Ski holiday in St. Christoph am Arlberg: the village at a glance
St. Christoph belongs to the municipality of St. Anton am Arlberg in the Landeck district, and so to Tyrol. The village consists of around 25 buildings: the hospice, the church and a few hotels and inns.
The top of the Arlberg pass is at 1,793 metres, on the border between Tyrol and Vorarlberg. Stuben lies on the Vorarlberg side at around 1,400 metres, almost 400 metres lower. From the Ski Hotel Mondschein to the centre of St. Christoph is around 6.4 kilometres by road.
Both villages belong to the Ski Arlberg area, together with St. Anton, Zürs, Lech and Warth-Schröcken. Since winter 2016/17 all the villages on the Arlberg have been linked on skis. For a day in St. Christoph you do not need to move hotel or get into the car.
Skiing from Stuben to St. Christoph
Your ski day starts in the village at the Albona I lift. Since winter 2023/24 it has run as an eight-person gondola, replacing the old double chairlift.
The way there via Alpe Rauz
- Take the Albona I lift up to the middle station on the Albona.
- Ski down piste 103 to Alpe Rauz, the junction between Stuben, St. Christoph and Lech Zürs.
- Take the Valfagehrbahn, a six-seater chairlift, up into the St. Anton and St. Christoph ski area.
- Ski down via the runs in the Galzig area to St. Christoph. The run into the village is number 64, named St. Christoph.
Which runs are open on your day is shown on the current Ski Arlberg piste map. You can see the lift status in the morning on our page lifts and slopes live.
The way back with two lifts
- Take the St. Christophbahn from the village up into the Galzig area.
- Ski the Arlenmähder run (76) to the valley station of the Arlenmähderbahn.
- Ride the Arlenmähderbahn up to 2,331 metres.
- Ski down piste 100 Valfagehr to Alpe Rauz and on down piste 102 Rauztobel to Stuben.
Valfagehr and Rauztobel are graded as easy runs. Still, plan your return with time to spare: according to the Arlberger Bergbahnen operating hours, the Arlenmähderbahn runs until 4.10 pm and the Valfagehrbahn until 4.20 pm.
For 2026/27 Ski Arlberg plans the season from 2 December 2026 to 18 April 2027. Operations may be limited at the start and end, and both dates may shift with the snow.
Lifts right in St. Christoph
Five lifts start in the village itself. They run only in winter and belong to the Arlberger Bergbahnen.
| Lift | Type and year built | Altitude | What for |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Christophbahn | four-seater chairlift, 1995 | 1,781 to 2,182 m | up into the Galzig area, first lift on the way back to Stuben |
| Arlenmähderbahn | six-seater chairlift, 2003 | 1,834 to 2,331 m | link towards Valfagehr, Alpe Rauz and Stuben |
| Maiensee lifts I and II | drag lifts | 1,750 to 1,857 m | short slopes right by the village |
| St. Christoph practice lift | drag lift | 1,766 to 1,782 m | first turns, lunch break 12 noon to 1 pm |
The Galzig from St. Christoph
The St. Christophbahn is the direct way from the village up into the Galzig area. There you join the St. Anton lift network. The Vallugabahn starts on the Galzig, and the viewing platform on the Valluga is at 2,811 metres.
From St. Anton the Galzigbahn comes up, a funitel with 24 people per cabin. If you are staying in Stuben you do not need it: via St. Christoph you reach the Galzig without the detour through St. Anton.
Practice slopes and ski instructor training
The practice lift, with only 16 metres of vertical, and the two Maiensee lifts are right in the village. St. Christoph is also home to the Ski Austria Akademie of the Austrian Ski Federation, still known to many as the Bundessportheim. State ski instructors and coaches are trained there.
Hospice and brotherhood: history on the pass
The St. Christoph hospice was founded in the 14th century as a shelter for travellers over the pass. Heinrich Findelkind from Kempten is regarded as its founder, and the year is usually given as 1386. A charter from Duke Leopold in 1385 permitted the building.
At first the house lived on donations. The donors are listed, almost always with their coat of arms, in the Arlberg books of arms. The historian Robert Büchner counts around 6,000 entries in the surviving books.
Whether Findelkind also founded a brotherhood is disputed. Many accounts give 1386 as the founding year of the St. Christoph brotherhood. Büchner found no medieval evidence for this. According to his research, the brotherhood was only established by the Church in the Baroque period and confirmed in 1647.
