Lech or Courchevel

A snowHead

I have secured fairly inexpensive airfare from the USA to Zurich in late January/early February. I'm deciding between Kech and Courchevel. My wife is a bit timid on skis. I ski dark blue/black in the USA and red/black in Europe. Last year we went to Verbier and Zermatt which were great for me (despite the lean snow year), but very limited for her. I realize travel time from Zurich is much less to the Arlberg, but this aside, I welcome any opinions on which best suits us. We are not much for late nights or table dancing.

A snowHead

Both are great ski resorts but Lech definitely has the better fit for what you want in my opinion. Some gentle blues for your wife and as tough as you want for yourself within the Arlberg area. Although close to St Anton Lech is also very much an upmarket resort and good food and early nights are much more the order of the day.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

I really like Lech as a resort and part of a great linked area, if your wife likes cruisy blues then there are lots to go at, especially since the link to Warth went in. I've only done Courchevel once and to be frank wasn't that impressed. Very pricey, busy (compared to my experience of Lech at least) and whilst three valleys is undoubtedly a very big area, unless you're reluctant to ski the same pistes a few times a day then I'd go to Lech every time.

Night life is pretty reserved there and not especially cheap but it tends to be the accommodation that's expensive, as I've said in a recent previous post the cost of food and drink on mountain is actually very good and of a very good standard in general.

You need to Login to know who's really who.

@downhillalltheway, agreed

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@Ptspeak, both are premier resorts in their respective countries so both not exactly cheap, but guess you're not worried about that. Both offer what you're after ski-wise. My consideration would be do you prefer French or Austrian culture and food?

Edit: Having said that, go to Lech. Coming all the way from the US you deserve a picture postcard ski town with a touch of class and old money. In Courchevel you'll get objectionable eurotrash.

You'll need to Register first of course.

There's a much better price/quality ratio in the Lech hotels.

Both are great ski areas so no worries there.

ZCH to the 3V is a pretty awkward trip - but you've noted that I see

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

I'd go for Lech evertime, it just feels better.
Its the posh end of the Alberg

Courchevel, its easy skiing around the back of the town. I feel it attracts an international set that have have more money than ski ability, and they are only there to be seen there.

Mind you ... you could say that about Lech too.

The restaurants are really good up in Oberlech.

+ plus its very easy train trip from Zurich Airport to St Anton station.
And as you see its a minimum 5 hours drive to Courchevel.

Just one point .. you could get snowed in at Lech ... the pass out of Zurs can be closed at a moments notice.
(perhaps that won't happen anymore)

After all it is free

Agree with @Dr John, both would suit ski-wise.
Lech/Zurs should be good for your wife. You might find you want to explore St Anton more, which can get challenging, or even intimidating, for less confident skiers.
Courchevel has far less atmosphere, IMO, but the lifts and pistes might be easier for you to get around together, offering tougher/easier options to a meeting point.

Some advantages in waiting until January arrives, assess the snow conditions, forecasts, accommodation available, then decide. How many days skiing do you expect to have?

Lech would be my choice especially now that they have the direct connection to St Anton.

Very well maintained wide style flattering blue pistes. Lots of red black stuff for you.

The decision maker for me would be the crowds, Lech will be a lot less crowded.

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

Thanks for the feedback. I have been leaning to Lech and this really helps. The proximity to Zurich certainly factors in. I'm hoping the new interconnect between Lech and St Anton is as functional as advertised. I've seen varying opinions here

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

Lech has all the charm (and more) that Courchevel is lacking. Lech is old money, still understated. Courchevel is new money, often coming from the East...
The new Flexenbahn is a bit problematic for the masses coming from St.Anton, but completely easy and fast(er) and anticyclic when coming from Lech.
But your wife will not appreciate St.Anton. Think Verbier...
Apart from that, St.Anton has the name, but Lech has at least equal challenging terrain off piste, but with endless lovely gentle pistes in between. And some great groomed steep tours like Langerzug... Very Happy

Already looking at accomodation? Will gladly advise!

snow reports

Hi @Langerzug I didn't twig that your handle was based on a piste above above Zug,
Infact I'm still not sure I know where it is, I was thinking it was somewhere up above Zurs, but that does not make sense.

Its many years since I enjoyed that area, and there are a lot more lift opportunities now.
I must go back.

I think Ptspeak should forget France.

@DrLawn, Langerzug is one of two routes from Rüfikopf to Lech, via Stubenbach, ending at Schlosskopfbahn. It starts via the red piste to Zürs, but after some hundreds meters turns right, into the bowl underneath the cablecar, towards the towlift visible from the cablecar, after the the towlift the steepest piste of Austria follows, facing north, so always excellent. After that it quickly becomes easier, into the forrest, out of the forest above Stubenbach, with great views towards Lech. Great, quiet route. Similar quality as Zürsertäli in Zürs

You know it makes sense.

Have a look at Oberlech as a base. Stayed their twice (Hotel Montana) and were very special holidays - expensive mind you.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Another one for Lech, I would say it's a no-brainer

Zürserhof in Zürs is my favourite hotel but Zürs is a little bit tricker for a beginner/intermediate skier

A snowHead

I think by now Ptspeak, you may have discerned a common theme here? Lech has it by a massive majority and deservedly so. There is a saying that Lech is the resort Courchevel is striving to be. It won't ever get there. You can't beat the original. Save yourself any more research than choosing your accommodation in Lech or Oberlech if you prefer to actually be on the piste directly.

