/27, up 4.3%); Ischgl €79 (2025/26, new price pending). Per km of piste: €0.28 vs €0.33.
St. Anton vs Ischgl: the numbers side by side
| St. Anton | Ischgl | |
|---|---|---|
| Ski area | Ski Arlberg (with Lech Zürs) | Silvretta Arena (with Samnaun, Switzerland) |
| Total slopes | 305 km | 239 km |
| Easy | 132 km (43%) | 48 km (20%) |
| Intermediate | 122 km (40%) | 143 km (60%) |
| Expert | 51 km (17%) | 48 km (20%) |
| Lifts | 88 | 45 |
| Km of piste per lift | 3.5 km | 5.3 km |
| Base to top | 1,304 to 2,811 m | 1,377 to 2,872 m |
| Vertical drop | 1,507 m | 1,495 m |
| Season (our data) | December to April | November to May |
| Planned opening 2026/27 | 2 December 2026 | 26 November 2026 |
| Snow parks | 2 | 2 |
| Adult day pass | €85 (2026/27) | €79 (2025/26) |
| Pass cost per km of piste | €0.28 | €0.33 |
| Nearest airport | Innsbruck, about 83 km | Innsbruck, about 84 km |
| Intski flags | Après-ski, off-piste, snow-sure, top facilities | Après-ski, snow-sure, top facilities, cross-border |
| Rank in Austria by size | 2nd of 50 | 11th of 50 |
Source: Intski resort database and lift pass index, checked 14 September 2026. Slope kilometres are as published by the resorts and describe the whole linked area.
The terrain: a steep mountain against an intermediate arena
This is where the two reputations meet the data. Of St. Anton’s 305 km, 51 km is graded black, 17%, against 48 km and 20% at Ischgl. On marked piste alone the two are close, and Ischgl is fractionally the steeper of the two by share. What separates them is the off-piste flag that St. Anton carries and Ischgl does not: the Arlberg’s name was made on unmarked terrain, and no piste grading counts it. St. Anton’s reputation as a resort for strong skiers is a statistical fact, not a marketing line. Its 122 km of intermediate terrain is roughly what Ischgl offers in total across all grades, so intermediates are not short of pistes; they simply share the mountain with people who came for the hard stuff.
Ischgl’s 239 km splits 48 / 143 / 48. Six in every ten kilometres is a red run, one of the highest intermediate shares in our database, and the two ends of the scale are equal at 20%. A confident intermediate can ski a week here without repeating a piste, crossing into Samnaun on the Swiss side and back on the same pass. Experts get 48 km of black terrain, enough for targets but not a destination in itself. Our guide to reading a resort’s slope statistics uses both resorts as worked examples.
On easy terrain the two are not close at all. St. Anton has 132 km of easy piste, 43% of the mountain, against 48 km and 20% at Ischgl, so a beginner has almost three times as much to ski at St. Anton. But the easy runs are a minority on a steep mountain, and a mixed group with a beginner will usually find Ischgl’s gentler profile easier to manage.
Lifts and queues
St. Anton has 88 lifts on 305 km, or 3.5 km of piste per lift. Ischgl has 45 on 239 km, or 5.3 km per lift. Both are within the two to five km per lift range that is typical of the Alps, and both carry our top-facilities flag. The difference is in character: the Arlberg’s larger count includes many lifts that connect villages across a wide area, while Ischgl’s fewer, bigger lifts open long faces from a compact base. In practice Ischgl’s Silvrettabahn and Fimbabahn gondolas out of the village are the one place queues form on a peak morning; St. Anton spreads its access across several base stations.
Snow and season
The mountains are almost identical in elevation, and both sit in the 1,000 to 1,500 m band that our guide to vertical drop calls the Alpine standard. St. Anton runs from 1,304 to 2,811 m, Ischgl from 1,377 to 2,872 m; the verticals differ by 12 m. Both are flagged snow-sure and both have top stations high enough for altitude to do real work in a warm spell. See why altitude matters for snow for the reasoning.
