Warth and Schröcken: two Walser villages on the Tannberg
Warth lies at 1,495 metres and is the highest municipality in Vorarlberg. On 1 January 2026 it had 198 residents. The municipality also includes Hochkrumbach, a small settlement right on the Hochtannberg pass.
Schröcken lies lower, at 1,269 metres, in the furthest corner of the Bregenzerwald. The village has 216 residents. Above the centre, at the foot of the pass, is the hamlet of Neßlegg.
Both villages were settled around 1300 by Walser people who came from the Valais. The Warth area is mentioned as early as 1059 in a charter of King Henry IV.
Between the villages the Bregenzerwald road crosses the Hochtannberg pass, reaching around 1,676 metres. South-west of the top lies the Körbersee lake at 1,654 metres. In 2017 it was voted the most beautiful place in Austria on the ORF programme 9 Plätze 9 Schätze.
Skiing from Stuben to Warth-Schröcken
Stuben and Warth-Schröcken belong to the same Ski Arlberg area. Since winter 2013/14 the Auenfeldjet has linked Lech with Warth-Schröcken. Since 2016/17 the Flexenbahn has linked Stuben and Alpe Rauz with Zürs. Since then you can ski from the hotel all the way to Warth.
The route in stages
- From the Ski Hotel Mondschein in Stuben it is a three to four minute walk to the Albona I lift.
- From the Albona you ski down to Alpe Rauz. The Flexenbahn starts there, 1.8 kilometres long, from 1,665 to 2,227 metres.
- The Flexenbahn ends at the middle station of the Trittkopfbahn above Zürs. Via lifts and runs you continue to Lech.
- From Lech you ski to the Auenfeldjet station. It is in the same building as the valley station of the Weibermahdbahn.
- The Auenfeldjet takes you over to the Warth-Schröcken side in just over eight minutes. From there, lifts and runs lead to the Steffisalp and the Salober.
The Auenfeldjet in figures
The gondola is around 2 kilometres long, with cabins for ten people. The valley station is at 1,719 metres, the top station at 1,786 metres. It carries up to 1,490 people an hour.
The Auenfeldjet is purely a connecting lift, with no run alongside it. It runs in both directions. On the way back it takes you to the station on the Lech side. From there the Weibermahdbahn runs up to 1,923 metres, and you ski down into Lech.
Plan the return first
Give Warth-Schröcken a whole ski day. The lifts there run from 9 am to 4.15 pm in the season. In the morning, ask about the last runs of the Auenfeldjet and the Flexenbahn and count backwards from there.
Which lifts are open today is shown on our page Arlberg lifts, snow and weather live. If you miss the last connection, you need a taxi. In winter that is a long drive, because the road via Lech is closed.
Distances from Stuben
On the map Warth looks close; by road in winter it is far. The table shows what to expect.
| Route | As the crow flies | By road | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stuben to Lech | 7.7 km | around 11 km | via Alpe Rauz and the Flexen pass |
| Stuben to Warth via Lech | 13.5 km | around 25 km | summer only, closed in winter |
| Stuben to Warth in winter | 13.5 km | over 90 km | detour via Bludenz and the Bregenzerwald |
| Stuben to Schröcken | 14 km | over 85 km | in winter also via the Bregenzerwald |
| Schröcken to Warth | 5.3 km | around 12 km | over the Hochtannberg pass |
The straight-line distances are calculated from OpenStreetMap coordinates, the road distances with the OSRM route planner. Depending on the route through the Bregenzerwald, it is 94 to 99 kilometres to Warth in winter. We deliberately do not give driving times. On pass roads in winter they depend on the weather and on closures.
Ski holiday in Warth-Schröcken: runs and lifts
The area has 15 lifts: one gondola, twelve chairlifts and two drag lifts. Skiing is between around 1,300 and 2,050 metres. A large share of the runs are marked blue or red, which suits mixed groups.
| Warth-Schröcken | Figure |
|---|---|
| Lifts | 15 |
| Total runs | 62.1 km |
| of which blue, red, black | 27.9 km, 22.4 km, 11.8 km |
| Altitude | around 1,300 to 2,050 m |
| Season 2026/27 | 4 December 2026 to 11 April 2027 |
| Lift hours | 9 am to 4.15 pm |
Steffisalp in Warth
In Warth most people start at the Steffisalp-Express. At its valley station is Paulis Kinderland, open daily from 10 am to 12 noon and from 1 pm to 3 pm. Above it the Wartherhorn-Express connects, a six-seater chairlift up to 2,046 metres.
