Lech and Zürs are two small, upmarket villages on the Vorarlberg side of the Arlberg, and they ski like a much bigger resort. Lech sits at about 1,450 m, with Oberlech and Zug alongside; Zürs, at about 1,700 m, is a few kilometres up the valley towards the Flexen Pass. Together they sit in the heart of Ski Arlberg, Austria’s largest connected ski area, with more than 300 km of pistes and 85 lifts shared with St. Anton, St. Christoph, Stuben and Warth-Schröcken.
Their real calling card is snow. The area averages around nine metres of fresh snow a season, and Ski Arlberg calls Zürs Austria’s snowiest winter sports resort, based on total daily snowfall. Add a strong freeride reputation, polished hotels and a car-free mountain hamlet in Oberlech, and you can see why people come back for decades. The catch, as you’d expect, is the price.
Lech Zürs ski area: the snowy heart of Ski Arlberg
Lech and Zürs are linked by the classic Weisse Ring circuit (below). From Zürs, the Flexenbahn, a 10-person gondola opened in 2016/17, crosses to Alpe Rauz for Stuben and St. Anton. From Lech, the Auenfeldjet heads to Warth-Schröcken. One Ski Arlberg pass covers the lot.
In Lech, the main lifts are the Rüfikopfbahn, Schlegelkopfbahn, Schlosskopfbahn and the Bergbahn Oberlech; in Zürs, the Trittkopfbahn, Seekopfbahn and Zürserseebahn. The Madlochbahn climbs to the Madlochjoch at 2,450 m, the link from Zürs back towards Zug and Lech.
Skiing in Lech Zürs for beginners
Lech Zürs is gentler than St. Anton across the hill. There are free kids’ areas in Lech, Oberlech and Zürs, open without a lift pass, plus practice lifts in all three villages. The step up to real pistes is manageable, with plenty of wide, groomed blues. Just bear in mind that the lessons, the hotels and the lift passes are priced for one of the Alps’ most exclusive resorts.
Skiing in Lech Zürs for intermediates
This is the sweet spot. Wide, beautifully groomed runs, the Weisse Ring circuit, and the option to ski over to St. Anton or Warth-Schröcken on the same pass make for a varied week. The Zürser Täli and the slopes around the Omeshorn are favourites.
Skiing in Lech Zürs for experts
Experts come for the off-piste. Ski Arlberg counts more than 200 km of powder and backcountry runs, and in Lech Zürs many classic variants, such as the Abendweide, Wöster, Zupert and Klemm, start from the Steinmähderbahn, Madlochbahn, Muggengratbahn, Trittkopfbahn and Rüfikopfbahn mountain stations. Ski routes are marked and protected against avalanches but not groomed; beyond them you need a certified guide and full avalanche kit. The Langer Zug is the steep piste to tick off: 4.7 km long, with an 80% gradient at its steepest point.
Der Weisse Ring: Lech Zürs’s legendary ski circuit
Der Weisse Ring (the White Ring) has defined skiing here for more than 60 years. It links Lech, Zürs, Zug and Oberlech in a signposted loop of about 22 km and 5,500 vertical metres, mostly on easy to intermediate runs, and it’s a half-day outing. You can join it from almost any slope; follow the Der Weisse Ring symbols. On the way, the Rüfikopf viewing platform and the Madloch are the photo stops.
Ski Arlberg’s tip: in late winter, the runs in Lech and Oberlech soften first, so ski Zürs and Zug later in the day. The public race, “Der Weisse Ring – The Race”, is on 16 January 2027, starting at the Rüfikopf and finishing in Lech, with more than 1,000 participants each year.
Snow in Lech Zürs and the 2026/27 season
For 2026/27, the Ski Arlberg season, including Lech, Oberlech and Zürs, is scheduled to run from 2 December 2026 to 18 April 2027, with possibly limited operation at both ends. Warth-Schröcken runs from 4 December to 11 April, and the Auenfeldjet link only runs while Warth-Schröcken is open.
The snow record is excellent. Lech’s altitude and the northwest weather pattern are why Ski Arlberg calls the area highly snow-sure. The trade-off of all that snow is avalanche risk: big storms can close off-piste terrain, some lifts and, occasionally, the road.
