New last winter season were "comfort" changes to the Trittalp" lift which now has heated seats, cushions and well as weather protective "bubbles". The Seekopf lift has also been equipped with heated seats and comfort cushions.
The season at Lech-Zurs opens on lst December and will continue through until mid-April, 2008. Pre-Christmas skiing can be enjoyed with "Wedel Weeks with Powder Snow weeks running in January and "Sun Skiing" towards the end of March.
Lech-Zurs is one of the top ski resorts in Austria. The village is a delight from the moment you view it as you approach from the Flexen Pass road which passes through Zurs before reaching the resort. You can fly into Innsbruck with Austrian Airlines and reach the resort within a 90-minute coach transfer.The car journey from Calais will take approximately 10-11 hours and although snow chains MUST be carried, you will probably not require them if you have good tyres but following snowfall, local police require chains from the Flexen Pass on to the resort.
With more and more lifts being equipped with heated seats and perspex windshields Lech now boasts a total of eight existing lifts as well as the two changed for this coming season. On the Valfagehrbahn Stuben/Alpe Rauz is another 6-person detachable lifts which will improve the connection between Stuben and St. Christoph and Alpe Rauz. This coupled with an additional 1.9 million Euro investment in the resort bus service and a further 45 million Euros in modernising guest rooms, spas and other amenities during 2004 now offers skiers the "tops" as Austrian resorts go.
Skiers can test their skills on 220m of downhill piste served by a variety of cable cars, gondolas and chairlifts numbering around 80. The Rufibahn cablecar has been refurbished in time for this winter and gives excellent panoramic views as you ride to the top station at 2,336m.
The resort of Lech-Zurs has become renown over the years for attracting royalty from all parts of the world. The villages has excellent 4 and 5* hotels yet also a good range of "affordable" hotels and pensions. The lift pass at around 120 is excellent value bearing in mind the expanse of skiing and number of ski lifts.
One such hotel is the Hotel Lech & Chesa Rosa which is owned and run by the husband and wife team of Andrea and Andreas Wingelmayr.(e-mail: hotel.lech@lech.at)
There are 40 rooms which can accommodate 63 guests in excellent quality surroundings. Breakfast is a comprehensive buffet with an super evening meal. The hotel is just at the entrance to the village of Lech after passing through Zurs and has covered garage parking opposite the hotel which is ideal as there is a very frequent and free shuttle bus service from early morning until late at night at the resort.
The Hotel Lech is also only a 10-minute walk to the Rufikopf double cable car station.
Lech-Zurs has 80 various lift installations and is part of the wider Arlberg Region which covers Stuben, St. Christoph and St. Anton. Two weeks is really much better than a week as it gives you - the skier - an opportunity to try everything!
Snow chains are a MUST as they are often required to climb up from Stuben and then over the Flexen Pass having first come through the long tunnel between Klosterle and Langen from the direction of Bregenz and Feldkirch. In this tunnel there are signs on the righthand side showing "PASS" which then directs the motorists towards Stuben, passing the railway station in Langen.
The municipal district of Lech covers an area of 90 square kilometers and has a population of around 1300 and the vill;age is near the headwaters of the Lech river. It was not until 1895 with the construction of the Flexenroad between 1895 and 1900 that tourism started to flourish. However, historical records refer to the river "Licca" and a farming community as far back as 642AD.
Accommodation can be booked direct through the tourist office.