Where to Ski And Snowboard -

Classic spring day in Kappl

22nd March 2010, by Wendy King

Sunny spring skiing in Kappl

We have just stumbled back to our hotel from Ischgl’s legendary nightlife – including a live band performance from a UK group the Bogus Brothers: men in kilts that rocked the stage of the Trofana Arena. Well, there’s nothing like a bit of a sing a-long and dance to loosen up tired ski legs…

Our group arrived in Austria on Sunday, for a three-day visit to party hub Ischgl and its much quieter neighbours Kappl and Galtur. It was positively balmy weather when we stepped off the plane (about 15 degrees c)  and the sun shining. I wasn’t going to experience the powder fest that our editors enjoyed last week, but there was some classic spring weather on offer instead. It is certainly very mild here at present, with an obvious thaw in process, but there is still plenty of good skiing available – and all runs to the valley were open on Monday in each resort, with good cover.

Day one was Kappl, a small, quiet family resort 15 minutes down valley from Ischgl, and a complete contrast to its neighbour. They don’t call Kappl ‘sunny mountain’ for nothing either, and today its south facing slopes were basking in the warm March sunshine; heavy work on skis. When we took the lifts to the high point (2690m) at 10.30am, the snow was already very soft and didn’t appear to have frozen much overnight. We skied a handful of red and blue runs on the front side of the mountain though; lots of fun and hardly busy at all. Late morning we took the long, 8km, Lattenabfahrt red run that sweeps away on the back of the mountain – a scenic long cruise that you can follow all the way down to the valley.

We noticed a fair bit of wet slide avalanche activity on the surrounding mountains, as the warm-up takes effect. And witnessed a small slide on a nearby ridge. What’s more, when we returned for a second blast down the Lattenabfahrt after lunch it had been closed due to increased avalanche risk. Lunch was at the Sunny Mountain restaurant, a very good self-service above the children’s area – gentle slopes equipped with moving carpets and play zones that gives the resort its family appeal.

It stayed mild and clear all day, save for a few clouds dotted around. This meant that the snow was very heavy and wet later on, not much fun to ski, especially on the lower treelined runs. But we skied the front side a few more times, before calling it a day and retreating to the valley; the home run was open and winds its way down through the trees before finishing beside a handy bar. Time for a beer before heading back to Ischgl.

Tomorrow we ski Galtur, a similar sized mountain and also relatively quiet. Better get some kip then!

Back to all blogs