Is Lech Zürs good for a last-minute ski trip?
For snow, yes; for budget, rarely. When a big storm is forecast for the northern Alps, Lech Zürs is one of the first places to look. A few things to check before you book:
- Road conditions. The Flexen Pass road is the only winter road in, and it can close at short notice for avalanche danger. In February 2026, for example, an avalanche buried the road near Zürs, and Lech and Zürs were cut off overnight until the avalanche commission reopened the roads the next morning.
- Day-ticket limits. Lech-Oberlech-Zürs can limit how many day tickets it sells. When a limit applies, tickets sold in St. Anton, St. Christoph, Stuben and Sonnenkopf are issued with restricted validity, so a day trip over from St. Anton may not get you into Lech.
- Availability. Many hotels are booked well ahead for peak weeks, so last-minute availability is better outside the school holidays.
Then find a place to stay in Lech Zürs.
Lech Zürs lift passes
The Ski Arlberg pass covers the whole area, from Lech Zürs to St. Anton and Warth-Schröcken, plus Klösterle-Sonnenkopf and the Lechtal areas. A few things worth knowing:
- There are no family tickets, but children, young people and seniors get discounts, and “Snowman” tickets for the youngest children are available by the day or for the season.
- The kids’ areas are free to use without a pass, and beginners can buy special practice-lift tickets.
- Family bonus on season passes: the third and younger siblings get a free Ski Arlberg season pass when a parent and the first two children buy theirs at the same time.
- Ski Arlberg says prices may be recalculated later if costs rise, but never after you’ve bought your pass.
- Chip cards carry a €5 refundable deposit.
Après-ski and things to do in Lech Zürs
Lech is more about long lunches and fine dining than table-dancing: the tourist office bills it as a “World Gourmet Village”. Getting around after dark is easy: the James night bus links the districts from about 7.30 pm until about 2 am.
Off the slopes:
- The 1.2 km floodlit toboggan run from Oberlech to Lech, open daily until 9 pm.
- The Schottenhof farm, reached by the Schlosskopfbahn, with what Ski Arlberg calls Europe’s highest Highland cattle farm.
- Winter hiking, spa hotels and the tourist office’s cultural sights, such as Skyspace Lech.
Who Lech Zürs suits, and who it doesn’t
- Great for: snow-chasers, freeriders with a guide, intermediates who love groomed cruising, families who want ski-in/ski-out comfort, and anyone combining Lech Zürs with St. Anton on one pass.
- Think twice if: you’re on a tight budget, you want rowdy après-ski, or you’re nervous about a single access road that can close in heavy snow.
Skiing with children? Read our guide to Lech Zürs with kids.
How to get to Lech Zürs
Driving to Lech Zürs
From the west, drive via Bregenz and the Klostertal; from the east, via Innsbruck and the Stanzertal. Either way, you follow the Arlberg road and turn onto the Flexen Pass road (L 198), through the historic Flexen Gallery, to Zürs and Lech. It’s the main access in winter and is generally open all year, but it can close at short notice when the avalanche danger is high, so check the road report before you set off. The road from Warth to Lech is closed in winter.
From Switzerland, the Arlberg road tunnel has its own toll on top of the vignette. From 1 December 2026, the Austrian vignette is digital only. Between 1 November and 15 April, winter tyres are compulsory in wintry conditions, and snow chains may be made compulsory on the Flexen Pass road, so carry them.
In Lech and Zürs, the public car parks and garages, including the Anger, Mühle and Green Garage, are free on any day you have a valid ski pass; without one there’s a day rate.
By train and bus
Take the train to Langen am Arlberg or St. Anton am Arlberg, then the yellow regional bus (with a fare) to Zürs and Lech. Once you’re there, the blue local bus links Lech, Zürs, Oberlech and the hamlets and is included with your ski pass.
Nearest airports
Innsbruck, St. Gallen-Altenrhein and Friedrichshafen are each about 1.5 hours away. Zurich, Memmingen and Munich are the other options, and the Arlberg Express shuttle runs from Zurich Airport to Lech and Zürs.
