Lech Skiing & Snowboarding
Lech ski resort has long been interconnected via lifts and piste with the ski areas of Zürs, Oberlech, Stubenbach and Zug, and most treat the area as a 'single' ski resort. It has everything for everyone in the realms of on-piste groomers, lifts & freeride terrain.
Get a sense of what is on offer at Lech by checking out the undertated ski trail map below.
Since season 2013/14 Lech has also been connected to Warth-Schröcken via the Auenfeldjet gondola, & since 2016/17, the St Anton ski resort via a series of new gondolas via Zurs & Stuben. The whole area can be accessed using the single Ski Arlberg ski pass.
See vast potential of the region on the Ski Arlberg trail map below.
The skiing & snowboarding terrain at Lech and the associated ski resorts consist of wide open, mellow interlinked piste that are suited to beginners and intermediates. For advanced and expert riders there are ski routes & vast freeride terrain. Whilst not as challenging as the off-piste terrain in St Anton, there is still plenty of adventure in the Lech sector. The upside is that Powderhounds are more inclined to find fresh powder at Lech compared with St Anton - particularly of days of poor visibility when the masses are huddled up inside drinking hot chocolates & schnapps.
Lech Skiing Highlights
There are many highlights to a visit to Lech, but here a few to tick off when in the resort.
- Discover the resort by completing two long ski circuits. Never mind that some locals view them as simple tourist trails, both offer a wonderful way to get to know the area early in a trip. A discovery of Lech terrain is best done on the 22km Weiße Ring (White Ring) ski-circuit. It takes in most of the resorts high points but is not suitable for beginners. The other is the challenging 85km Run of Fame. Leave early, you will need all day to do it. Note that both circuits do get busy & skied off - so we repeat …… go early in the morning!
- For the best on-piste terrain in Lech, head across to the Steinmähderbahn chair lift and blast repeat runs on the 500m (ish) skiable vertical. Good, clean fun.
- Take a leisurely ski through the ‘rural’ sector of Lech in and around the Schlosskopfe. Located between Oberlech & Stubenbach, on-piste trail and off-piste meadows wander through working farms and chalets in a setting far removed from the relative hustle & bustle of downtown Lech. Vorarlberg’s highest working farm, Muxelhof, is on the edge of an alpine hamlet that includes several excellent eateries including the Hotel Mohnenfluh.
- Advanced & expert riders should try all the marked ski-routes. They are effectively just black runs and mostly groomed. The Langer Zug trail (number 215) is the steepest and loads of fun. Access is via the Rüfikopf cable car.
- Take an early morning bus up to Zürs for first lifts and experience the best ski area in the region before the crowds from St Anton arrive after 10am!
- If suitably equipped, shun the connecting gondola, and head to Warth-Schroecken via the off-piste on the side of Mohnenfluh. Access from the old Rotschrofen chair lift. Get a guide of in doubt.
Ski Lifts
The lifting infrastructure at Lech ski resort, as with all the Ski Arlberg area, is an efficient range of modern cable cars, gondolas, and chair lifts. Surface tows & older chairs still exist but they service either novice/beginner terrain or quieter areas, like the Schlossköpfe. The Ski Arlberg’s 87 major lifts (plus another 24 surface conveyors for novices) create way too many ski opportunities to complete in one visit.
The major recent changes for Lech (and Zürs) were absolute ‘game-changers’ for the region. The connection to Saint Anton via the Trittkopf & Flexenbahn gondolas, the connection to Warth-Schroecken via the Auenfeldjet gondola, the installation of a new 10-seat gondola at Zug, and replacement of the upper mountain Madloch 2-seater with a 6-seat express all serve to transform the ski experience at Lech and Ski Arlberg in the best way possible. The next new lifts at Lech are all planned to be 6-seater express chairs. The first is the Grubenalpbahn which replaces an old surface tow in the quiet sector above Oberlech. The last of the old 2 seat chairs (Schlosskopf & Rotschrofen) will then be replaced. In the meantime, in nearby Stuben, the old Albonabahn-1 double chair is being replaced by an 8-seater gondola for season 23/24.
Expect some short queues for lifts exiting the villages in the morning, particularly the cable cars. Some traditional Austrian assertiveness may be required! Thankfully, the slopes are much less crowded than the neighbouring resort of St Anton, but you certainly won’t be alone at Lech (unless you venture off-piste), particularly when the sun shines.
Lift Pass
Lech is part of the largest interconnected ski area in Austria, Ski Arlberg. The lift pass is the Ski Arlberg Pass, which is also valid in the resorts of St Anton (incl. Stuben & St Christoph), Zurs & Warth Schroecken, plus neighbouring Klösterle/Sonnenkopf. Lift passes can be purchased from ticket windows at the bases of all the major lifts in town. Worth noting that the lift pass for children under 8 years old (referred to as Schneemann) is a one off €11 payment that is valid ALL season. For the older set, anyone aged 74 or older can get super-duper cheap season passes too.
For international guests, the Vail Resort's Epic Pass is now valid for use on the lifts with strict conditions. Epic Pass, Epic Australia Pass & Vail Resorts lifetime Pass Holders receive three complimentary days of skiing & riding at Arlberg ski resorts when they stay a minimum of three consecutive nights at a participating Arlberg resort lodging property. Eligible resorts include St Anton, St Christoph, Lech, Zurs, and Stuben. Epic Pass Holders must book at least three consecutive nights of lodging at a participating resort lodging property to redeem their three complimentary lift tickets. This offer is valid once per season. Lodging must be booked directly with the participating property to qualify for this benefit. Minimum night stay may vary by lodging property. If the property requires more than three nights, guests will still only be eligible for three complimentary tickets. The participating property will deliver lift tickets to the Pass Holder upon confirmation of their Epic Pass card.
