 Poster: A snowHead
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Returned a week ago from my annual ski trip with my ski-buddy. We went to Lech for 1 week from 12th to 19th March. Booked everything DIY. Here is my report. I have tried including costs of things where remembered.
To preface the report, a little about us. We're two blokes in our early thirties. This is our sixth trip to the Alps (each a week long). We always go in mid-March as the combination of being warmer, cheaper and less crowded than earlier in the season appeals. We're comfortable on most red and black runs whilst conditions are good - haven't ventured off-piste at all. We don't drink and effectively have a pescetarian diet whilst in the mountains. We chose Lech as we wanted somewhere snowsure for that time of year (needed to book quite far in advance), with good intermediate terrain, good lift infrastructure and not too busy.
Getting there Flew Easyjet from Gatwick to Friedrichshafen (> hour delay both coming and going - will seriously think about not flying them again) and then took short train from airport to Friedrichshafen station, train from Friedrichshafen station to Langen am Arlberg and postbus from there to resort. Trains were booked via the OEBB app, which is brilliant - simple to use and saves your itinerary offline. Flights (incl one checked-in bag) were £77 each, transfers worked out at £19 return.
Accommodation Stayed in Pension Bergland - a 3* guesthouse/hotel on the outskirts of Oberlech but, in reality, somewhere between Oberlech and Lech. The hotel was really superb. The hospitality, enthusiasm and care of the hosts Bernd and Maria made the stay. It's a small place and they made a real effort to get to know their guests and help them however they could. Nothing luxurious, but it was spotlessly clean, newly renovated, had a very nice wellness area and the room had a bath (heaven-sent for soaking those aching legs) and balcony with a wonderful view over Lech. It was right on the blue 62 piste, so effectively ski-in/ski-out. Breakfasts had a variety of cold cuts of meat, cheeses, yoghurts, cereals and breads. But seldom pastries and eggs were only available boiled. The downsides to the accommodation were the mattress and pillows were rather uncomfortable. The location wasn't great for going out in the evening if you didn't have a car, as the walk to/from Lech and Oberlech was too long and steep, so it meant relying on the skibus to get down to Lech and the once-an-hour nightbus to get. Otherwise, would whole-heartedly recommend it. We paid £510 each for 7 nights B&B .
The slopes I must admit I was somewhat disappointed with the skiing at Lech. Everything on-piste was within our level, so we should have had an absolute blast, but for some reason we just didn't. Our favourite types of runs are long, away-from-it-all, fast, cruising reds and there just weren't that many. Reds 46 and 50 on the Lech side were fun and rewarding, but seemed quite short. Other runs were either quite crowded and chopped up, or had long flat bits that weren't much fun. The blues back into town on the Lech side were very mogully even by the middle of the day. We much preferred the runs on the Warth side (so much so we went there three times during the week) - quieter, snow in better condition (it's mainly north-facing), slightly more challenging runs and plenty of do-able blacks. Black W1 (which really should be a red in my opinion) was our favourite run in the entire resort. We only went over to Zurs once. That day it was very windy and that might have influenced our judgement, but it was hard work. There was a lot of poling against a strong wind that wasn't much fun and the snow was mainly icey and hard. It's a shame, as on the piste map, the Zurs side looked like it had some of the best runs. We tried a few of the 'red' ski-routes. They were a mixed bunch. Some were easier than the pistes, some had not been bashed for a few days and were quite chopped up, but none were too steep. We generally found the pistes to be much busier than we had expected, and certainly busier than our last few trips (Schladming, Monterosa, Passo Tonale). In certain sections there were quite bad bottlenecks (eg coming into Hexenboden/Seekopf base station in Zurs) with collisions occurring due to the overcrowding and people skiing too fast. Of note, the runs on the Weise-Ring circuit were definitely far busier than other runs. Given the resort makes a big play about limiting the number of skiers on the mountain, I was quite surprised by the crowds, particularly mid-week during non-peak, non-holiday time.
The lifts Having said that about crowded pistes, I must commend the lifts throughout the resort - they were superb. Only had one queue of note - about 10mins at the Seekopf chair. More often than not, there were no queues at all. Generally, there were good manners in the queues, too. The proliferation of high-speed chairs must be applauded too. Only had to take one T-Bar all week and only needed to take our skis off for the gondola to Warth and the Rufikopf cable car to Zurs. The skipass (at £197) is excellent value when you consider it includes Stuben, St Anton and Klosterle.
