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Don’t miss skiers whirling and leaping down a floodlit slope to the town in a blizzard of acrobatics. Some pirouette on vintage wooden planks while others blast a course in fancy dress,

trailed by glowing balloons or fountains of fireworks. This free night-time spectacular, a joyous snapshot of Alpine winter games past and present, has become a regular hot date. Dubbed “the

mother of all après ski bars” the MooserWirt and its neighbour the Krazy Kanguruh (KK) high on the hill overlooking the village are still top stop-offs where foaming rounds of weiss

(malted wheat) beer and cheesy pop get the customers (Euro dentists and doctors) at Mooser or ski bums at KK, dancing – more often than not on the tables. Down in the village make some noise

– everyone else does – at Basecamp, a partly alfresco bar just steps away from the main lift station. Burn the candle a bit more and dance to funky DJ sets at the sleek St Anton bar, or for

contrast settle down with a glühwein and an acoustic set in cosy chalet-style Underground. If loud sounds are your thing (and much Scandi head-banging) then the Hotel Post’s Piccadilly

live music bar is the place, or groove to club classics next door at its Postkeller bar. A few bracing runs and you are in the upmarket hamlet of St Christoph, where hearty mountain fare

reaches gourmet heights at the Hospiz Alm. Famed for the slide that saves you clomping down the stairs to the loo, its wine cellar also boasts a world-class Bordeaux collection, with 2,900

large- format bottles. The menu features filling perennials such as Tyroler Grostl, a bacon, onion and potato fry up, wiener schnitzel (crispy veal cutlets) and kaiserschmarrn, chopped

pancakes with cream and plum sauce. A great way of avoiding the chill but still catching St Anton’s wonderful The Snow Must Go On ski show is to bag a £26 ticket for a warm, ringside sofa

seat in the Karl Schranz stadium, where you can help yourself from a chicken casserole and apple strudel buffet and watch from picture windows as the action unfolds. If you are missing some

culture, you could attend a performance at St Christoph’s new Arlberg1800, now Europe’s highest concert hall and picture gallery. Be sure to find time, too, for a visit to St Anton’s Museum,

the splendidly ornate art nouveau Villa Trier, surrounded by its own small park, whose exterior featured in the  lm Chalet Girl. SNOOCS OFFER A DIFFERENT WAY OF SKIING OFF PISTE Admire the

sweeping staircase and panelled ceilings, enjoy fine dining in the restaurant and revel in the wintry romance of it all. Then, for a new perspective on your stay, visit its terrific

exhibition. This charts the village’s history and transformation from hard-pressed rural community – whose youngsters (Schwabenkinder or Swabian children), some as young as six, were

dispatched as seasonal workers to avoid starvation in winter and provide cheap labour – to its glory days now as a centre of sporting excellence and leisure providing pleasure for thousands.

Ultimately it’s a story of hope – and there’s a lot of that to go around in St Anton. GETTY Don’t miss skiers whirling and leaping down a floodlit slope to the town in a blizzard of

acrobatics GETTING THERE  INGHAMS OFFERS SEVEN NIGHTS AT THE 4* HOTEL POST, ST ANTON ON A HALF-BOARD BASIS FROM £919 PP, INCLUDING RETURN FLIGHTS FROM GATWICK TO INNSBRUCK AND TRANSFERS.

SIX-DAY ARLBERG AREA LIFT PASSES CAN BE PRE-BOOKED FROM £275 PER ADULT. INTERMEDIATE LEVEL ADULT SKI/SNOWBOARD AND BOOT HIRE (FOR SIX DAYS) CAN BE PRE-BOOKED FROM £191 PER PERSON. TUITION IS

AVAILABLE TO PRE-BOOK FOR THREE OR SIX HALF-DAYS (FOUR HOURS PER DAY) FROM £144 PER PERSON. SEE WWW.INGHAMS.CO.UK/SKI-HOLIDAYS OR CALL 01483 791 114.     FOR INFORMATION ABOUT ST. ANTON AM

ARLBERG SEE WWW.STANTONAMARLBERG.COM FOR INFORMATION ABOUT TIROL SEE WWW.VISITTIROL.CO.UK