Where modern skiing began
The famous ski sons of Stuben
From the stem turn to the Arlberg technique, from early ski films to ski schools around the world: four ski pioneers from Stuben shaped the sport.
Hannes Schneider
He developed the stem turn that became the Arlberg technique. In 1907 he came to St. Anton as a ski instructor and founded Austria's first ski school there. In 1930 Prince Chichibu invited him to Japan, and in 1939 he founded his ski school in America, on Mount Cranmore in New Hampshire. Since 2012 a bronze statue of him has stood in Stuben, with a replica in the Alte Gaststube.
Friedrich Schneider
Hannes' brother won the first downhill of the Arlberg-Kandahar race. In 1924 he founded one of the first ski schools in the world in Stuben, and later ran the ski school in Zürs until 1969.
Willi and Emil Walch
Willi Walch won races in Kitzbühel, Garmisch and Wengen and gave his name to the Willi Walch binding. His brother Emil was a stove maker: he built the tiled stove in the Alte Gaststube. As the first managing director of the Albona lift company, he opened Stuben up to winter tourism.
Places to visit from Stuben
Photo: Stuben Tourismus
You might also like
HistoryStuben was one of the loneliest winter passes in Europe. At night, when the snow had frozen hard, carters and travellers waited in the warm parlour for the moon to rise.
Skiing on the ArlbergSkiing on the Arlberg starts in Stuben, a three minute walk from the Ski Hotel. The first gondola of the Albonabahn I leaves at 8:30. From the Albona you ski to Zürs and Lech, or to St. Christoph and St. Anton.