Issue 16.1 - easy in arlberg

The Arlberg is a snowboarder's playground. When weather systems start piling up over the Alps, Austria's legendary alpine - a stronghold of winter sport tradition - comes alive! There are few shred destinations that hold the promise of a well-timed trip to the Arlberg. It's a region densely packed with terrain of all varieties. Chutes, cliffs, trees, open pow - Arlberg's got everything. And it's all accessible right off the lifts, easy style.

There comes a time in every shredder's life when we load up the big boardbag and head to Europe for what is hopefully the ultimate snowboard trip - powder, peaks, and Old World culture. It's the possibility of arriving after a dump, or better yet, during Swedish Week! It's foreign snow, postcard vistas, and coffee that'll put hair on your chest. Days riding countless descents and nights spent raging around the village. In the Arlberg every day of winter is a celebration!

By averages, it was a good, long snow year for the Arlberg, and for the many riders who hit Austria this season - there was no question. Along with ideal conditions came heavy documentation in the region. The locals killed it. And from SNOWBOARDER's locally-guided Austrian invasion to the roving film crews of Absinthe and Robot Food, a lot of action was recorded. There's a reason why winter sports enthusiasts have been drawn to Austria for over a hundred years; the place is epic - one of the very best. Riding in the Arlberg offers a snowboard experience the likes of which you only see in magazines - hence the article. Read on.

Austrian Alpine
It's not just the Arlberg, most of Austria is packed with mountains. From Zillertal in the south to Seegrube looming over the capital city of Innsbruck, to the legendary slopes of Kitzbuhel, peaks are everywhere. For such a small country - slightly smaller than the state of Maine - Austria boasts enough rideable terrain for years worth of video parts. Enough vertical to flip your odometer. Native pro rider Steve Gruber affirms, "There's tons of stuff to ride across the whole country, from east to west. Plus, in a normal winter we can ride from the end of November until May. Then there are several glaciers you can ride 365 days a year."