Valluga Viewing Platform  

Enjoy a breathtaking 360-degree mountain panorama high up at 2,811 metres above sea level on the Valluga Platform.

With the invention of the lift and cable car, many peaks became accessible to non-mountaineers. Construction of the legendary Vallugabahn II in 1955 and the accompanying viewing platform paved the way for a new world of exploring the mighty peaks of the Alps for visitors to the St. Anton am Arlberg region. Almost nothing has changed visually ever since. Yet the myth and legends surrounding the cable car and platform abound to this day.

The ascent to the viewing platform on the Valluga begins with the Galzigbahn gondola - which briefly distracts you from the actual destination. Opened in 2006, this gondola uses the very rare Funitel System, where gondolas are attached to two wires running parallel to each other. However, the four huge wheels which lower the cabins around eight metres down to the ground in order to make it easy for passengers to embark, are even more impressive. Once everyone is on board, the gondola is then pulled back up, accelerated and attached to the wire. Once at the Galzig, Vallugabahn I is waiting to traverse passengers across Steißbach Valley via only two lift supports and provide further stunning views of the alpine surroundings. As fascinating as these elaborate techniques are, it is now time to focus on the destination, the viewing platform.

The technology may be rudimentary, but this has a legendary reputation. Equipped with two small cabins, Vallugabahn II takes just two minutes to transport visitors 161 vertical metres up to the top station, next to an eye-catching radar system. Once at the viewing platform, you find yourself on the the exact point where the regions of Vorarlberg and Tyrol meet.  Wherever you look, the views are simply breathtaking. The Lechtal and Allgäu Alps, the Verwall Mountains, the Ötztal Alps and even the Swiss canton of Graubünden can all be seen from here.

There are two routes for the downhill descent from Valluga Peak: Valluga North and Valluga West. To use the Valluga II lift, skiers and boarders must be accompanied by a registered mountain guide. Sightseers are also allowed to ride up to the top station of the Vallugabahn I cable car but may only visit the viewing platform without winter sports equipment.