Lech in January – what to expect vs Zermatt/3 Valleys?

A snowHead

Hi everyone,

My partner and I are heading to Lech for the first time this coming January (6th–18th). We haven’t done a whole lot of research, to be honest — our neighbour recommended it and we found a lovely apartment to stay in, so we just went for it!

My only skiing experience in Europe so far has been Zermatt and the Three Valleys, both of which we loved. I was wondering if anyone here has skied in Lech and could share what they thought of it compared with those places? Any tips or things not to miss would be great too.

Also, what’s the best way to get there? We’ll be flying in from Sydney. I believe Zurich is the most practical airport, but I’ve also heard people mention Munich or Innsbruck. Would love to hear what others have found easiest in terms of transfers.

Thanks in advance for any insights — much appreciated!

A snowHead

Zurich probably best for intl flights. Train from Zurich Hbhf to Langen then bus or taxi transfer. Probably also some direct shuttles if you don't want to deal with train going scenic way round Vaduz.

Lech skiing is fine but dining comes at a price. Time your outings to St Anton carefully Run 4 back to Alpe Rauz can be chaos. Stuben is popular for off piste opportunities.

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

Considering OP was in Zermatt previously I don't think dining will be too bad.

@Malbec85, I've taken my kids to all three of those resorts in the last 4-5 years and would say Lech is my personal favourite.

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

I have been to all of them.
But puzzled about your method of resort selection though, because they are entirely different types of resorts.

Keep your expectations modest, this saves you from disappointment.

Arlberg is especially good for fur coats and being seen. Our royal family traditionally goes there.

Skiing wise, it is my top 10. The top 10 of most overrated ski areas. I have 80+ ski weeks in all the major resorts from east (Schladming) to Southwest (Montgenevre).
Obviously, this top 10 is just personal.

Zermatt is also caters for fur coats and thick wallets. The big difference being, the quality of skiing is excellent. And it is in the top 10 for expert skiers. Such a pity they had to close the Stockhorn part. Those black mogul slopes were the best on earth. Plus, the longest descent of the world from Kleine Matterhorn 3883, to Valtournenche. That is 2300 metres vertical, and 22 kilometers.

L3V is a machine. The largest ski area in earth. Claimed figures aside: Arlberg fits 4 times into L3V. By far the best infrastructure. If you want tradition and fur: Courchevel.

Keep your expectations modest. And take a full wallet. Then you'll be fine.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@Malbec85, Yes Zürich is the best airport, very few flights into Innsbruck (no long haul), Munich a fair way away. Trains from Zürich stop in St Anton not Langen but either get on a bus which meet the trains (get the bus included in the train ticket) or get a transfer. There is also the Arlberg Express coach service.

Not sure what sort of skiers you are so difficult to suggest options. The Arlberg covers a very large area but has a less dense network of lifts and pistes than 3V and doesnt have any glacier skiing like Zermatt. It has a large number of ski routes which are a sort of halfway house between piste & off piste. They are marked and patrolled. Many are ungroomed and steep (ones marked as black really are the province of "experts") but some are groomed and relatively straight forward. The well known Madloch run which links Zürs & Lech is easily within the capabilities of any competent skier. Langerzug is supposed to be the steepest groomed run in Austria, in good snow conditions it is not that hard (the snow is often good as it is north east facing and mostly shaded), the tourist office run regular early morning trips with an instructor and claim it is fine for "red run skiers",

Next door Warth has the reputation as one of the snowiest spots in the alps, it is only linked by lift in winter so dont miss the last lift! (like in Zermatt). Zürs has some great piste skiing especially on a sunny morning. St Anton easy to get to too. St Anton is the place to go for apres (Lech being on the sedate side more sparkling wine & canapes Smile

) easy to get a bus back rather than rushing for lifts

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@Malbec85, just ignore @Onnem, then you'll be fine. His quote "Arlberg fits 4 times in L3V" is complete nonsense, easily verifiable. (Ski Arlberg has 300 km of groomed piste, and 200 km of ungroomed ski routes). Just like his remark on Zermatt being better for expert skiers. It is exactly the other way around, again widely agreed. Etc, etc, etc.

Lech is considered to be one of the most charming resorts in the Alps, with its pistes on all sides down to the village centre, the beautiful church and the river amidst. Mountain scenery is a uniquely charming mix between sweet meadows and rough peaks. Probably the best in the Alps for thick snow cover in village, also in early season.
Yes, it is definitely upmarket, just like Zermatt.
The village is clearly smaller than Zermatt, with less shops etc, and less apartments. Definitely an exclusive feel to it, yet still definitely strong focus on sports/skiing. Lech is no St.Moritz/Gstaad/Cortina, far from it. Many half-board hotels, family-owned. Great restaurants, also on-piste, in Oberlech. Whilst very international, Germans and Austrians still clearly dominant.
Which apartment did you book?

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

After all it is free

This youtube channel features runs from all over the alps including the Arlberg here is one example

http://youtube.com/v/VWsNx_aSabw&t=589s

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

Well I guess everyone's opinions are personal and how a resort suits is not the same for everyone. Also overrated depends on what you perceive the rating as. However I wholly disagree about Lech being overrated from a personal point of view.

It is a resort that I would not hesitate to recommend to just about anyone for a trip in January. My main reservation would be for people who are trying to budget tightly. It is certainly not a cheap resort. That said it was certainly cheaper on my visits than either Zermatt or Courchevel so if you are accustomed to those prices Lech shouldn't be a problem.

