Work A Ski Season at Lech Zurs

Town and Resort Vibe

Lech is fashionable, upmarket and the type of resort where a large number of visitors come simply to shop and relax, rather than hit the slopes. There are a decent number of high end restaurants and boutique retailers, placing a heavy burden on your wallet if you do indulge in these places.

The main street of Lech can be a proper Euro fashion show for the rich Austrians and Germans and you are not likely to find much grunge in Lech.

The accommodation around town is heavy on five star hotels and Lech is considered a favoured resort for many royal families around the globe. The nightlife is accordingly more focused on sophistication than riotousness.

How is the Terrain?

Lech is, for the most part, a gentle resort consisting of beginner and intermediate on-piste runs. The runs are wide, open and suit riders who are finding their feet and improving their technique. The runs are generally well groomed and the big spaces means there is a lot of room for carving.

As such, expert seasonal workers may find Lech a little dull and not challenging enough over the season. While there is a small selection of reasonable off-piste terrain, including some gladed areas down lower, it is not nearly as good as at St Anton. Expert seasonal workers will likely want to spend their days off at St Anton where possible throughout the season.

Lech is connected to other ski resorts in the region including Zürs, Oberlech, Stubenbach and Zug which offer a bit more variety of terrain but nothing exceptional for on-piste expert terrain. There is a further connection to the Warth-Schröcken ski areas further north. Zürs is the most practical resort to visit as it is so close, but it is really beginner focused and even tamer than Lech. However, Lech is now connected via lift to Stuben and St Christoph, from where you can access St Anton which has some truly awesome off-piste and expert terrain, probably the best in Austria.

Seasonal workers like to attempt, at least once during the season, Der Weisse Ring. This is a circuit of the connected resorts, totalling 21km which takes a good part of the day to ski.

Terrain Park

The terrain is fairly basic but enough to keep most seasonal workers happy unless you are looking for truly expert lines. The park at Lech is the only one in the Lech, Zürs, Oberlech, Stubenbach and Zug region.

Snow and Crowds

Like most Austrian resorts, Lech is not naturally blessed with huge snow. The average sits around 5 metres which is on the higher end for Austrian resorts.

Snowmaking is used abundantly at Lech to provide a strong base. This is more feasible at Lech given the majority of the on-piste runs are beginner and intermediate. It does mean, however, that low snow years mean very patchy off-piste riding, in particular on the slopes that receive a lot of sun.

The crowds are generally fewer than at St Anton, but this is still Austria and you won’t find complete solitude unless you go deep off-piste. However, Lech/ Zürs has a policy of closing ticket sales if more than 40,000 tickets are sold in one day which helps to curtail the insane crowds sometimes associated with Austria.

Mountain Stats

• Number of lifts: 33; Cableways 4; Chairs 18 Drags 11
• Altitude: Lech 1,450m; Zürs 1,720m
• Runs 54: (six black, 19 red, 25 blue, four green)

How to Find a Job

The three main ways to get a ski job are to: work for a local business, work for a foreign owned business in Lech, or work for a tour company.

Local jobs (for those with an EU passport or New Zealand citizenship)

To work locally, you will be required to have an EU passport as Austria has strict rules on hiring workers outside the European Union, unless you are from New Zealand (see below). You will also need to speak German to a proficient standard given that most of the clientele is German-speaking.

Lastly, you will need to be very proactive about finding a job with a local business if you are not Austrian, given that you are a risk for the business when there are plenty of willing locals to fill the job. That means sending out resumes early (towards the end of summer) and following up companies.

If you arrive in town without a job, remember that a lot of people get fired, get injured or quit after New Year which means job vacancies often open up in January.

To work in mountain operations directly with the resort, see www.lech-zuers.at/jobs (in German only)

• Information on all jobs in the Arlberg region is available at www.arlbergjobs.at
• www.jobpilot.at is a popular Austrian jobs website which may have job listings
• www.ams.at is the Government run jobs website which sometimes has job listings

There are a limited number of local jobs where you won’t need to speak German, although you will still need a valid visa or EU passport. These jobs include ski schools, the following operate in Lech:

