Queen of the Alps: Royalty has always been drawn to Lech – but this pretty Austrian resort takes its glitz and glamor lightly on its shoulders

At 12:00, the bells of Sinterklaas broke out in glorious tones. It’s the afternoon Angelus when Catholics say their Ave Maria – and it’s a moment of rapturous joy for those of us whose prayers have been answered. Half a meter of snow fell last night.

Lech, the grand duchess of ski resorts, looks beautiful in her new white coat.

I haven’t been here for 30 years, but not much has changed. It almost feels like a private village, discreetly run by powerful local families such as the Kosts, Schneiders and the Moosbruggers.

And it is a working town all year round. In fact, there are strict rules for buying real estate here. If you own it, you must use it.

In fact, one thing has changed. Lech is now not only connected to Zürs, Zug and Stuben, but also to St. Christoph and St. Anton, making the Arlberg region the largest continuous ski area in Austria.

It is rightly considered the birthplace of alpine skiing, where Hannes Schneider, born in Stuben in 1890, developed the “Arlberg” technique, knee bends and the shifting of weight from the “sea” as a coach to today’s apprenticeship.

Lech wears his brilliance lightly, his greatness even more so.

There are no Louis Vuitton or Gucci stores; no soulless self-catering mountain restaurants selling stiff spagbol. And everyone we meet is polite and friendly.

On a chair lift – so cold we can barely talk – my ski partner Richard says: “Very cold, isn’t it?” What a German stranger sitting with us says: ‘I like the way you Brits talk in flowers.’

Aristocrats have long been drawn to Lech, not least Princess Diana, who brought her sons here after the failure of her marriage and stayed at the Schneider family’s Hotel Arlberg, where we pop in for a look and an elderflower .

Princess Diana brought her sons William and Harry to Lech after their marriage failed

Our hotel, Severins, is about a kilometer out of town but has a regular shuttle service. From the outside it looks like a weather-beaten old mountain hut, but it turns out to be a luxurious 21st century cocoon, perfect for the weary and weary.

There are just nine rooms, all with deep soaking tubs, Bluetooth speaker systems, Minotti furniture and even roaring fireplaces. There is also a four-bedroom chalet next door with its own grand piano and private cinema.

Our flight to Innsbruck left London so early that we are on the mountain at 2pm – and one of the last to leave. After knee surgery my skiing is a little sorry, but what a lift to be back on the slopes after the Covid break.

Mark stays at the Severins Hotel above, a “luxurious 21st century cocoon perfect for the weary and weary”.

That night, an over-enthusiastic guest, noticing that the mixologist is missing, slips behind the bar and starts making his own White Lady cocktail. Yes I am.

On another occasion, a guest manages to light his gas lighter and then detonates it. Yes me too. But nothing seems to deter the charming staff, who seem to have seen it all before.

On the second day we meet Lukas, a young and downright beautiful guide, who introduces us to another selling point of Lech: the Weißer Ring, an almost 24 km marked ski circuit from Zürs to Lech with unforgettable views and relatively easy descents for people with unstable knees.

Then we stop for lunch at the Kriegeralpe, which follows the Lech pattern of pack-alpine style with a humble attitude – a cozy wooden chalet that serves delicious goulash for under a teenager and where you’re like a guest in a five-star restaurant.

There are only nine rooms at the Severins, all with deep soaking tubs, Bluetooth speaker systems, Minotti furniture and even roaring fireplaces

Speaking of five-star restaurants, if you’re staying in Lech, you absolutely must find your way to a small 17th-century farmhouse (original floors still intact) tucked away in Zug.

Here we are welcomed by a German-Chinese cooking couple, Jakob Zeller and Ethel Hoon, in the Klösterle.

They give us rowanberry negronis and fragrant fermented pickles, then show us their upstairs pantry, bursting with locally made pickles, jams and cured meats.

It’s like a snapshot from Little House On The Prairie. Tables are made of local spruce, candles flicker. For us, it’s less a shelter from the storm outside than a shelter from life itself, and the food is fantastic.

Thank God there are still places in the world like Lech. Perfect for skiers and just as wonderful for those who are drawn to the majesty of the mountains year after year.