Lech Zürs
Arlberg, VorarlbergSee it on the map
About Lech Zürs
Lech and Zürs share a lift pass with St. Anton and almost nothing else. Where St. Anton is loud and steep, Lech is a discreet, expensive village of family-run hotels at around 1,450 m, with the car-free hamlet of Oberlech on a sunny shelf above it and Zürs, higher and starker, up the road at the top of the Flexen pass. It has been the quiet choice of royalty and old money for decades, and it works hard to stay that way.
The snow record is the real argument. Lech sits in a corner of the Alps that catches storms from the north-west, and it reliably gets more snow than almost any other resort at its altitude. Since the Flexenbahn opened in 2016 the whole Arlberg has been skiable on one pass without a bus, making it the largest connected ski area in Austria at around 300 km of piste, and the Auenfeldjet links Lech westwards to Warth-Schröcken as well.
The pistes here are wide, groomed and mostly red or blue, which is exactly what most people on holiday want. The famous White Ring — a 22 km circuit around Lech, Zürs and Oberlech, one of the oldest ski circuits in the Alps — is a proper day out for a solid intermediate, and there is an annual race around it.
Last reviewed 13 September 2026
Best suited to
- Intermediates
- Families
- Beginners
- Advanced skiers
Featured instructors at Lech Zürs
No instructors available at this resort yet
Nobody is offering lessons here for now — try a nearby resort, or check back soon.
Do you teach at Lech Zürs?
Join Alpine Pal, publish your profile and reach the customers already looking for lessons right here.
Where lessons start
This is the side of the Arlberg to learn on. Lech has gentle nursery slopes close to the village and Oberlech is a sunny, traffic-free plateau where children can be left on the snow all day, which is why so many families book there. Zürs is more exposed and colder, with steeper terrain on the whole, so a first week is better based in Lech. For an intermediate who wants to graduate to St. Anton's steeps, the bus and the Flexenbahn make it a day trip rather than a change of hotel.
Resort areas
- Lech
- Zürs
- Oberlech
Getting there
There is no railway into Lech. The nearest stations are Langen am Arlberg, about a quarter of an hour below by bus, and St. Anton on the other side of the pass, both on the Zurich–Innsbruck main line. Zurich airport is about two hours by road, Innsbruck around an hour and a half. The awkward part is the Flexen pass road up to Zürs, which closes when the avalanche risk is high — a big storm can cut Lech off for a day, which the locals treat as a normal part of winter.
Qualifications required in Austria
Teaching skiing or snowboarding for payment in Austria is a regulated profession: an instructor must hold the Skilehrer qualification. Instructors listed as certified on Alpine Pal have either sent theirs to us for review or are vouched for by the ski school that invited them.
Find instructors in AustriaLech Zürs: common questions
Is Lech only for the rich?
It is one of the most expensive villages in Austria to sleep and eat in, and it does not pretend otherwise: the hotel stock is heavily four and five star, and Lech limits daily lift ticket sales to keep the pistes uncrowded. Skiing itself costs the same as anywhere on the Arlberg pass. If you want Lech's snow and slopes on a smaller budget, stay down the valley in Warth, Schröcken or Stuben and ski across.
Can I ski from Lech to St. Anton?
Yes, since 2016. The route goes Lech – Zürs – Flexenbahn – Stuben/Rauz – St. Anton, all on pistes and lifts, and it is a fine day for a confident intermediate. Check lift closing times before you set off: getting stranded on the St. Anton side means a bus back over the pass, and on a snowy afternoon that bus can be slow.
Book a lesson in Lech Zürs
Compare instructors who teach here, message them before you commit, and pay securely through the platform.
Find an instructor