Ski holidays in Lech-Zürs, Austria

Lech-Zürs is the crown jewel of Ski Arlberg, Austria's largest interconnected ski area with 305km of pistes. The resort sits at 1,450 metres above sea level in Vorarlberg and has been a favourite among European aristocracy and international jet-setters since the 1920s. Despite its exclusive reputation, Lech-Zürs offers world-class skiing for all levels.

Since the Flexenbahn gondola opened in 2016, the whole of Ski Arlberg has been linked together, from Lech and Zürs via Stuben to St. Anton. This makes the area one of the very largest in the Alps, with enormous variety in the terrain. The Lech side is characterised by wide, sunny runs above the treeline, while Zürs offers more technically demanding descents.

Snow reliability in Lech-Zürs is among the best in the Alps. The resort receives huge amounts of snow thanks to its position close to weather systems from the north-west, and average snow depths of over seven metres per season are not unusual. The high altitude, ranging from 1,450 to 2,811 metres, provides excellent conditions from November to late April.

Beyond the pistes, Lech-Zürs offers a sophisticated village with gourmet restaurants, exclusive shops and a rich cultural life. The après-ski culture is elegant rather than wild, with champagne bars and cosy hotel lobbies serving as gathering points after a day on the slopes.

5 tips about Lech-Zürs

1. Beginners should stick to the right side Stay on the Lech side, where the piste map offers plenty of wide, sunny blue runs above the tree line. Zürs serves up considerably more technical and demanding terrain, so save it for later in your stay.
2. Make the most of the full lift pass The lift pass gives you access to the whole of Ski Arlberg with 305 km of pistes and 88 lifts, so head on via Stuben to St. Anton for a change of scene. A day exploring the linked system reveals two very different characters: the open expanses on the Lech side and the steeper sections around St. Anton.
3. Altitude means dependable snow With pistes between 1,450 and 2,811 metres, the snow lasts unusually well into the season. Consider booking late in April if you want to avoid the crowds while still counting on good conditions higher up.
4. Try the White Ring The guided off-piste circuit White Ring is one of the most popular routes of its kind in the Alps and suits anyone keen to cover a large part of the area in a single day. It works well combined with pisted sections and the technical red runs through varied terrain.
5. Elegant après-ski The après-ski scene in Lech-Zürs is relaxed and sophisticated rather than rowdy, with champagne bars and hotel lobbies serving as the natural meeting places. It is worth booking central accommodation so you can easily enjoy the village's gourmet restaurants and shops once the skiing is done.

Pistes and lifts in Lech-Zürs

Ski Arlberg offers a total of 305km of pistes and 88 lifts, and from Lech-Zürs you have direct access to the whole system. The mix of runs is well balanced, with plenty of wide blue runs above the treeline, technical red pistes through varied terrain and challenging black sections. Off-piste skiing is a major draw, and guided freeride routes such as the White Ring circuit are among the most popular in the Alps.

Piste map for Lech-Zürs

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The map downloads as an image file. On your iPhone it lands in the Files app. Tap the icon at the bottom of the address bar to open the map straight away.On your iPad it lands in the Files app. Tap the icon at the top right of the address bar to open the map straight away.On your phone it lands in the Downloads folder. Tap the download notification that appears to open the map straight away.The file lands in the Downloads folder. You can also look for the icon at the top right of the screen and open the map from there.

Snow reliability in Lech-Zürs

Lech-Zürs is regarded as one of the most snow-sure areas in the Alps. Its position at 1,450 to 2,811 metres, close to the weather systems coming in from the north-west, means the resort receives huge quantities of snow, with average snow depths of more than seven metres per season.

The high altitude keeps conditions going from November until late April, offering excellent skiing for a large part of the season, both on the pistes and across the extensive off-piste terrain.

Best time to travel to Lech-Zürs

December to April offers reliable conditions. January and February have the most snow and the coldest temperatures. March and April bring sunnier days with still-excellent snow thanks to the high altitude. The February half-term weeks are peak season with higher prices.

Will there be lift queues in Lech-Zürs?

Lech-Zürs is part of St. Anton and St. Christoph and Stuben and Lech and Zürs and Warth and Schröcken, and the lift system there carries 145,948 people an hour across 85 lifts. 45 of the 85 lifts are gondolas or high-speed chairlifts and 10 are drag lifts, which take longer to get through when it is busy. The fastest lifts carry up to 4,000 people an hour, for example Steinmähderbahn. That is roughly the same capacity per kilometre of piste as an average resort on this site, so queues only build when it is really busy. The queue you actually notice is almost always down in the valley between eight and half past nine. If you are on the lift before eight you avoid it.

When is Lech-Zürs busiest?

How busy the slopes get is not decided by the English half term but by when the local families and the neighbouring countries are on holiday. These are the weeks that fill Lech-Zürs in the 2026/2027 season.

• Austria: The Semesterferien are taken one week at a time, state by state, during the first three weeks of February.
  1 to 6 February: Vienna and Lower Austria
  8 to 13 February: Burgenland and Carinthia
  15 to 20 February: Tyrol, Salzburg, Upper Austria, Styria and Vorarlberg
• Germany: Germans are the largest foreign group in the Alps and their winter holidays are spread across early February.
  1 to 6 February: Berlin, Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia
  8 to 12 February: Bavaria and Saarland
  8 to 19 February: Saxony and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
• England: The English February half term is 15 to 19 February 2027 for most councils, with a few areas breaking up a week earlier. The Easter holidays run from 26 March to 9 April.
  8 to 12 February: half term in a few council areas, for example Hull
  15 to 19 February: half term in most of England, including London, the Midlands and the North
  26 March to 9 April: Easter holidays for most English schools
• Easter holidays: Easter 2027 is early, on 28 March. Austria and Germany take their holidays around the weekend, while the French holidays fall after Easter, in April.
  20 to 29 March: the whole of Austria, all states at the same time
  22 March to 3 April: most German states, including Bavaria, Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia
  3 April to 3 May: the French zones, which fall after Easter 2027 and only affect the highest resorts
• Long weekends: Long weekends fill the slopes with day visitors from the nearest cities, even when no schools are on holiday.
  26 December to 3 January: Christmas and New Year, the most expensive period of the year
  6 January: Epiphany, a public holiday in Austria, Italy and parts of Switzerland
  27 to 29 March: the Easter weekend. Easter Monday is a public holiday across the Alps, but Good Friday is a working day in Austria, Italy and France
  1 to 2 May: May Day, a public holiday across the Alps

If you want quieter pistes and lower prices, the weeks in mid-January and late March are clearly the best. Neither the Germans nor the Austrians are on holiday then.

Snow right now. There is no snow cover in the valley or at the top right now. The figures are modelled by Open-Meteo, not measured by the lift company, and were fetched 15 October 2026 at 20:24.

The lift pass included. The stay comes with the Arlberg lift pass, which covers 300 km of piste. The pass is worth around €610.

How to get to Lech-Zürs

Last-minute deals in Lech-Zürs

Last-minute offers, that is late dates the operator still wants to fill, appear from January onwards. Once the season is under way we will show them here on this page.

Lech-Zürs is suitable for

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Frequently asked questions about Lech-Zürs