Snow & Weather
Lech is situated in one of the most consistent snowfall areas in Europe, let alone Austria. Warth-Schroecken to the north-east has a claimed annual snowfall average of 11m, St Anton to the south-east has 7m and Damuls to the northwest has 10m. You do the maths! The base altitude at Lech is a respectable 1,450m, higher than St Anton. The Ski Arlberg region has some of the best snow quality, for longer periods of time, than comparable elevation areas in Austria.
On-Piste Terrain
As part of Austria’s largest ski area, Lech skiers & snowboarders can feast on around 305km of groomed piste trails. Upper elevations are not so ‘nose-bleedingly’ high that the descents freeze one to the bone. Expect most descents to be less than 800m vertical. The longest skiable vertical on piste in the resort is from the 2,377m Zuger Hochlicht summit, providing around 925m vertical on easy intermediate & beginner pistes. Summits in neighbouring Zuers are higher, with St Anton higher again.
Novice, Beginner & Families
Beginners have a good variety of sheltered nursery runs in Lech that are near the town. The best novice terrain is the surface tows near the base of the Rüfikopf cable cars. On the opposite side, the obvious Schlegelkpof II chairlift provides progression terrain that is steeper & will challenge most beginners (thankfully the slope is super-wide). The best slopes are above it on and below the Hasensprung chair. A delightful area, which is noticeably quiet, is off the Schlossköpfe lift. The Kriegerhornbahn, can provide a little more variety. More confident beginners can catch the Rufikopfbahn and snake down to Zurs without too many difficulties (take the bus back to Lech!).
All the Lech ski areas are family-friendly with easily accessed learning slopes at the back of town, and a high-quality ski school. Lech is well set up for families, which is enhanced by the many lodgings that are conveniently ski-in ski-out. There is also a children-specific terrain park, and a slalom racetrack for family fun.
Intermediate
Lech is paradise for the intermediate skier & snowboarder. Beautifully groomed, long, wide runs that connect you with the next pit-stop. Fabulous! One could spend all day on the runs coming off the Zuger Hochlicht. The intermediate runs down into the Steinmähderbahn chair are the best in Lech.
The clockwise circuit of the Weiße Ring (White Ring) ski-circuit is a highlight of the resort & a showcase of the intermediate terrain in Lech and Zurs. It can bet busy but is a lovely journey through the mountains & a wonderful way to get to know the ski terrain. Other favourites include runs off the Steinmahderbahn in Lech.
The Run of Fame will challenge alot of intermediate skiers to finish it in one day, but is a great way to see the broader Ski Arlberg region. Your lift pass covers it, why not give it a go? Note leave early as it can get busy at times!
Advanced
Don’t expect too much in the way of steep groomed runs for advanced skiers & snowboarders at Lech ski resort. There are however numerous ski routes to keep the advanced skier more than entertained though. Most of the ski routes are regularly groomed so are not as challenging as may be assumed. We are not sure why they are simply marked as Black runs like in other parts of the world! The Langerzug (route 215) is known as one of the steepest ski runs in Austria. The run also has the longest skiable vertical of any of the pistes in Lech, about 900m+ (albeit interrupted by a short surface tow to connect it al l up!). More importantly, plenty of opportunities exist in the off-piste terrain. Bumps challenges can be found on the Sudhang ski routes below the Kriegerhornbahn 6-seater chairlift. Neighbouring Warth-Schroecken has a better range of groomed advanced piste trails.
For a bit of a long-distance ski challenge, try completing the Run of Fame.
Terrain Park
Lech boasts a terrain park in the Schlegelkopf area above the village of Lech, but it remains questionable as to whether this area is worth boasting about? The includes jumps, rails and boxes and might be enough to keep shredders entertained for at least a little while (a few minutes!).
Off-piste, Freeride & Backcountry Terrain
There are so many off-piste & freeride options for powder hounds & advanced/expert riders at Lech (and the broader Ski Arlberg) that it is difficult to know where to start! The entire ski Arlberg boasts it has over 200km of marked ski routes, let alone the potential length of unmarked routes. As mentioned previously, many of the routes are groomed, however they do provide a lot of fun on powder days or just of the groomed at other times. One thing is certain, thankfully the crowds in the off-piste terrain near Lech are less than those encountered in the Sankt Anton sector, so finding fresh lines is easier, particularly during inclement weather when the crowds tend to stay indoors.
The longest & most challenging off-piste descents in Lech are from the summit of the Rüfikopf. Some very steep descents exist from Balmalp down into Zug but beware of avalanche danger. Waiting times at the old 2-seater chair are a thing of the past, with the lift now a brand spanking new 10-seat gondola.
For a wider range of freeride off-piste terrain, it is easy to head to Zurs and off the back of the Madloch-Joch towards Zug or return to Lech. Alternatively, on the opposite side of the valley, numerous options exist off the new Trittkopfbahn I & II gondolas.
The flanks of Mohnenfluh down to Auenfeld has impressive lines in a sector where powder lasts longer. A short slide/skin will get you across to Warth-Schroecken ski resort where one can find your little piece of paradise off Saloberkopf! The list is endless …
And if in doubt as to where to go, be on a tour or get a guide!