snowingplaces

St. Anton am Arlberg vs Lech Zürs: which has better snow?

St. Anton am Arlberg and Lech Zürs get snow about equally often: about 53 snowy days across the four core winter months against 53, at mid-mountain, averaged over 2016 to 2025. St. Anton am Arlberg goes higher, with a top lift at 2,811 m (9,200 ft).

St. Anton am Arlberg and Lech Zürs side by side

Snow record figures are for mid-mountain, 2016 to 2025, from ERA5 reanalysis.

St. Anton am Arlberg compared with Lech Zürs
St. Anton am ArlbergLech Zürs
Top lift2,811 m (9,200 ft)2,446 m (8,000 ft)
Village1,304 m (4,300 ft)1,444 m (4,700 ft)
Snowy days a year10496
Snowiest monthJanuaryJanuary
Snowy days in the four winter months5353
January temperatures−12 to −3 °C (10 to 27 °F)−11 to −3 °C (12 to 27 °F)
Snow on the ground on Christmas Day10 of 10 years10 of 10 years
Snowiest recent winter2023/24, 46% above average2023/24, 39% above average
Forecast, next 7 daysOut of seasonOut of season

What the numbers can and cannot tell you

Both resorts are measured the same way, which is what makes this a fair comparison: the same climate record, the same ten years, each at the height halfway between its village and top lift. It compares how often it snows and how cold it is, not total snowfall in centimetres, which the record underestimates in the mountains. It is also not a comparison of the skiing. Terrain, lift systems, crowds, price and how well a resort holds its snow on the slopes that matter are not in this data.

For the full picture of each, see the St. Anton am Arlberg snow forecast and the Lech Zürs snow forecast, which include month-by-month records and every winter since 2016.

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