Tuesday, March 1, 2011

By Tony Strauss, on location in Lech, Austria

Lech, Austria- After two days of show showers and low clouds, the sunshine has returned to this ski village high in the Arlberg Alps. The locals had been worried as there had not been a substantial storm in weeks and the abnormally high temperatures were reducing the snow base and potentially shortening the typically long ski season. The latest storm dropped up to 20 centimeters in some locations making the locals and the visiting skiers ecstatic. The forecast now is for clear skies and Spring like ski conditions through the weekend making it optimal for those lucky enough to be on ski vacation this week but perhaps not so lucky for those yet to come.

The weather change has also made the mountain peaks surrounding this quaint Alpine village visible from below. Valluga, the highest peak (2811 m.), sits to the East between Lech and St. Anton. Not accessible directly from Lech, you can take the Valluga II gondola to its peak from St. Anton, the birth place of Alpine skiing and resort town popular with those at least as interested in après ski as the sport itself. But Lech is not Zermatt and the Valluga is not a Matterhorn that dominates this village. In fact the Omeshorn (2580) is more prominent as it seems to guard over the village. But mountains with names like Wildgruben Spitze, Braunarlspitze, Zuger Hochlicht, Mohnenfluh and Karlhorn are but a few that ring this valley.

Lech is named for the Lech River and was first settled around 1300. But it wasn’t until 1897 that it was connected by a road to the outside world. The first ski lifts were built in Zurs, the adjacent village on the road to St. Anton, in 1937. Events in Austria’s neighbor to the north stymied the industry until 1949 when the area became known internationally for skiing. However, it has remained but a village with a permanent population of 1500 and 3-4000 visiting staff each ski season and has the capacity to hold only 10,000 visitors at a time. The result is that the slopes do not seem to get crowded, except when it has been snowing and there is only one groomed run to the village.

Skiing in Europe brings a panoply of experiences that differ from North American ski trips. Even then, each Alpine country has its own personality. One attribute that the Austrian Arlberg shares with other German speaking ski areas is the ubiquitous smell of bacon emanating from every gasthaus or stube within olfactory proximity of the pist. From my experience so far, the quality of the slope side cuisine is consistently good with the typical dishes of Weinerschnitzel and numerous varieties of wurst available at most all locations. More exotic fare is also served on the slopes with fondue Chinois and veal saltimbocca but two examples. Pricing is commensurate with the quality and a typical lunch, including a glass of wine or small beer runs 10 -15 euros. The wine typically served is Austrian which is surprisingly good. Known for its light to medium bodied white wines, Austria is now producing some impressive reds such as Zweigelt “Unplugged” (restaurant price 35 euros per bottle), a full bodied wine which tastes like a cross between a Chianti Classico Reserva and a high alcohol Amador Valley Zinfadel. But this is Austria and the local beer Frohenberger is superb. The Pils is far too easy to drink and the Hefeweitzen has the flavor of oranges.

As for the skiing, the Austrians continue to set the standard. A 6 day lift pass (which is a magnetic card that you need only carry somewhere on your left side so the automatic reader can scan it and open the gate) costs 210 euros (35 euros per day or roughly $50). That buys you rides on almost exclusively highspeed chairs, many with heated seats! Loading is a bit unusual for those accustomed to North American skiing as you stand behind a small gate like the ones used for ski racing that automatically open at the right time to allow up you slide onto a conveyor belt that then places you at the exact point where the chair will come from behind to carry you away. Some skiers, like my wife Michelle, who are not used to this system, may have problems, such as getting one ski in front of and another behind the gate or trying to ski the conveyor belt thus entertaining the lift attendant and those in line. But then there are no lines! The system operates so efficiently that while there may seem to be many on the slopes, there is never more than a minute’s wait to board the lift.

The grooming and pist layout are also most civilized. Virtually all of the runs are what those used to skiing in California or the Rockies would consider intermediate. A comparison would be to chairs 9, 13 and 14 at Mammoth. Nothing we have skied in 3 days is as steep as the Cornice. All of the runs are groomed but since most of the skiing is above tree line, there are wide open spaces that are left un-groomed for off pist and powder skiing. Michelle and I have ventured off pist into the fresh powder on numerous occasions with impressive results from the less experienced skier. But the most impressive skiing experience is the trip around the Weisse (White) Ring that allows one to ski from village to village around the Lech Valley. The route goes from Lech by cable car to high up on the Rufikopf and the route leads under the shadow of the Valluga to Zurs. From Zurs there are multiple lifts and the area is vast. One could spend all day there but if you want to do the Ring you have to eventually take the lift up to Zursersee and then even higher to Madloc-Joch to begin the descent into Zug, the little village at the top of the Lech Valley. From Zug, the lift goes up again to the Balmengrat where many possible lifts can take you to Oberlech, the car free village above Lech. From Oberlech there is an easy descent into Lech. The round trip can take 2-3 hours if pushing or all day if you want to ski each area and enjoy its attributes. We opted for the latter taking 6 hours to complete most of the Ring, too exhausted to go to Oberlech where we had been before. The runs on the Ring are long, well groomed and offer the most incredible sights imaginable. In fact I know of no North American ski experience that matches the cross-mountain skiing in the Alps. Mammoth and Tahoe have great vistas. But on runs like the Ring or the Sella Ronda and Armentarola in the Dolomites or the Valle Blanche at Chamonix, the vistas are constantly changing. Neither pictures nor words can recreate the experience.

So what of the skiers in the Arlberg? In Lech the clientele are either families with small children or the more mature skiers whose children no longer travel with them. The mix seems to be primarily German speakers with Brits a close second. (Perhaps they come because this was Diana’s favorite resort.) Russian has been heard along with Italian and French. But everyone speaks English. And unlike skiing in Italy or France, everyone is also polite. There is no elbowing ones way to the chair lift like these other venues. Maybe it’s the local beer that makes the difference?

Night life? Well, if there is any, it will have to be the subject of a subsequent report. Most hotels are half board (breakfast and dinner) and the Hotel Lech where we are staying has had fabulous meals. Why would we go anywhere else, especially since the dinner is already paid for? After dinner is time for emails, reading and sleep. Michelle and I have been exhausted each day and going out at night just hasn’t seemed the thing to do. Anyway, this is our vacation, we can do what ever we want!

For information on the Lech-Zurs area try www.lech-zuers.at  and www.hotel-lech.eu