Skiing The Austrian Alps (P.D.T.)

Alpine skiing has its well-trod name brands: St. Moritz and Zermatt in Switzerland, Chamonix and Courchevel in France, the Tirols in Italy. Less traveled are the Austrian Alps, which is fortunate for those who have been in on the secret for years. If the best proof of quality is a repeat customer, then the Arlbergs, located in Austria’s westernmost state of Vorarlberg, must be the font of obsessions. Most who ski here won’t consider any other set of slopes, whether in Europe, the Americas or Asia.

The bigger names undoubtedly have their merits: stylish accommodations, haute gastronomy, fancy spas and an overall luxe feel. Yet they can start to feel like a tourist mill, funneling skiers in and out with the region’s characteristic efficiency. It’s hard to not fear that this standardization is a threat to that inimitable, specialized, authentic, home-spun je ne sais quoi.

Hotel Gasthof Rote Wand

The Arlbergs, alternatively, are overseen not by some banquier in Paris or Zürich, but by the very people whose families have lived here for generations. These are inhabitants who have, since the 14th century when Swiss migrants first settled this remote desmesne, been caring for livestock, curdling cheese, operating businesses and yes, even skiing, on these mountains. Eateries and pubs, chairlifts and equipment shops, hotels and shops: all are run by locals, and often were passed down from generation to generation. As a result, a distinctive homey touch imbues every interaction, from the moment guests are greeted by hotel concierges on through the time they return rental equipment or hand their keys back to chalet owners. Makes today’s “buy local” movement look like rather an old idea.

In the Arlbergs, the customer is king. Nowhere is this more evident than at the hotel where I stayed, the Hotel Gasthof Rote Wand, enjoying its third generation under the management of the Walch family. It’s operated without stop since 1651, when it was a farmhouse that occasionally doubled as a guesthouse for passersby. The owners, Natascha and Joschi, go in and out of their reception-side office to down espressos while overseeing the inner workings of their property. But as soon as a guest enters, the pair comes to offer a welcome. They are thoughtful and warm, and on top of that, helpful. They’ll help you sort out a replacement for a lost lift pass, for example, to which I can testify from personal experience.

The Arlbergs

The five villages comprising the Arlbergs — St. Anton, St. Christoph, Stuben, Lech and Zürs — nestle into valleys and mountainsides, and are easily reachable by a network of short bus routes. That is, unless the snow has built up, as happens regularly; then guests merely ski from town to town.

Each village holds a distinct flavor: St. Anton, for example, gets more rowdy, while Zug, a tiny hamlet linked to Lech, retains a community flavor that attracts families and larger groups. Lech is perhaps the most famous and high-end of the five, once attracting royals like Lady Di and Prince Charles, Grace Kelly and the Prince of Monaco, and Norway’s ruling families. Though you’ll spot fewer crowns today, the town remains both cosmopolitan and comfortable. It has confidence. And nothing is more luxe than that.

Suffice it to say the skiing is incredible, as are the views. There are 280 km of pistes, traversed by 84 lifts and cable cars traveling between 1,300 and 2,800meters above sea level. Snow is virtually guaranteed over the five-month season (an average of 7 meters of snow falls each winter). To keep quality high, the number of day passes is limited to 14,000, though anyone staying in the village of Lech is guaranteed a spot.

In situations such as these, the travel writer must shoulder a certain amount of responsibility, perhaps even a sense of guilt: upon discovering a beautiful yet little-known gem, her assignment is to disperse that secret to the rest of the world. But she knows full well that once she lifts the veil from her concealed Shangri-La, no longer will it be hers alone to behold. In the case of the Arlbergs, I fear this is very much the case. For you, dear reader, it’s a burden I’m willing to bear. But let’s try to keep it between us.

The Arlbergs can be reached by train from Zürich, approximately 124 miles to the west, or by private transfer from the Zürich airport. Hotel Gasthof Rote Wand is located near Lech, but there are plenty of other boutique hotels in the Alps to choose from.