Today the St. Christoph brotherhood is based at the hospice and helps people in social need. Next to the hospice stands the church of St. Christopher, a listed monument. In January 1957 the hospice burned down to its foundations and was rebuilt soon afterwards.
From pass house to the cradle of the ski club
On 21 September 1884 the railway tunnel between Langen and St. Anton opened, and traffic over the pass dropped sharply. The state of Tyrol took over the hospice. Under the tenant Oswald Trojer it became the meeting place of the first skiers.
On 3 January 1901 six friends climbed on skis from St. Anton to the hospice and founded the Ski Club Arlberg there. The entry in the guest book survives. On 5 and 6 January 1904 the club held its first public race. It ran from the Ulmer Hütte over the Arlen saddle and the Galzig to St. Christoph and St. Anton.
What links Stuben with the hospice
The Mondschein also takes its name from the pass. In 1739 the house is first mentioned as the Gasthaus zum Mondschein, the moonlight inn. In winter, carters waited in the parlour for the moon, because only its light made the way over the Arlberg visible. Then they set off, over the pass towards St. Christoph.
Hannes Schneider, who developed the Arlberg technique, was born in Stuben in 1890. Anyone travelling from Stuben to St. Christoph today follows two trails: the old route of the carters and the early history of skiing.
Between Stuben and St. Christoph without skis
By car you take the Arlberg pass road, today's B197. It was built up as an engineered road by 1824. It is closed at times when there is avalanche risk, so in winter check the road conditions before you set off.
| From the Ski Hotel Mondschein to | Road | Driving time on a clear road |
|---|---|---|
| St. Christoph, centre | 6.4 km | about 7 minutes |
| Arlberg pass, top at 1,793 m | 6.1 km | about 7 minutes |
| Alpe Rauz | 3.5 km | about 4 minutes |
| St. Anton am Arlberg station | 13 km | about 15 minutes |
The figures come from a route planner based on OpenStreetMap and apply without snow or traffic. In winter, allow more time.
The S16 Arlberg road tunnel is 13.97 kilometres long and has been open since 1 December 1978. It runs under the mountain from Langen to St. Anton. You do not need it between Stuben and St. Christoph. If you arrive from Tyrol through the tunnel, you pay a separate toll.
By train you get off at Langen am Arlberg, around 4 kilometres from Stuben. St. Anton station is around 6.5 kilometres below St. Christoph. The best way to reach us is described under getting to Stuben.
In St. Anton the ski buses are free for winter sports guests, and the route runs from St. Christoph to Flirsch. Regional buses over the Arlberg need a ticket. The current timetables are published by the Tyrol transport association.
Back in Stuben after the ski day
The Rauztobel run ends in the village at the Albona I lift, and from there you walk to the house. The Alte Gaststube at the Ski Hotel Mondschein cooks à la carte from 12 noon to 3 pm and from 6 pm to 9 pm. The bar opens at 4 pm.
The Chef's Table received 95 points in Falstaff 2026. It has no more than eight seats and starts at 7 pm with an aperitif in the wine cellar, on Mondays and from Friday to Sunday, by reservation only. All restaurants and times are under food and drink at the Mondschein.
St. Christoph in summer
In summer the Arlberg Trail links Lech, Zürs, Stuben, St. Christoph and St. Anton over 52.1 kilometres in three stages. The stage from St. Anton to Stuben starts with the Galzigbahn. From the top station it leads over the Maroijoch to the Kaltenberghütte at 2,089 metres and past the Stubener See lake down to Stuben.
Allow just over 16 kilometres and around seven hours' walking for this stage. The Ski Hotel and the Arlberg Motel open only in winter. The Mondschein Chalet at Stuben 55 is open all year, and there you stay in private spa suites.
Stay in Stuben, ski in St. Christoph
St. Christoph is small and sits high up on the pass. Stuben is small too, but has its own lift in the village and is close to Alpe Rauz. From here you reach St. Christoph and St. Anton as well as Zürs and Lech, without changing hotel.
The Ski Hotel Mondschein is at Hannes Schneider Promenade 9 in Stuben, a few minutes' walk from the Albona I lift. It is open from December to mid-April. Check-in is from 3 pm, check-out by 11 am.
Read more about the village under Stuben am Arlberg. For the pistes further east, see skiing in St. Anton, and for the other side of the Arlberg Lech from Stuben.
Photo: Stuben Tourismus