• Skischule Lech www.skischule-lech.com
• Skischule Zürs www.skischule-zuers.at
• Skischule Oberlech www.skischule-oberlech.at
• Schneesportschule Omeshorn Alpincenter Lech www.alpincenter-lech.at
• Skischule Exklusiv www.skischule-exklusiv.com
• Schnee-Sport-Schule Wiesele-Zürs www.schneesportschule-wiesele-zuers.com
• High Zuers Ski Guides www.highzuers-skiguides.at
• Arlberg Alpin Freeride- & Outdoorcenter Lech www.arlbergalpin.at/start
• Fun & Snow www.funandsnow.at
• SkiguideLech.at & SkilehrerLech.at www.skiguidelech.at
• Kinderclub Lech www.kinderclub-lech.at

See Work a Winter Season in Austria for further information on converting your foreign instructing certificate to an Austrian-recognised certificate

New Zealanders

New Zealand citizens have access to a working holiday visa program with Austria which means you can apply for local business jobs in Lech. See Work a Winter Season in Austria for further information.

Cash jobs

If you are not European or a New Zealand, it is very difficult to find work in Lech. Many tour operators won’t even look at your application if you don’t have an EU passport or you can’t get a working holiday visa. It is now harder than before to find cash jobs where employers skirt the Austrian job and visa laws.

Cash jobs can sometimes be found with some tour operators who see staff leave mid-season and desperately try to fill the positions, but to do so requires an element of luck. If you choose to do this, make sure you have enough money to last you as long as it takes to find work.

Tour Operators in Lech

Tour operators are a good choice for those who don’t speak German. They provide full-package holidays for tourists, often from Britain, and jobs might include hosts, chalet workers, chefs, guides and drivers. As they are British based, they often require you to hold a British passport. The following tour companies operate in Lech:

• Snow-Wise
• Inghams
• Crystal Ski Holidays
• Elegant Resorts
• Igluski
• Ski Solutions
• Ski Independence
• The Oxford Ski Company
• Ski Total

Finding Accommodation for the Season

Staff accommodation is usually included as part of your job. These tend to be quite basic in Lech. Finding accommodation on your own is very difficult, especially if you don’t speak German so you are best to take the staff accommodation or seek the assistance of the tourist office.

The tourist office at St Anton can assist seasonal workers to find accommodation in the region. They keep a list of available rentals for seasonal workers and maintain relationships with a number of local landlords specifically for this purpose. To contact them, send an email to [email protected] and put the subject of the email as “Seasonal Accommodation” or “All Year Accommodation”.

Nightlife

There are nine bars in Lech and seven in Zürs. The nightlife is much, much quieter than in St Anton, with a focus on cocktail bars and chat after a day on the slopes rather than raucous après-ski. Bars and restaurants are also relatively expensive at Lech, likely to leave a seasonal worker’s wage looking quite paltry in comparison.

The vibe is generally relaxed and there is still some après-ski, however, with the Eis Bar at the Tannbergerhof Hotel hosting a lively crowd and the most well-known après scene in Lech.

At Zürs, head to Hotel Mathies for the best après-ski scene Back in Lech, the best late night dancing is found at the Tannbergerhof or Hotel Krone. There are good cocktails and electronic music at Archiv Bar, while sophisticates can check out Fux Jazz Bar for a combination of lounge music, log fires and an excellent choice of whiskies.

Location and Getting There

Lech is named after the river on which it lies. It is 120km west of Innsbruck and 20km from St Anton. Zurich is 200km away while Munich is 300km away. An interconnected town, Zürs, is just a few kilometres from Lech, while another little town, Zug, is a few kilometres away.

The best way to get to Lech is using the very efficient and easy Austrian train network. You take the train to either the Langen am Arlberg railway station or the St Anton am Arlberg station from any major city in Austria, and then take a regular taxi or bus transfer.

From Langen am Arlberg it is 15 km to Lech and the bus connection is line 91, with the trip taking around 20 minutes.

From St. Anton am Arlberg, it is 20 km to Lech and the bus connection is line 92, with the trip taking around 30 minutes. The advantage of passing through St Anton is that you get to check out St Anton on your way to Lech. Tickets can be bought at www.oebb.at/en

Getting Around

There is a free bus included in your season pass which takes you between Lech, Oberlech, Zug and Zürs and Alpe Rauz which is the entrance to St. Anton. Between 8pm and 3am, the ‘James’ bus runs around Lech to get you home after a night out. A season ticket for the ‘James’ bus can be purchased for around € 60.