- Details
- Written by: Roger Fulton
- Last Updated: 07 Jan 2014
Vertical drop
730m
Altitude range
1,720m
Ski area
110
Resort height
1,720m
Summit
2,450m
Parks
1
Airport
Innsbruck
Train station
Langen
Overview
An exclusive and high-priced resort in its own right, Zurs is joined at the hip to its more famous neighbour Lech, 300m down the valley. The villages are just ten minutes apart by road, and are lift-linked as part of the White Ring ski circuit. But while Lech is a place to see and be seen, Zurs doesn't have the same aesthetic appeal.Its five-star hotels may be a luxurious world of their own, but the village itself lacks a real heart and suffers from the stream of traffic pouring down its main street on the way to and from Lech. It is, however, blessed with even more snow than Lech, thanks to its slightly higher position.
Ski area
Zurs has 54 pistes as its share of the Lech-Zurs ski-pass, including some wonderful red and blue terrain for intermediates, on both the Trittkopf and Muggengrat/Seekopf sides That's just as well, because if you want to actually ski to Lech, you'll need to go via Zug or be able to negotiate the Langerzug ungroomed black ski 'route' leading down to the village from the top of the Rufikopf lift. It's a steep start but flattens down as you get nearer the village. You can, of course, get the gondola down instead.One lovely long red that should be on every intermediate's to-ski list is the one that winds back down to Zurs from the area's high point, the Muggengrat summit. It's often quieter than other slopes as it's against the flow of ski traffic doing the White Ring circuit which is only skied clockwise.
Der Weisse Ring traditionally starts and finishes in Lech, but if you're staying in Zurs there's no reason to follow tradition - just go with the flow! Set off early and this means you'll likely avoid the bottleneck for the lift up to Madloch-Joch and ski the ski-route section down to Zug before it gets too churned up and while the Lech starters are still queuing for the Rufikopf cable car!
The White Ring race takes place every winter, but is a hugely popular daily adventure for the thousands of visitors. Zurs, like Lech, is also part of the wider Arlberg ski-pass that allows for expeditions to the very lively St Anton.
Experts will find acres of off-piste to make fresh tracks in, much of it on the Lech side of the ski area, while the run down to Stuben from the top of the Trittkopf cable car is a tricky challenge. And there's heli-skiing available here!
Freeriders will gain enormously from Winter 2013's new gondola link-up with the neighbouring powder paradise of Warth Schrocken, which brings into play 50% more pistes and a lot more freeride terrain. From Zurs, it might be worth driving rather than skiing into Lech first if you want to make the most of a day on Warth's north-facing slopes.
Zurs has four five-star hotels, ten 4-stars and three 3-stars, but when it comes to nightlife, the village is a lot quieter than Lech. That said, the Bar Vernissage, redecorated in 2012, is the hot spot for party animals. There's also a disco at the hotel Edelweiss and a piano bar in the Alpenhof.
Most of the restaurants are in-hotel, but Toni's Einkehr, a rustic hut at the foot of theTrittkopf slopes, does a lovely raclette.
Zurs doesn't have the shopping potential of Lech, but its varied landscapes are worth exploring via 40km of winter walks and snowshoe trails. Younger ones will love the Tube run and feeding the wild deer on a guided sunset walk. There's also a natural ice rink, horse-drawn sleigh rides, tobogganing and paragliding.
Der Weisse Ring traditionally starts and finishes in Lech, but if you're staying in Zurs there's no reason to follow tradition - just go with the flow! Set off early and this means you'll likely avoid the bottleneck for the lift up to Madloch-Joch and ski the ski-route section down to Zug before it gets too churned up and while the Lech starters are still queuing for the Rufikopf cable car!
The White Ring race takes place every winter, but is a hugely popular daily adventure for the thousands of visitors. Zurs, like Lech, is also part of the wider Arlberg ski-pass that allows for expeditions to the very lively St Anton.
Experts will find acres of off-piste to make fresh tracks in, much of it on the Lech side of the ski area, while the run down to Stuben from the top of the Trittkopf cable car is a tricky challenge. And there's heli-skiing available here!
Freeriders will gain enormously from Winter 2013's new gondola link-up with the neighbouring powder paradise of Warth Schrocken, which brings into play 50% more pistes and a lot more freeride terrain. From Zurs, it might be worth driving rather than skiing into Lech first if you want to make the most of a day on Warth's north-facing slopes.
Off the slopes and apres-ski
Zurs has four five-star hotels, ten 4-stars and three 3-stars, but when it comes to nightlife, the village is a lot quieter than Lech. That said, the Bar Vernissage, redecorated in 2012, is the hot spot for party animals. There's also a disco at the hotel Edelweiss and a piano bar in the Alpenhof.Most of the restaurants are in-hotel, but Toni's Einkehr, a rustic hut at the foot of theTrittkopf slopes, does a lovely raclette.
Zurs doesn't have the shopping potential of Lech, but its varied landscapes are worth exploring via 40km of winter walks and snowshoe trails. Younger ones will love the Tube run and feeding the wild deer on a guided sunset walk. There's also a natural ice rink, horse-drawn sleigh rides, tobogganing and paragliding.
Families
The off-slope activities will keep children happy. The ski school is quieter than in Lech, but has English-speaking instructors. There is also a good kids club.