A snowHead

@Ptspeak, no brainer - Lech

For all the reasons above. Have skied both, no desire to go back to Courchevel, chalk and cheese.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

@Ptspeak, if it's convenient for your flight arrival, look into Arlberg Express bus service rather than train to St. Anton and then having to get yourself over to Lech all jet lagged. The bus is very comfortable and you get on it with no responsibilities until you are dropped off in Lech steps from your hotel, so you can nap after that overnight flight.

You need to Login to know who's really who.

I agree with the common theme that Lech is the best choice for the OP in this case, especially given arrival in Zurich.

However, I find disparaging remarks about Courchevel mildly amusing. I've no fondness for the 'villages' which are functional and expensive, especially 1850. The culture and behaviour of a minority of super-rich visitors is not ideal, though often exaggerated, except for one nationality anyway.

But as a base for snowsports, considering the whole of the 3 (really 4) valleys, it offers plenty for all levels. Variety, challenge, altitude, vertical drop, good snow management and lift system.
I think the 3V has roughly double the number of snowsport customer days per year compared with the St Anton-Lech-Zurs circuit. Surely they can't all be wrong?

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@intermediate,

You'll need to Register first of course.

@Hurtle, @intermediate, Shame 3V is such a toil to get to, the road network in/ out of the Terentaise requires serious investment, thats another factor surely? Also has it had similar investment in its lift system in recent years?

I'm not against going back to 3V or EK but the above factors influence me massively, too many people trying to use aged infrastructure. We've had 30+ weeks fantastic ski holidays there but gave up late 90's, too much hassle. We were only saying last night over a meal that a long weekend in Tignes mid December would be great, but then discounted it on the basis that its a full day travel vs 8 hours door to door to Arlberg via MUC airport.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

@Markymark29, I'm an intermediate skier and having been to both Lech once (in a crappy weather week) and the 3V, many times. I wasn't over impressed by the size of the Lech ski area. Because of the weather we didn't manage to get to St Anton, so we were quite limited as to what we could do. For me in a competition between the immediate Lech v's Courchevel areas, I would say Courchevel winds hands down.

I would agree in the OP's choice of airport as Zurich that 3V would not be a good choice. However, since the late 90's there has been huge investment in the 3V lift system and I would say there are proportionally less old lifts in 3V than in Lech / Zurs.

After all it is free

@stevew, Don't know when you went but I'd suggest you look at the investment in last 10 years will be far in excess of that in 3V. Its changed massively in last 10 years as a resort and ski area, access to the whole of the Arlberg, and not a green in sight!

@Markymark29, it was two seasons ago when I went to Lech and 3 since last trip to the 3V

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

Courchevel isn't a patch on Lech, your wife will love it!

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

@stevew,
Is any resort really nice in a week with crappy weather....not very usefull comparing, is it?

snow reports

@boabski, +1 Oberlech

+1 Lech

You know it makes sense.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Skied both many times and Lech is certainly the better fit for what you are after

A snowHead

@Ptspeak, no way would I entertain commuting from Zurich to Courchevel. That's a 5 hour drive after a transatlantic flight.

Taxi fare would wipe out the cheap flight saving and linking trains will be even longer than driving. Has to be Lech.

A snowHead

@stevew, putting ugly Courchevel 1650 equal with Lech would be an 'interesting' taste. But setting it higher is awfull!
Lech is not just about kilometers of piste....you either are not appreciating that, or you just have not been able to see it yet because of the weather.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

@Langerzug, there are many parts of Courchevel which aren't ugly at all.

You need to Login to know who's really who.

@stevew, must have been foggy then!

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@Markymark29, yes.

@Langerzug, personal taste.

You'll need to Register first of course.

@Hurtle, but many parts are! Not so in Lech Cool

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

@Ptspeak, as you will have realised by now some people on here are a bit biased towards "their" ski area!

Fully agree with others that Courchevel is a long way from Zurich - you might lose an extra day's skiing at the start and end of your holiday.

A couple of other points to consider:
- France splits the easier pistes between Green and Blue grades. If your wife is nervous even on US Green (= Austria Blue) pistes, then she might find the additional subdivision in Courchevel helpful;
- check out if the local school holidays impact your dates: I think in Austria they are from the weekend of 3/4 February, but in France are a week later.

After all it is free

@ecureuil, I don't think its biased, the OP asked for feedback and he got it based on fact not bias. You're right btw there are more easier pistes in Courchevel, and blues in Arlberg are generally Reds in 3V in my experience, so greens in Courchevel are pretty easy.

If you want a nice time in beautiful surroundings with a great culture of customer service, go to Lech. If you don't, go to Courchevel Toofy Grin

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

Basically, if flying into Zürich then Lech is the only reasonable choice. I do like 3V, but Lech simply has more class! Not sure if this is true anymore but I heard Courchevel had been bought up by Russians with a large contingent of Russian professional ladies to service them... that might have changed again now though.

Help!!

Lech or Courchevel

snowHeads Forum Index >>> Resort Reviews and Trip Reports