Lech: piste guide - Telegraph The toughest runs are called "ski routes" or "high-alpine touring runs." The touring runs are simply off-piste runs that would not appear on the piste map at all in most resorts. No problem - if you fancy these, hire a guide. The piste map says the ski routes are marked and avalanche controlled but not groomed or patrolled. We applaud the clear explanation (lacking in many resorts), but we think many of them should be patrolled pistes. Ski routes form the only ways down to Zug and Lech as part of the popular Lech-Zürs-Lech "White Ring" circuit and are treated like pistes, as are several other ski routes. To add to the confusion, some of the routes are sometimes groomed (this happened on our recent visits). The piste map, which covers the whole of the Arlberg region in one view, is unclear -and misleading in places - particularly around Oberlech and down from Zürs to Zug and Lech. They should really have one piste map for Lech-Zürs and separate ones for St Anton-St Christoph-Stuben and for Sonnenkopf. Piste marking is OK in general. But, confusingly, the same number is given to several pistes in places. Piste classification understates the difficulty of some pistes. Extent of the slopes One-way traffic The main slopes centre on Oberlech, 250m above Lech (just below the treeline), and can be reached by cable car or chairlifts. The wide, open pistes above here are perfect intermediate terrain, and there is also lots of off-piste. Zuger Hochlicht, the high point in the sector, gives stunning views. The Rüfikopf cable car takes Lech residents to the west-facing slopes of Zürs and the start of the Lech-Zürs-Lech circuit, which can only be done in a clockwise direction and is now called the "White Ring." This mountainside, with its high point at Trittkopf, is a mix of quite challenging intermediate slopes and flat/uphill bits. On the other side of Zürs the east-facing mountainside is of a more uniform gradient. Chairs go up to Seekopf with intermediate runs back down. A six-pack goes from near here up to Muggengrat (the highest point of the Zürs area). This has a good blue run back under it and the long, scenic, lift-free Muggengrat Täli red run back to Zürs - this used to be delightfully quiet, but we've had reports of crowds since the six-pack arrived. It starts with a choice between a cat track and a mogul field, but develops into a fine, varied red with lots of nearby off-piste options on the way down; at the bottom you can take lifts up the other side or walk through the village to the Zürsersee chair back up to Seekopf. From Seekopf you can ski down to the Madloch chair - slow and liable to closure by wind - which leads to the long, scenic ski route (often busy, with some tricky sections) back to the fringes of Lech, completing a clockwise circuit. You can peel off part-way down and head for Zug and the slow chairlift up to the Kriegerhorn above Oberlech. Fast lifts Hot stuff A high proportion of lifts are now fast, including a new hybrid chondola above Oberlech for last season. Seven chairlifts have the luxury bonus of heated seats. But there are still a few slow, old lifts (in particular, the chairs to Madloch-Joch above Zürs and from Zug to Kriegerhorn need modernizing) - Lech-Zürs is still some way behind Austrian pacesetters such as Ischgl and Saalbach in this respect. Queues Still a few bottlenecks There have been significant lift improvements, and feedback is generally positive, but there are still one or two bottlenecks - the Schlegelkopf fast quad out of Lech and the crucial Madloch double chair mentioned under "Fast lifts" generate peak-time queues - so can the Rüfikopf cable cars to Zürs. The resort proudly boasts that it limits numbers on the slopes to 14,000, to ensure a more enjoyable experience - and the slopes certainly seem much quieter than those over the hill in St Anton. Terrain parks In Lech only The park, beside the Schlegelkopf chairlift, is one of the better terrain parks in Austria and was enjoyed by a 2012 reporter. There are over 20 features spread across easy, medium and pro lines, with kickers, two kinked boxes and a 9m-wide wall ride. The rails are also set in lines so you can hit several in a row. There's a fun box, a 4m down rail and a rainbow rail. There is also a designated Easy Park area made of little banks and jumps, great for getting used to air time. There is only one (very short) black piste on the map, and there is no denying that for the competent skier who prefers to stick to patrolled runs the area is very limited. But the two types of off-piste route explained earlier offer lots to enjoy. There is also plenty of other excellent off-piste, much of it accessed by long traverses, and, in comparison with St Anton, fresh powder lasts well here. Many of the best runs start from the top of the fast Steinmähder chair, which finishes just below Zuger Hochlicht. Some routes involve a short climb to access bowls of untracked powder. From the Kriegerhorn there are shorter off-piste runs down towards Lech and a very scenic long ski route down to Zug (followed by a slow chair and a rope tow to pull you along a flat area). Most runs, however, are south- or west-facing and can suffer from sun. At the end of the season, when the snow is deep and settled, the off-piste off the shoulder of the Wöstertäli from the top of the Rüfikopf cable car down to Lech can be superb, as can Zuger Hochlicht. There are also good runs from the Trittkopf cable car in the Zürs sector, including a tricky one down to Stuben. The steeper red runs (notably on Zuger Hochlicht and both sides of Zürs) are well worth a try, as is the lovely away-from-the-lifts Langerzug ski route back to Lech on the Rüfikopf side (steep start, then a gentle cruise, flattish run-out). And you'll want to visit St Anton during your stay (see separate chapter). Heli-skiing is also available, at least on weekdays. For intermediates Flattering variety for all The pistes in the Oberlech area are nearly all immaculately groomed blue runs, the upper ones above the trees, the lower ones in wide swathes cut through them. It is ideal territory for cruisers not wanting surprises. But timid intermediates may find the final blue-run descents to Lech (as opposed to Oberlech) uncomfortably steep. Strong intermediates will want to do the circuit to Zürs and back. Whether it's wise for less confident intermediates to tackle the beautiful red ski route from Madloch depends on the conditions. It is not steep, and part or all of it may be groomed despite its non-piste status, but parts can be heavily mogulled and busy, and lots of people find the run a struggle. More adventurous intermediates will want to spend time on the fast Steinmähder chair on Zuger Hochlicht - a choice of satisfying pistes and ski routes, and from there take the scenic red run all the way to Zug (the latter part on an easy ski route rather than a piste). They may even want to give the Langerzug ski route (see "For experts") a go. Lech is an excellent place to try skiing deep snow for the first time. Zürs has many more interesting red runs, on both sides of the village. We like the north-west-facing reds from Trittkopf and the excellent Muggengrat Täli (see "Extent of the slopes"). For beginners Easy slopes in all areas The main nursery slopes are at Oberlech, but there is also a nice dedicated area in Lech. There are good, easy runs to progress to. You can buy a points card rather than a full lift pass. For boarders Easy riders, but mind the flats Lech's upper-crust image has not stood in the way of its snowboarding development, and it is a popular destination for freeriders. There are few draglifts to deter novices; but beware of the west-facing slopes at Zürs, which have many flat/uphill sections. For cross-country Picturesque valley trail A 21km trail starts from the centre of Lech and leads through the beautiful but shady valley, along the river to Zug and back. In Zürs there is a 4km track to the Flexen Pass and back.