You'll have a field day here, with extremely easy access to all of the blues and reds on Lech, Zürs and Oberlech to start with, and then plenty of other resorts to head to if you want to spread your wings even further. The descent from the top of Madlochjoch down to Zug is wicked, and you should definitely take at least a day to fully do the trip from Lech to Zürs and explore the area. Start by heading up the Rufikopt cable car, then ski the long run to the Trittalp above Zurs. After that choose from a myriad of ski routes through Zürs before returning in the afternoon. Apart from that, there are great reds and blues everywhere.

The advanced will be definitely kept happy here. In Lech there are some good black runs to start on, like the steep Rufikopt to Langerzug and the bumpy ride to Liezen from Balmengrat. From there head into the off-piste - the massive array throughout the Arlberg area will keep the most skilled skier occupied. Definitely set aside time to ski a few days at St. Anton, which has some wickedly challenging slopes. In Zürs try the plenty of steep, deep off-piste on Madloch Steilhang, Stierloch and Stierfall.

There are around 500 very skilled instructors across the ski schools at Lech, Oberlech and Zürs. Generally the instructors are English-speaking locals with a great knowledge of the area. Instructors can get booked out, so it's a good idea to contact them before you arrive. The ski school in Lech has been around since 1925 and has a great reputation. Its teaching style adheres to the 'Arlberg School' which was developed here.

Ski School Lech
Tannberg 185
A-6764 Lech am Arlberg
Phone: +43 (0) 5583 2355
E-mail: info@ skischule-lech.com
Ski-School Oberlech
A - 6764 Oberlech, Arlberg, Austria
Phone: +43 (0) 5583 2007
E-mail: info@skischule-oberlech.at
Ski School Zürs
Haus Alpe Zürs, Nr.277
A-6763 Zürs am Arlberg
Phone: +43 5583 2611
E-mail: office@skischule-zuers.at

The après-ski scene in Lech is limited but of great quality. For lunch of or a drink in the afternoon sun, head to the great mountain restaurants at Oberlech such as Goldenerberg, and sit on the sun-drenched terraces. The many ice bars are popular spots, especially the one outside Hotel Tanbergerhof, and you'll find several classy wine and jazz bars with open fire places and dancing. There are some livelier options later on as well. The Archiv Bar in the Amrosiuspassage draws a younger crowd for cocktails and late night drinks to 2.00am; s'Pfefferkörn, Tannbergerhof and Side Step nightclub in Hotel Kröne are also good picks. The food is generally very high quality but fairly pricy. Sample exotic meats like ostrich and crocodile at Fux Restaurant & Bar, and the Restaurant Klosterlie, a former monastery , does a great fondue. Cheaper eats include Restaurant Italiener and Gashof Omesburg.

Away from the slopes and you can try your luck on the natural toboggan run which is floodlit in the evenings, helicopter skiing, paragliding, ice-skating, hiking trails, curling, indoor tennis, winter golf, squash and a sports centre. The re are also many boutique shops to peruse, and the villages in the surrounding area are very beautiful and worth a trip. Elaborately painted Tyrolean houses dot the scenic landscape. The best way to take it all in is to take a horse-drawn sleigh to delightful villages like Zug and Stuben. There's also: and indoor pool, the chance to feed high-alpine game and bowling.

The closest airports to Lech are Zurich (200 km) and Munich (300 km), with transfer times of 2-3 hours by road or 3-4 hours by train to the nearest railway station at Langen am Arlberg (17 km).

Most visitors from the UK will fly into the closest airport, Zürich, which is serviced by a ski bus service to transfer you to the resort. Several international and budget airplanes also fly to Munich airport regularly, making that a viable option as well. The closest local airport is Innsbruck (120km), and you can get a train and bus from there to Lech. Other options include Friedrichshafen (130 km) and Salzburg (302 km) airports.

There is a direct ski bus service from Zürich Airport to all the Arlberg resorts that runs on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. The bus trip takes about three hours and at times can be quicker than driving since the bus drivers know how to avoid the weekend traffic jams. Make reservations through Arlberg Express. If you are flying to Munich, there's a bus connecting the Munich airport with St. Anton which you can organise through Four Seasons Travel. at Local taxi companies will also pick up at the airport.

Arlberg Express
Phone: 05582-226
Fax: 05582-580
Four Seasons Travel
Four Seasons Travel Reisen GmbH
A-6020 Innsbruck/Austria
Phone: +43 512 58 41 57
Fax: +43 512 58 57 67
http://www.tirol-taxi.at/airporttransfer/ 
A-T-S.net
Phone: UK 0709 209 7392 / France +33 450 53 63 97
Fax: +33 450 55 97 06
E-mail: sales@a-t-s.net
http://www.a-t-s.net/ 
Transfer Intelligence Ltd.
6 Marsh Parade
Newcastle-under-Lyme
ST5 1DU
Calling within the UK: 0871 666 0 754
Calling from outside the UK: 00 33 450 377 127
Fax: 00 33 (0) 450 37 84 34 
http://www.transfer-intelligence.com/ 
Taxis:
Taxi Harry
Phone: 2315
Taxi Lami
Phone: 2806
Arlberg Car
Phone: 3730

The closest railway station is Langen am Arlberg (17 km), and there are regular taxi and bus connections which will transfer you to the resort in about 20 minutes. Direct trains connect Langen with Cologne, Dortmund, Munich, Innsbruck, Salzburg, Zürich, Paris, Brussels and Calais. So you can easily catch the Eurostar to Paris and then get a direct train to Langen.

Eurostar
http://www.eurostar.com/ 
Train operator in Austria:
ÖBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen)
www.oebb.at.

You'll need to get the car ferry from Dover to Calais, and then the trip to Lech involves 1,030kms and over a day of driving along tolled motorways.

Motorway Stickers
Austrian motorways are subject to toll. Stickers are available at border checkpoints, service stations, post offices, tobacconists, your automobile club or the Lech Zürs Tourist Office.

Motorway sticker for private cars
10 days      € 7,70
2 months    € 22,20
1 year        € 73,80