At the Wannenkopfbahn is the Steffisalp funslope, with waves, jumps and obstacles. It is meant for young riders who want to try it out, and just as much for experienced ones.
Salober in Schröcken
On the Schröcken side run the Saloberjet, the Kuchlbahn and the Körblift. The Salober Kinderland covers 8,000 square metres, with four magic carpets, a ski carousel and a warm-up room with play area. The Salober-Schröcken ski school teaches here, away from the main runs.
On run 290 there is a ski movie course, and on run 260 by the Kuchlbahn a speed check measures your pace. By the Sonnencruiser four-seater chairlift there is a 650-metre parallel giant slalom course.
Off the piste
The slopes in Warth-Schröcken face mainly north and east. For deep snow, book a ski or mountain guide from the ski schools in Warth or Schröcken. Check the avalanche report before every descent in open terrain.
The snow in Warth-Schröcken
Warth-Schröcken describes itself as the snowiest ski area in Europe. Mellau Tourismus in the Bregenzerwald writes that the British Daily Mail gave the area this title in 2008, based on snow measurements over a whole century.
According to the same source, an average of more than 11 metres of fresh snow falls each winter. Other portals give clearly lower figures for shorter periods. So take the figure as a long-term average, not a promise for your week.
What is certain is the setting: the villages lie high and the slopes face north and east. On top of that, Vorarlberg Tourismus counts more than 150 snow-making machines. When snow is short at lower altitudes, a day in Warth-Schröcken is a good choice.
A priest on skis and the Run of Fame
In the 1890s the parish priest Johann Müller in Warth had skis sent from Sweden. He wanted to cross the Tannberg faster in winter and skied from Warth to Lech. The guided Pfarrer Müller tour from Warth to Lech Zürs remembers him today.
Stuben has its own ski history, closely tied to Hannes Schneider. More about this and the village itself is on our page about Stuben am Arlberg.
If you want to cover a lot of ground, take on the Run of Fame. The circuit runs 85 kilometres and 18,000 vertical metres through Ski Arlberg, over the Arlberg, the Flexen pass and the Hochtannberg. It is a day for confident skiers with good stamina.
By car, train and bus
The road between Lech and Warth is normally closed from the end of November to the beginning of May because of avalanche risk. The exact date depends on the weather. By car in winter you drive via Bludenz and the Bregenzerwald, more than 90 kilometres each way.
By public transport you reach Warth and Schröcken via Dornbirn: by train to Dornbirn, then by bus through the Bregenzerwald. Schröcken is served by Wälderbus lines 40 and 42.
To reach us in Stuben, take the train to Langen am Arlberg, a station at 1,221 metres. Our shuttle collects you there if you book ahead. Train, car and airports are described under getting to Stuben.
Warth-Schröcken in summer
In summer the road via Lech is open, and Warth is then around 25 kilometres from Stuben. Ski Arlberg gives 19 June to 11 October for summer 2026, with some lifts running on different dates. Hiking buses link Warth-Schröcken with Lech and Zürs. Beyond Warth the road continues into the Tyrolean Lechtal, and over the Hochtannberg pass you drop down into the Bregenzerwald.
From the top of the Steffisalp-Express you walk up the Wartherhorn, 2,256 metres, in around two hours. Paths also lead up the Biberkopf and Widderstein and across to the Körbersee.
Of our three houses, only the Mondschein Chalet with private spa suites is open in summer, and it is open all year. The Ski Hotel and the Arlberg Motel open in winter.
Stay in Stuben, ski in Warth-Schröcken
If you want to ski only in Warth-Schröcken for a whole week, it is best to stay there. If you want to use the whole network, stay in the middle. From Stuben you reach St. Anton on one side and Zürs, Lech and Warth on the other.
At the Mondschein Chalet some suites have an open fireplace, and all have a sauna, infrared cabin or hot tub, depending on the suite. In the morning we bring breakfast to your suite if you wish. Then you are at our own lift in a minute or two, and it takes you to the Albona I lift.
At the Ski Hotel, after your day in Warth, you eat à la carte in the Alte Gaststube, in a house that has been welcoming guests since 1739. With half board we serve the Chef's Choice in the Panorama Zirbenstube in the evening. The Chef's Table has no more than eight seats and received 95 points in Falstaff 2026.
Below the house lies the 17th-century wine cellar. Times and reservations are under restaurants and Chef's Table. You can get your Ski Arlberg pass at reception, and packages with a ski pass are among our winter offers.
Photo: Stuben Tourismus