Whether you like it, love it, loath it or hate it, you have to admire Ischgl for alot of things. Our second visit to the region was filled with powder days at the valley's lesser known resorts of See, Kappl and Galtuer, so when we went to Ischgl this time round, it wasn't so much about the skiing, but about how it handles the expectations of the vast numbers of skiers frequenting the hill in February. And that's where the admiration kicks in. The scale and complexity of the village and ski resort infrastructure is just so incredible. Whether it is the wonderfully planned multiple 'ski-in' trails back to the base areas; the high-capacity, efficient lift system; the connecting tunnels with moving walkways connecting the village's various disparate parts; the multi level car parking (the parking lounge no less!); or the sheer number and diversity of quality hotels, bars, restaurants and entertainment - the scale of it all is so impressive.

Anyone heading to Ischgl can expect the best of everything, plus a fair number of other people with the same expectations! But with the right amount of finance and attitude, most of all Ischgl promises to provide some super Austrian high jinx and fun. And on a powder day if you get ahead of the pack, there are some fine turns to be had, or better still, catch the free ski bus to See or Kappl for the day and come back to Ischgl to party.
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I have found my end of the year closing weekend resort. Ischgl is awesome if you like to ski and then hit the bars hard after. Starting with the skiing: I was pleasantly surprised with the snow quality in some parts of the resort. It had snowed about 3 days before I got there but there was still powder off-piste off the Piz Val Gondola and a few stashes off the Greitspitze peak. The pistes were icy in the morning and soft in the afternoon which is typical for spring skiing. The lift infrastructure is impeccable. It was late in the season but there were zero lift lines and barely anybody skiing. Coverage was sparse on some of the black pistes and the trails back down to the village but most of the resort was still open. Unfortunately the Piz Val area was closed on the last Sunday of their season after getting about 6 inches of snow Saturday which was upsetting.

And now the partying: On closing weekend they throw a huge concert on top of the mountain in the Idalp area where they actually get some pretty big names. In 2022, Kings of Leon performed in what was one of the coolest venues I have ever seen a concert. The party atmosphere was pretty crazy. We skied the morning from first chair to about 1300hr when the concert began. It was the end of April but it was dumping snow most of the day which meant some powder skiing on the pistes and then a concert at 2,300m in a snowstorm. There had to be 15,000 people at the concert and the beer was flowing. After the concert the town is just as lively with live music and DJs at all the bars in town. Schatzi was the most entertaining bar which was packed and had speakers, a DJ, and dancers set up outside near the Pardatschgratbahn gondola. The party scene on Saturday likely explains the empty mountain on Sunday.

(Editor's Note - sounds like we need to be there next season for closing weekend!)
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My favorite place to ski, something for everyone.
I have been there all months of the season, generally it is less crowded than other famous places on similar times (like St. Anton). But avoid Christmas-New Year and February when Bayern has vacation. Best time to ski is January for off-piste and less people. In-piste I like spring time late April if you do not mind hard/icy early in the morning and wet snow late in the day. This period you can ski almost alone and lots of sunshine. Avoid Idalp which has the most people. In the morning try to utilize Pardatschgratbahn and Fimbabahn instead of Silvrettabahn, less likely to be big lines.
Generally people complain about lack of advanced slopes, but black 13, 14, 33, 34, 35 are all great, plus some other black slopes. The best run is black 4, and if you like long ski runs at one go you take black 4, further to black 1 continuing into red 1 down to the base of Pardatschgratbahn, back up and do it again. 1250m height difference.
Ischgl is absolutely great for off-piste. If you know the place a bit you can find powder one two days after snowfall. Vast areas in many different locations, fair amount of tree skiing available when sight is bad and when it clears up you go up top. Only problem is that it does not snow as much as in Vorarlberg or St. Anton, but it has more sun-hours. The off-piste is easy accessible and it is also fairly safe, you often see where to get down.
The village is very nice modernly built but with good taste and lots of lights.
Afterski and nightlife is second to none, many choices. Start on the mountain at Paznauner Taja, ski down to Kuhstall, and finish the evening at Trofana Alm, the best dance bar in the Alps.
Plenty of great restaurants and a vide variety of choices. Unfortunately accommodation is pricey and can be difficult to come by if you are booking late, but at least of very high quality.
I would recommend Ischgl for all type of skiers and even families, if you do not mind coming across drunk people at night. But if you like quiet and not so busy places you should stay away, it gets loud.
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Brilliant ski area. It can be crowded at times, but if you get up early it is no problem.

