Zürs combines early ski history with winter trails that differ in their destinations and character. The Lake Zürs Trail starts in the village center; other routes lead to Flexen Pass or from the direction of Lech to Zürs. The routes offer concrete options for your stay, whether you are interested in a loop, a stage or a winter walk.
Ski history in two early milestones
A 2014 publication on ski culture in the Arlberg region reports that in 1906 Viktor Sohm held a ski course for local residents in Zürs, one of the earliest documented ski courses of all. In 1937, a drag lift co-initiated by Sepp Bildstein followed—the first of its kind in Austria. The two dates mark different milestones: a ski course in the village and an early lift installation. This makes the history of skiing in Zürs tangible through specific events and names.
Choosing a route: lake, loop or stage
The Lake Zürs Trail starts in the village center of Zürs. For cross-country skiing, there is a three-kilometer loop with some steep sections. The terrain is therefore just as much a factor in choosing your route as the length of the trail; current conditions on the cross-country ski trail may vary. If you would rather follow a route with named waypoints, you can find one on the first stage of the Green Ring: it leads from Rüfikopf via Lake Monzabon and the Hut Library to Zürs.
Another route is the winter hiking trail from Lech to Zürs. It follows the course of the Zürsbach stream and then reaches the village center of Zürs am Arlberg. Its destination therefore differs from the routes to the lake or Flexen Pass: the described trail ends in the village. The different routes make it easier to choose a trail by its destination rather than by its name alone.
Winter hiking at Flexen Pass
The winter hiking trail from Zürs to Flexen Pass faces south and has many benches for resting. It crosses a high plateau to the pass at an altitude of 1,773 meters and back to Zürs am Arlberg. The trail is considered easy and very well maintained; trail grooming and conditions may vary by season. At Flexen Pass, the Flexenhäusl is a place to stop for refreshments, though its seasonal opening may vary. The resting spots and south-facing aspect are concrete features that distinguish this trail from descriptions focusing on a lake, a stream or waypoints.
Lake Zürs and its trails
Above Zürs lies Lake Zürs, a natural high-mountain lake at an altitude of 2,144 meters. The Lake Zürs Trail starts in the village center; this is distinct from the loop hike to the lake. That route also starts in Zürs, leads to Lake Zürs and then back in the direction of Lech. The lake therefore features in two different route contexts: as the destination of a trail from the village center and as the destination of a loop hike that then heads toward Lech.
Further into the surrounding travel area, Lake Zürs lies on the second stage of the Green Ring; challenging fishing is offered at the lake. Together with the first stage, which leads to Zürs, this shows the different roles the lake and village play in the described stages. The lake is a destination in the area around Zürs, not a point in the village center.
Hotels and ski routes in Zürs
For all hotels in Zürs, the described ski-route connection provides a practical point of reference: you can reach them on skis from the slope, and from there continue on skis to the lift. On winter hiking days, the different destinations take center stage: the village center, Flexen Pass or Lake Zürs. Check current trail conditions when planning your trip, and note that the Flexenhäusl’s opening may vary seasonally.
Discover more destinations: Oberlech
For the main travel overview: Lech.