Mountain restaurants We tend to have a brief stop around 1100 for a cold drink and then stop for a late lunch around 1400. I hate skiing on a full stomach, so we tend to eat simply and light for lunch - a plate of fries or simple pasta dish rather than a proper sit-down three+ course lunch. In this respect, Lech didn't really suit us - it seems a lot of people stop for a proper posh lunch in the Oberlech hotels. There's only a few huts on the mountain above Lech. The Balmalp was probably the nicest (we didn't try the Rud Alpe as it seemed more like a proper lunch place) - lovely views, airy and light inside, excellent service. On the Warth side, we ate mainly at the Hochalpe skihut - a simple, unpretentious, rustic style hut. Ate once at the Rufikopf Panorama restaurant - decor was very bland, but beautiful views, decent food (lovely spinach dumplings) and good service. Prices were OK - 4-5 EUR for a large coke, 6-8 EUR for a plate of chips 8-10 EUR for a pasta dish. Good English was spoken everywhere.
Ski rental This was another disappointment. Booked online for rental at Pfefferkorn's through Snowbrainer. Went for the 4*skis as the rental was pricey. The skis looked quite old and boots were very uncomfortable when skiing (of course, in the shop they felt fine). My friend exchanged his after day one for a smaller pair and got on better with those. I didn't know how much of my discomfort was down to my woeful technique or how much due to the boots, so stuck with them. In hindsight, I should have tried a different pair, too. The service in the shop was polite but quite rushed - "These skis will be fine for you. What size boots are you? Try these. They fit? OK, done". Unfortunately, I don't know enough about equipment to challenge them or know what to ask for. We paid £132 each for ski day rental of skis, poles and boots, which was steep for the quality of equipment given what I've rented elsewhere.
Resort restaurants This is where Lech seems to really excel. We had two decent meals in the restaurant at the Formarin (next door to our hotel), which won on convenience. Food was decent - fresh ingredients, good sizes, nicely presented, but the menu was quite limited. We paid £30-40/head for three courses and a soft drink. Had a decent and reasonably priced Italian-style meal at the Olympia - food was tasty, but the place was packed and noisy and service quite rushed. Paid £23/head for a starter, pizza and soft drink. We allowed ourselves two treats. Firstly, we went to Fux Asian restaurant. It's a really lovely setting - tasteful, artistic and modern decor. Food was very good - excellent fish dishes and I loved my octopus starter. Paid £75/head for three courses and a mocktail. It was a bit pricey for the quality of food (if it was in London, I wouldn't go again at that price), but a refreshing change to have a good-quality Japanese meal in the Alps. On our last night we went to the Post Stuben at the Gasthof Post (on the recommendation of Langerzug on the Arlberg forum on SH). This was probably the best meal we've had in the Alps. The service is first-rate and the food absolutely terrific. A large menu with plenty of fish and veggie dishes for us. The quality of food, the artful presentation and plethora of extras was worthy of a Michelin star in my opinion. Paid £70/head for three courses and a soft-drink - definitely worth it for the standard of food and service.
Overall An enjoyable holiday (when is a ski-trip not?), which was one of our more pricey expeditions. Lech is in a pretty setting, and has bags of charm - especially at night. People were very friendly, and we saw very little of the snootiness that I expected. The eating out was terrific, however, the skiing was a bit of a let-down. I don't think we would return. We much preferred the skiing on the Warth side and I think we'd be more likely to do a trip combining a few of the Voralberg resorts.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Interesting reading about a first timers impression of Lech. Lech isn't really a resort for those of limited ability, it definitely isn't a beginners resort in my view and to get the best out of the area, you need to use the whole area. Good points on Warth. Since that link went in, it has opened up a whole lot more for both intermediate skiers who enjoy the piste, but just as importantly the off piste between the two. Pity the wind was against you when you went to Zurs. If you didn't try run number 10 in Zurs, you missed the best Red in the entire area. Glad you liked the friendliness of the place. That is it's charm for me. Having spent 5 full seasons there and 2 more round the corner in St Anton I would heartily recommend it
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Nice report!
Great to hear you have been enjoying Gasthof Post so much.
But indeed you'll need to come back to enjoy the great pistes in Zürs (38, 6, 7, 10, 11 and all at Seekopf) with sunny conditions. You can't properly judge Lech without Zürs. (and vice-versa!)
Moreover, from next season the St.Anton-pistes are within very easy reach coming from Lech!
And stay in Lech-proper instead of half-up the mountain.
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