Reality Check – Sonnenkopf

great view from one of the restaurants

“The Sonnenkopf is Arlbergs hidden powder paradise. Lech am Arlberg and St. Anton may be a lot more prestigious, but this smaller resort deserves some recognition, too!” This is what I told a lot of people over and over again, and for that reason I included the Sonnenkopf into my ski-resort list (link at end of text). But I believe to advise people about places you have to know them – and even if you know them, you have to put them to test over and over again. This is what I did today.

The weather was perfect for a skiing day and so I stopped my work and went skiing with a colleague. He recently got himself a new all-mountain ski and I got myself one at the end of last season, so we had even more reason to go – it was time to prove who made the better buy! I do not want to go into the details of our ski-testing routine, but at the end of the day we both declared ourselves winners! But now for the Sonnenkopf – I stand with my oppinion: this is a hidden gem in Vorarlberg. Some aspects

• although the Sonnenkopf does not have artificial snow machines, they still have loads of snow every year – and this as one of the most ecological aware resorts in the Alps.
• Today was one of the busiest Skiing days of the Season, due to high season and perfect weather – but there was still plenty of room on the pistes and off-piste was even better
• only few restaurants are located in the resort, but they all deserve credit: today we had our “finishing” beer at the
  

  Powder Paradise

  “Bergrestaurant Muttjöchle” – and the view was great, service fast and friendly and the beer well needed

• The Sonnenkopf is also an “Allrounder” – it is visited by elderly people from Vorarlberg, Families from all over Europe and some really crazy off-piste enthusiasts, but everyone can enjoy his day
• There are great offers for people who do not ski or snow-board – there is a toboggan run, a beautiful winter hiking trail up on one of the surrounding peaks and I also spotted groups of people with snow-shoes. Sunbathing on top of the mountains is great, too
• Good skiers will get bored at some point – go here for some afternoon fun, or when all the powder-runs in St. Anton and Lech are overrun
• some of the lifts are rather old for Austrian standards, but today that was great – it gave us some time to relax and enjoy the sun

My conclusion: if you visit the area and are a powder freak – give this area a try: when all the runs at the famous Arlberg are already overrun, you might still get a chance for some “fresh” powder here. The resort can also be recommended to families, who do not want to get lost in the 280km pistes of the Arlberg. For me, being from the area, this is one of the best resorts to visit for just an afternoon or some early morning runs, before heading back to work. Related Links:

Related articles

• Great skiing resorts in Tyrol and Vorarlberg (my recommendations in Vorarlberg and Tyrol)
• www.sonnenkopf.com – official homepage (only in german)
• Vorarlberg von Oben – Sonnenkopf – aerial view of the resort

View from the Skiing resort to my town (almost at the horizon)