A highly traditional and exclusive resort, until recent years, once the slopes were deemed to be “full”, this traditional village of barely 1,900 year-round residents would only allow skiiers and snowboarders staying locally to use them. Though this is no longer done, it’s a kind of exclusivity that’s still reflected in the character of this village and neighbouring Zürs, with some of the smartest hotels in Austria, with six five-star hotels between them, some of which are regular haunts of Euro royalty.

Two years ago, Lech linked on piste with St Anton am Arlberg, turning the area into the biggest and most impressive in Austria, with 305 km (190 mi.) of trails. This added St Anton’s much needed steep skiing to Lech’s otherwise slightly bland intermediate pistes.

Gateways: Zurich (2¼ hours) and Innsbruck (90 mins.).

Read more in our post 7 of Austria´s Best Winter Resorts.

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