Where they differ is the calendar. Ischgl’s season is November to May in our data, with a planned opening of 26 November 2026; St. Anton is December to April, opening 2 December 2026. That extra month at each end makes Ischgl the better choice for a late-November or late-April trip (our guide to the best time to ski in the Alps has the full calendar), and its closing weekend concerts are part of the reason the resort carries the Party Capital label on Intski. St. Anton’s base at 1,304 m is 73 m lower than Ischgl’s, which is not a meaningful difference for snow to the door.
Price
St. Anton’s Ski Arlberg day pass is €85 for 2026/27, up 4.3% on last season and the seventh biggest increase in Europe in our index. Ischgl’s Silvretta Arena pass was €79 in 2025/26; the 2026/27 price had not been published when we checked, and the resort’s price page is linked from the Intski resort page. Per kilometre of piste the pass covers, St. Anton is the better value at €0.28 against €0.33, because the Arlberg is a third bigger for €6 more. Both sit above Austria’s median day pass of €80. Run a full week through the ski trip cost calculator to see the difference with accommodation and hire included.
Après-ski and the villages
Both resorts carry our après-ski flag and both are genuine villages rather than purpose-built stations. St. Anton is the older name: instructors from the village emigrated to the United States in the 1930s and helped popularise skiing there, and the resort hosted the 2001 World Championships. Its après scene on the way down to the village is famous, and the crowd is international and sporty. Ischgl’s identity is built around the Top of the Mountain concerts that open and close the season, a Swiss duty-free village across the border and an evening scene that is louder and later. If après-ski is your priority, neither will disappoint; Ischgl leans younger, St. Anton leans sportier.
The verdict by skier type
- Expert skiers and off-piste: St. Anton, on reputation and access rather than on piste kilometres. Its 51 km of black piste is close to Ischgl’s 48 km, but it is the one of the two with the off-piste flag.
- Intermediates who want mileage: Ischgl. 143 km of red runs, long groomed cruising and a border crossing on skis.
- Beginners: Ischgl for the gentler overall profile, though St. Anton has more easy kilometres. A true first-timer is better served by neither; our beginner rankings list resorts with 30% or more easy terrain.
- Mixed-ability groups: Ischgl, unless the strongest skiers will be unhappy without black runs.
- Early or late season: Ischgl, with a month more at each end.
- Value per kilometre: St. Anton, at €0.28 per km against €0.33.
- Après-ski: Both. Ischgl for the party, St. Anton for the sport.
For St. Anton against Austria’s other famous name, read Kitzbühel vs St. Anton. Put them side by side with your own priorities in the compare tool, or look at the wider Ski Arlberg and Silvretta Arena ski areas. Official sites: St. Anton am Arlberg and Ischgl.
Not sure which to book? Set a snow alert on both resort pages and decide when the first big dump arrives.
Quick answers
Is St. Anton or Ischgl better for intermediates?
Ischgl. 143 km of its 239 km is intermediate, 60% of the area and the highest share in our data. St. Anton has 122 km of intermediate terrain, but that is 40% of a mountain where 43% is graded easy.
Is St. Anton harder than Ischgl?
On marked piste the two are close: St. Anton has 51 km of black piste, 17% of its terrain, and Ischgl has 48 km, 20%. St. Anton is the harder mountain because of what is not marked. It carries the off-piste flag in our data and Ischgl does not.
Which is bigger, St. Anton or Ischgl?
St. Anton. Ski Arlberg has 305 km of slopes and 88 lifts; Ischgl’s Silvretta Arena has 239 km and 45 lifts. St. Anton is the second largest resort in Austria in our data, Ischgl the eleventh.
Which has the longer season?
Ischgl, from November to May, with a planned opening of 26 November 2026. St. Anton runs December to April and opens on 2 December 2026.
Which is cheaper, St. Anton or Ischgl?
Ischgl’s day pass was €79 in 2025/26 against St. Anton’s €85 for 2026/27. Per kilometre of piste, St. Anton is the better value at €0.28 versus €0.33.
How far apart are St. Anton and Ischgl?
Less than an hour by road via Landeck, where the Arlberg road and the Paznaun valley meet. Both are roughly 83 to 84 km from Innsbruck airport as the crow flies.
