Lech & Zurs
Lech and Zürs am Alberg are where the rich and famous come to play in the snow, and the rest of us go to watch them. Lech and Zürs are very traditional Austrian ski resorts, and the associated villages are very cosmopolitan with lively
bars, excellent
restaurants and plenty of
shopping opportunities. You might need to max out the credit card because of the pressure to conform to wearing beautiful ski clothes. We loved the people watching in the main street of Lech, as tens of thousands of dollars (or euros!) of Prada clothes strutted past us. The sophistication of Lech and Zurs is very apparent, but it doesn’t overpower the long established charm of the villages and the slopes.
Where is Lech and Zurs?Lech and Zürs are in the West Alberg region of Tirol in Austria, approximately 4 kms apart from each other. The well planned lift system interlinks the ski districts of Lech, Zürs, Oberlech, Stubenbach and Zug. The electronic Alberg skicard also enables access to the resorts of
St Anton, Stuben and St Christoph, which can be accessed by complimentary buses that take about half an hour. The whole Alberg region provides a massive ski area with a total of 84 lifts.
VillagesLech is full of character and is popular with families. On sunny days the slope-side restaurants and lodgings have an abundance of sun lounges out the front, where the English and Europeans recline to work on their tans. Zürs has only 22 lodgings so it’s very small and intimate. The base altitude is higher than Lech so it generally has better snow, and it has more to offer beginners. Oberlech is another small village nearby which is car free and can be reached only by cable car or via skiing.
Ski and Snowboard TerrainThe
Lech and Zurs ski terrain is mostly suited to beginners and intermediates. There’s only one black run on the piste, but there are ski routes and off-piste skiing to challenge experts. Considering that most of Alberg’s tough terrain is around St Anton and Stuben, very few advanced skiers venture to Lech and Zurs, so the plus is that the off-piste areas won’t get tracked out too quickly. A fun itinerary in fine weather is to ski or board the White Ring, which is 22km of runs that enable you to circuit all the villages. You can crawl the various high mountain restaurants (our favourite being at Zug), and sit on the sun terraces and sip hot chocolates or beers.
The lifting system is incongruous in that there are cable cars and some new high speed 6 and 8 person lifts that have padded and heated (yes heated!) seats. On the other hand, there are many drag surface tows that obviously don’t even have seats and are incredibly slow.
Why Go Skiing in Lech and Zurs?Lech and Zurs is not the cheapest place to go skiing. The lift passes are reasonable with a 6-day Ski Arlberg pass costing AUD$343, but much of the
Lech and Zurs accommodation is at deluxe prices. Food and drink can add up quickly considering the currency exchange. Nevertheless it could be worth the expense just to enjoy the people watching, the lively après, and experience a traditional Austrian resort and traditional Austrian culture. If your ability to speak German isn’t great don’t worry too much. These Alberg resorts are well populated by British tourists, so some degree of English is spoken in most places. So long as you know how to order a bier and a wiener schnitzel, and say danke, then you’ll cope fine.