Lech Ski Resort Guide
Lech is known as an exclusive, high-end ski resort. Royalty ranging from Princess Di and Princess Caroline (Monaco) to the Dutch and Jordanian royal families are among Lech’s past and present guests.
It isn’t limited to that though, and the community has both feet solidly on the ground. Great skiing, available 5-star accommodations and services, and beautiful scenery… what’s not to like?
At an hour and a half from Innsbruck (116km), the resort is reasonably easy to get to, and well worth the trip.
Good for
The Resort
The village itself is located at 1450m above sea level, and retains the charm and stability of a farming village, despite having developed into a luxury destination for much of the world’s nobility. The town is now cosmopolitan, with great restaurants, bars and shopping, and no end of people-watching fun. You’ll want a deep wallet, or a lot of self-control in Lech, as the items on offer are from some of the top designers and brands in the world.
The village is linked to other ski resorts by connecting lifts, making it part of Austria’s largest interconnected ski area, the Arlberg. The area as a whole has 88 lifts, 305km of pistes, and 200km of off-piste runs, and includes Zürs, Zug, Warth-Schröcken, Stuben, St Christoph and St Anton, as well as Lech itself.
You will pay higher prices than at many resorts, especially by Austrian standards, but the value is good and the skiing excellent.
On the slopes
Snow conditions are excellent, as Lech gets roughly twice the snowfall of comparable French resorts – 10.6m each winter!
Difficulty of runs varies, but this is a haven for the intermediate. Despite the smallish size of the resort, it is seldom crowded (capped at 14,000 visitors per day), and the difficulty of the runs is quite consistent.
The Terrain parks are excellent.
Nightlife is relatively tame in Lech, with elegant evening events taking centre stage over clubbing and wilder parties.
For high energy and dance music, try the K-Club, where resident DJ T Cane gets its upscale clientele moving to the music from 10pm to 4am.
Bars include The Eisbar (also called the Cottage Bar), for live music and DJs until 3am; or the Archiv Bar in the village for cocktails, dance music and fun until the wee hours. The Fux Lounge is popular for laid-back evenings of coffee, cigars, Asian-fusion food and single malt whiskeys.
High-end restaurants are a feature at Lech, including Schlegelkopf, for a lunch of steak or sushi complemented by fine whiskeys and wines, and DJ-lead festivities until an early 5pm.
There is a wealth of activities for those who don’t ski, or who are simply taking a break from the slopes – sleigh riding, ice-skating, sledding, hiking, cross-country skiing and, of course, plenty of shopping and cafés.
The location
Stats
LIFTS
88
VERTICAL
1300-2811m
PISTES
305km (includes Arlberg Ski Area)m
