Anton, where the road begins its climb. It is one of the oldest crossing points in the Eastern Alps, used since the Middle Ages by traders and pilgrims, and the name itself is thought to come from the dwarf pines, the Arlen, that grow on the slopes. A hospice was built on the pass in the fourteenth century to help travellers survive the winter, and the cult of St. Christopher that grew up there is still remembered in the name of the village below.
The ride is easy and enjoyable rather than frightening. The road is wide, the surface is excellent and the bends are steady, with a couple of tighter hairpins on the Vorarlberg side as the road drops to Langen and Bludenz. From St. Anton the road climbs gently through meadows and larch woods, and in early summer the slopes are bright with alpine flowers. The pass stays open all year, though winter brings heavy snow and chains are sometimes required. The Arlberg road tunnel, opened in 1978, bypasses the pass for fourteen kilometres but charges a toll, so most motorcyclists on a sunny day prefer the old road.
St. Anton is the cradle of modern alpine skiing. Hannes Schneider founded the first ski school here in the early twentieth century and developed the Arlberg technique, which spread around the world. The village is still a major winter destination, and it is quiet in summer, which makes it a good place for a long lunch on a terrace. You can find fuel in St. Anton or in the smaller villages of the Stanzer Valley, while Landeck, about twenty-seven kilometres east, is the bigger town if you need a wider choice.
From the pass, the Flexen road leads off towards Zürs and Lech, a spectacular stretch with galleries cut into the rock, though it is closed when avalanches threaten. The Arlberg is also the watershed between the Rhine and the Danube, so rain falling here may end up in the North Sea or the Black Sea. Weather can turn fast, with cold rain at the top while the valley basks, so pack a layer.