There is always good skiing - also off piste. But book a guide, that helps......
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What to make of Ischgl? A ski resort with huge lift infrastructure, 1400m of vertical (give or take), loads of gimmicks, masses of people, international border crossings, world’s most exuberant après &…………… mediocre skiing. Over hyped? For the most part, from a purist skiers’ point of view, we think so. I can hear the howls of displeasure already & understand that the negatives we see with Ischgl are probably seen as positives by many other skiers & snowboarders. It is hugely popular for a reason.

It is a sad indication of the amount of humanity at a ski resort when the number of ski racks in the mid-mountain restaurant area at Idalp is so vast that they are individually numbered to avoid misplacing one’s gear. Another sure-fire indicator is that the humble quad chair is becoming an endangered species at Ischgl. 6 & 8-seaters rule in Ischgl, but you will still have to wait in line.

OK, there are a several exceptions to the mediocre skiing comment, but…. The overall skiable vert off many lifts is mediocre. Mediocre includes blue runs that are skied-off icy bumps by 10am. The off- piste & sidecountry potential is huge, but the snow during our visit was baked, heavily tracked & even bumped – mediocre due to excess humanity. Some pockets of powder were found in the more isolated high elevation, north-aspect terrain, but it was alot of work to get to it. To be fair to Ischgl though, there was loads of snow & everywhere in Europe was baked at the time due to a brief warm spell of weather.

If chasing powder, head out wide past Palinkopf as early as humanly possible & then get in line for the cable car up to Piz Val Gronda. Great terrain, just too much competition. A bit of skinning or boot packing will reap serious rewards here.

Of gimmicks there are plenty at Ischgl Some are a helluva lot of fun., others not so. The ‘not so’ includes the ‘duty free run’ through the interconnected Samnaun in Switzerland. The ski trail to Switzerland, called the ‘Smugglers Run’ is pretty good, but the idea that ‘duty free’ anywhere in Switzerland will provide value for dollar/euro/franc is laughable. And who wants to take away booze, cigarettes or perfume when in full ski gear & with at least 2 ski lifts & 1700m of vertical skiing away from your origin. Ok bit of a rant! Each to their own! A good way to see the entire resort is to follow the 62km long Gold Smugglers Circuit. You can do it for a best time bragging right via an app but be prepared to share the journey with a few others.

The fun gimmicks include the Skyfly zip line descent into Ischgl from the mid-station of the Silvrettabahn. Unreal way to end your day, but it dies cost a few extra shekels.

The link with Samnaun provides everyone with the opportunity to ski some easy wide south facing slopes. The sun soaked Samnaun is a little less busy than Ischgl, particularly in the morning. As the day wears on, the duty-free runners send a steady stream to the fascinating double decker cable car in the valley.

The valley runs into Ischgl are excellent. Most accommodation in town is close to a return trail of some sort. We literally skied into the heart of the village, practically taking our skis off on the bitumen & sauntering across to a bar – that’s the strength of Ischgl. Ski, bars, fun, eat sleep, repeat.

If you can afford to stay overnight in the village of Ischgl, then do so. It is a vibrant town with the perfect combination of excellent lift access to the hill & superb return trails down into the main street. Après is best around the Silvrettabahn valley station when the ski day is done.

Quiet alternatives abound. The village of Galtür would be our pick further up the valley. It has its own interesting ski resort & the most comfortable ski bus links to Ischgl. The route 260 bus & a variety of free ski-buses run up & down the valley from as far away as Landeck Zams. It is certainly possible to do day trips to Ischgl from Landeck by free ski bus. In fact, it is easier than from the closer village of See, because at least you will have a seat, everyone after See is jammed packed in standing room.

You might get the impression that we didn’t have a great time at Ischgl. That’s only partly true. The main reason for the lack of enthusiasm about Ischgl is that we skied so many other awesome resorts, all with relatively few other skiers before getting there, so its drawbacks were starkly obvious to our very pampered eyes!

Don’t ski Ischgl expected a genteel, dignified resort. Although it exists in parts, you may be sorely disappointed.

Visit Ischgl for a rollicking great party time with a group of friends. Visit Ischgl for early starts hunting first tracks in the vast freeride terrain & then early finishes with some bouncing village après ski.

We intend going back next season and looking at it again through fresh eyes. Can’t hurt….. we hope!

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