No wonder nearly all beautiful places are hard to reach. The road to Lech, also known as Flexen Pass, can be shut for hours at a time or also closed for eight days (as happened last time in 1999). Our arrival was quite adventurous as well. I remember hearing my boyfriend say “we neither have snow chains nor a four-wheel drive” while leaving the highway seeing signs that snow chains are compulsive and huge snowflakes were pouring down massively. But, as I always use to say, “when angels travel…” we were lucky again and managed to buy snow chains some minutes before the petrol station closed. Do you know how to assemble snow chains? Well, we of course did not and were grateful the shop assistant managed to help us last minute. A couple of serpentines and some severe snow gusts of wind later we happily arrived in Zug, a 10 minutes drive from Lech.
OUR HOME THERE: Burgi’s Living
Burgi Rieder runs her small, fine, casual adults-only hotel Burgi’s Living with modern, minimalist rooms, regional breakfast, sauna and a trust bar. Right on the ski slope, in the middle of nature.
The charming hostess opened the house only last December. She is head, maid, breakfast cook and caretaker all in one.
For breakfast, Burgi serves up regional products: cold cuts, cheese, vegetables, milk, eggs. Home-made jam is also added to the bread from the local baker, along with a fresh egg dish or a cereal with fresh fruit. It tastes good at the large dining table with a view of the mountains. And in summer on the outdoor sun terrace.
The social heart of the hotel is the living room. Here the guests meet on cozy lounge furniture for a chat, browse through one of the books from the library corner or sip a drink at the “Trust” bar. The highlight: the bar operation is based on trust. After the drink, guests note what they have drunk and are paid when they check out. The bar is open 24/7.
You can stay overnight at Burgi’s Living in twelve modern, minimalist rooms. They are between 21 and 30 square meters in size and for one or two people. The view looks towards Omeshorn, the Zug valley or Lech.
MY WORK PLACE FOR TWO DAYS: THE YURT LECH
A traditional yurt is a portable, round tent covered with skins or felt and used as a dwelling by several distinct nomadic groups in the steppes of Central Asia. The structure comprises an angled assembly or latticework of pieces of wood or bamboo for walls, a door frame, ribs (poles, rafters), and a wheel (crown, compression ring).
During the winterseason 2018/19 four friends opened up a Kyrgisian nomad tent in Gstaad, Switzerland, and within 6 weeks they were able to establish a space and concept which is now recognized for many unforgettable afternoons, evenings and some long nights. All that in a small but cozy and impressive yurt. Following the quote “nomads use to travel, but never without their tents” my friend Zayad Shah, one of the four founders, continued the concept of “The Yurt” and managed to partner with no less than the team behind 5 star Hotel Arlberg, where THE YURT is blessed to set up the tent on the hotels very own meadow and operates as a Pop Up Bar until April 2020. Not only drinks are served there but also ethnic and bohemian inspired fashion and accessories for two days. I felt very honored to be the first Pop Up Shop partner of The Yurt. Especially because there are so many parallels with the nomadic tent. The primary use of a Suzani, which is the main fabric of my new shearling trimmed Suzani Vests, was within the yurt, as a protective wrapping panel for textiles and belongings.
SKIING IN LECH
In my research I came across this quote: “when God created the world, he created Lech for skiing”. Of course you can not miss Austria’s most breathtaking ski resort. And as I experienced myself, everything and everybody is about skiing. People are dressed up in ski suits and ski boots from morning til evening, they even go shopping in ski boots to Strolz, the area’s finest department store. Roads are not covered in salt so everybody can ski directly from their homes to the lifts. And the ski region.. There are simply no words..
EATING IN LECH
We made skiing lunch breaks at Rud Alpe and Goldener Berg in Oberlech. The first has the typical ski hut vibe and traditional Austrian food while the latter is more sophisticated and chic (I prefer Rud Alpe for the food and spectacular view).
In Lech we had dinner at interior design heaven Hotel Almhof Schneider and the other night something more casual at Schneggerei.
From gourmet cuisine to spectacular skiing and cool enough to attract celebrities and Royals alike, the ski resort of Lech appears to have really everything. I am endlessly grateful to have finally made it to Austria’s mountain paradise and am sure to come back very soon again.
Suzani Vests are available in my concept store in Hollandstrasse 9, 1020 Vienna and online on www.silviagattin.com!
silvia gattin's behind the scenes blog 