Marcell and Uli Strolz Austria by Richard Powers

Marcell and Uli Strolz Austria

Pictures Richard Powers

Words Dominic Bradbury

The sheer drama and natural beauty of the Austrian mountain resort of Lech is startling and seductive. This is a place where the snow starts falling in November and will only clear in May or June. During the winter, the high altitude means that the snow can easily settle to a few metres in depth and the night time temperatures can fall to minus 30 degrees centigrade. Lech is a great favourite for discerning skiers and an extraordinary place to raise a family, just as Marcell and Uli Strolz are doing.

With little traffic and a small, close knit community this is a place where Strolz and his wife can walk their children to school and where you learn to ski almost as soon as you can walk. Strolz grew up in the village and has seen it become a fashionable resort, but without succumbing to the temptations of mass development. It remains a relatively unspoilt village and building in Lech can be something of a challenge, as no second homes are allowed within this small enclave up in the Arlberg mountains.