It is a very attractive area with extensive skiing over the Arlberg, varied and with a good snow record.

Zurich is the airport I would use for transfers you can either use the Arlberg express coach(Weekends only I think), The train to Landeck and bus or taxi. A rental car or a private transfer.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

Went to Lech in January last year. Really enjoyed it. Apres vibe is very different to St Anton, more about a couple of small beers and chatting than really stereotypical Austrian schlager music. Food is nice and really posh. We stayed at the Cafe Fritz and ate their twice, definitely recommend that if you are quite near it. Portions huge. We had a half goose in the Tannbergerhof on the main street. Amazing. Also ate in the Krone, was too posh really.

Skiing wise try the routens, the ones in Lech (202, 203, 204) are not too long and good testers for the rest of the area I'd say. If that's your limit that's not an issue but I'd proberly limit myself to the ones like Madloch that is basically a normal piste in poor conditions and stick to the normal slopes.

Warth is easy to get to, easy to explore and not massive. As above just don't get stuck there after 4pm. There are loads of reds/combos of runs under the Steinmähderbahn that you want to do.

snow reports

Hi all,

Thanks so much for all the responses — really helpful and great to get so many different perspectives. I feel like I’ve got a pretty good sense now of how Lech compares to Zermatt and the Three Valleys, and based on the overall feedback I’m even more excited for our trip in January. The mix of charm, snow reliability, and the variety across the Arlberg sounds like exactly what we’re after.

We’ll be staying in an apartment just on the edge of the village near the church/river, so it sounds like we’ll be well located to enjoy the village atmosphere as well as the skiing.

Appreciate all the tips on transfers, runs not to miss, and dining spots — lots of notes taken!

Cheers,
Malbec85

@Malbec85, I like the skiing in and around Zurs, and across at Schrocken/Warth. With the now integrated lift system across the whole of the Arlberg the problems of the "bottlenecks" have largely been addressed, but one or two lifts like the Ubungshang in Zurs can get pretty busy with the trippers from St Anton especially mid-morning. Best to ski Zurs first thing, if Ruffikopf is busy just take the bus up to the Zursersee lift and access Madlochjoch and ski early morning down to (North facing so the snow tends to be best) Zug missing the charge of the lemmings! Some good if not very under-rated slopes are the Mohenfluh runs accessed by the Steinmahder lift, (South facing so can get sugary after midday). If you are staying in Lech its easier to take the Auenfeldjet across to the quieter slopes of Warth and Schrocken where the on mountain beer/vodka prices are not as steep as Lech. However, I have to admit that I tend to end my ski-day at the Hotel Krone von Lech, the very best of Champagne Aperol Spritzes! A quick mention that Zurs does have a number of pleasant sun-trap Champagne Bars too!

You know it makes sense.

@Malbec85, I’ve skied in Lech several times and always loved it. If you’re close to the church then you’re pretty central in the village. Lots of options for high end dining in hotel restaurants, for simpler meals there are two Italian restaurants close to the base of the little cable car that goes up to Oberlech.

Coming from Scotland my flight options are limited and i usually end up flying into Munich. If you can get a rental car at a decent price then it’s quite a nice drive to Lech. Just make sure you get winter tyres and chains, the road up to Zurs is steep and can collect a lot of snow. Once you’re in Lech there’s a large underground car park u deer the church.

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

You will love Lech, beautiful setting, understated luxury combined with a traditional feel village. Obviously it isn't cheap, but probably better value than Zermatt or Courchevel 1850. There's an extensive ski area to explore both ways now the links to St Anton and Warth are complete. Good sense of travel.

You need to do one day over at St Anton and stay for the lively apres scene at the KK and Mooserwirt and catch the Postbus back to Lech.

Different to 3V or Zermatt, which I enjoyed too for huge amount of skiing and spectacular views, but Lech should definitely be on every skiers bucket list of resorts.

A snowHead

You’ll love Lech and the connected villages/slopes. A great choice. It doesn’t have the easily accessible 600km of 3V, but that’s more than made up by the dreamy Austrian setting and atmosphere.

The regular free or cheap buses to St Anton/St Christoph are a very short trip to sample other villages, restaurants and you can piste ski all the way back these days.

Plus you’ve selected the perfect time of the season. A bit quieter, almost certain snow and cold.

A snowHead

Another Australian here - I've been to Zermatt twice, 3V twice, St Anton once and I'll be back to the Arlberg my next trip. All three places are great, all different, and I'm sure you'll have a ball. Emirates to Zurich would be my pick of flights. I found the food better in Austria than either Switzerland (by miles) or France (a bit closer) but maybe that was HB places where I was staying.

For people commenting on costs, be aware skiing in Australia is extremely expensive. A daily lift ticket at Mt Buller with a vertical drop of 430m when everything is perfect, basically never, is up to 130 euro. Food and drink also expensive, especially alcohol, so places like the resorts listed above seem entirely reasonable in comparison especially given what you get for your money.

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

And also a suggestion - if travelling with Emirates at the end of the trip travel by train to Venice and fly home from there. Venice in January is great, and cheap, and pretty easy to get to from St Anton. Emirates flies Venice to Dubai.

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Lech in January – what to expect vs Zermatt/3 Valleys?

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