Lech am Arlberg

Lech sits at about fifteen hundred metres in the Lechquellen mountains and was settled in the fourteenth century by Walser families from the Valais, who farmed ground that had been considered too high; the church dates from that period. It stayed a poor farming village into the twentieth century and then skiing arrived, and Lech and neighbouring Zürs became among the most expensive resorts in the Alps, with a deliberate policy of limiting bed numbers and lift capacity to keep the slopes uncrowded, which sustains both the quality and the prices. The snowfall here is among the heaviest in the Alps and the avalanche history is serious - Zürs and the Flexen road have both been hit repeatedly. The Lechweg long-distance path starts above at the Formarinsee.

What you actually see

• A Walser settlement - founded in the fourteenth century on high ground.
• A capped resort - bed numbers and lift capacity deliberately limited.
• Heavy Arlberg snowfall - among the highest totals in the Alps.
• The Lechweg trailhead - the long-distance path starting above the village.

When to go

December to April for skiing; June to September for walking. A day.

Honest expectations

It is genuinely expensive in winter, in every category. The road over the Flexen pass closes in heavy snow and avalanche risk. Summer is much quieter and cheaper.

Nearby

Zürs is over the pass; Warth and the Bregenzerwald are north; St Anton is east.