At 12:00 the bells of Saint Nicholas broke out in glorious peal. It’s the noon Angelus when Catholics say their Hail Maria – and it’s a moment of rapturous joy for those of us whose prayers have been answered. A meter of snow fell overnight.
Lech, the grand duchess of ski resorts, looks gorgeous in her new white coat.
I haven’t been here for 30 years, but it’s hardly changed an iota. It almost feels like a private village, discreetly run by powerful local families like the Kosts, Schneiders and the Moosbruggers.
And it is a year-round working village. In fact, there are strict rules for buying real estate here. If you own it, you must use it.
Chic: During his visit to Lech (above), Mark Palmer wakes up and realizes that a foot of snow has fallen overnight. “Lech, the grand duchess of ski resorts, looks gorgeous in her new white coat,” he writes
In fact, there is one thing that has changed. Lech is now connected not only to Zürs, Zug and Stuben, but also to St. Christoph and St. Anton, meaning that the Arlberg region is Austria’s largest contiguous ski area.
It is rightly considered the cradle of alpine skiing, where Hannes Schneider, born in Stuben in 1890, developed the “Arlberg” technique, squats and the “Zee” weight shift, as ski instructors still teach today.
Lech wears its splendor lightly, its grandeur all the more.
There are no Louis Vuitton or Gucci stores; no soulless self-service mountain restaurants selling lumbering spag bol. And everyone we meet is polite and friendly.
On a chairlift – so cold we can barely speak – my ski buddy Richard comes in: “A bit chilly, isn’t it?” which prompts a German stranger sitting with us to remark, “I love the way you Britons speak in flowers.”
Aristocrats have been drawn to Lech for a long time, not least Princess Diana, who brought her sons here after the failure of her marriage and stayed at the Schneider family’s Hotel Arlberg, where we stop for a sniff and a few elderflower schnapps.
Princess Diana brought her sons William and Harry to Lech after their marriage failed
Our hotel, Severins, is about a mile out of town but runs a regular shuttle service. From the outside it looks like a weather-beaten old mountain cabin – but turns out to be a luxurious 21st-century cocoon perfect for the jaded and weary.
There are only nine rooms, all with deep soaking tubs, Bluetooth speaker systems, Minotti furniture, and even roaring log fires. There is also a four bedroom chalet next door with its own grand piano and private cinema.
Our flight to Innsbruck left London so early that we are on the mountain at 2:00 p.m. – and among the last of it. After knee surgery my skiing is a bit excusing but what a refreshment to be back on the slopes after the Covid break.
Mark stays at the Severins Hotel upstairs, a “21st-century luxury cocoon perfect for the jaded and weary.”
That night, an overly enthusiastic guest, noticing the mixologist’s disappearance, slips behind the bar and begins making his own White Lady cocktail. Yes I am.
On another occasion, a guest manages to burn his gas lighter and then detonates it. Yes, I am too. But nothing seems to disturb the charming staff, who seem like they’ve seen it all before.
On the second day, we meet up with Lukas, a young and drop-dead gorgeous guide, who introduces us to another selling point of Lech: the Weißer Ring, a nearly 24km signposted ski circuit from Zürs to Lech with unforgettable views and relatively easy runs for humans with weak knees.
We then stop for lunch on the Kriegeralpe, which follows the Lech pattern of wrapping alpine style in a humble demeanor – a cozy wooden chalet that offers delicious goulash for less than a tenner and where you’re treated like a guest in a five-star restaurant will .
There are only nine rooms at the Severins, all with deep soaking tubs, Bluetooth speaker systems, Minotti furniture, and even roaring log fires
TRAVEL FACTS
Oxford Ski Company (oxfordski.com); 01865 817 420, offers seven nights half board at the Hotel Severins from £5,850 for two people in a junior suite, including flights and private transfers. A 6-day ski pass for the Arlberg region costs £350. More information about Lech (lechzuers.com).
Speaking of five-star restaurants, if you’re staying in Lech, you absolutely must find your way to a small 17th-century farmhouse (original floors still intact) tucked away in Zug.
Here the German-Chinese cooking couple Jakob Zeller and Ethel Hoon welcomes us in the Klösterle.
They give us rowanberry negronis and flavorful fermented pickles, then show us their upstairs pantry, which is bursting with locally made pickles, jams and hanging meats.
It’s like a snapshot from Little House On The Prairie. Tables are made of local spruce, candles flicker. For us it’s less a shelter from the storm outside and more a shelter from life itself. And the food is superb.
Thank God there are still places like Lech in the world. Wonderful for skiers and just as wonderful for those who are simply drawn to the majestic mountains year after year.