Where to Ski And Snowboard -

Long day and night in Ischgl

26th March 2010, by Wendy King

View from the Alpenhaus at Idalp, Ischgl 24 March 2010

We spent our last full day in the Paznaun valley skiing Ischgl. In contrast to our quieter days in Galtur and Kappl, Ischgl was buzzing; the slopes were much busier although the efficient lift system made speedy work of moving traffic around.

Although we started quite late, our guide Andreas worked us hard to complete a tour of Ischgl and Samnaun’s slopes – though we only really covered a small proportion of this relatively extensive ski area. It was warm again, so the going was tough in places. Conditions are mixed at present, and we constantly moved from firm and fast surfaces to soft, slushy ones. But all of the upper mountain is in very good shape overall. By the end of the afternoon the lower home runs were becoming heavy; we even hopped over a few puddles in places – but you can still ski all the way to the valley.

Our first long run of the day was the scenic red to Samnaun from the Palinkopf. It winds its way through a pretty part-wooded valley to the duty free village on the Swiss side of the mountain, from where you can take the cable car back up. We cruised the wide, gentle blue runs at Alp Trida on the Swiss side, before tackling steeper pistes off the Greitspitz and racing down to Paznauner Thaya. These runs are the most challenging in the ski area, and the recent addition of black 14 (a genuine black) has opened up more advanced choice.

We enjoyed a very welcome, sunny lunch at the newish Alpenhaus at Idalp. As a press group we were spoiled with the table-service restaurant upstairs; seated on fur covered chairs on the sunny terrace that overlooks the slopes. There is a separate members-only section (limited to 300 members), or you can reserve a table in the main area. We tucked into soup, schnitzel and a very tasty chocolate mousse – all devoured enthusiastically.

Lunch set us up for the Ischgl challenge: the home runs. These steep red runs get very crowded at the end of the day and should really only be tackled by experienced skiers. Two of our group chose not to ski them; three of us did. And red number 1 proved to be a thigh burner, with its steep pitches and heavy, wet snow. We popped out near the Silvretta gondola and a welcome après-ski pint waiting for us.

More chocolate mousse, anyone? Fine dining at the Alpenhaus

There was little time for après-ski on Wednesday, though, as our last night was set for more Ischgl nightlife. So, after another very good meal in the Grillalm restaurant at our hotel (the newly renamed Gramaser) it was back on the town. Drinks in the Golden Eagle (Irish-style pub) were followed by a rather extended evening in the Trofana Arena again – the live band we discovered on Monday evening were playing again, and we couldn’t resist some more singing and dancing. What’s more, when I requested an autographed cd we got to meet the whole band! So, I was packing at 3am for our Thursday departure …

We actually had Thursday morning in the resort before our 5pm flight from Innsbruck, so while the others took a leisurely wander through town I headed back up the mountain for a quick ski. I had hoped that would include my favourite Velilltal red run (a former ski route) back to the village, but with a midday lunch slot at the Gramaser, it was back down red run number 1 instead – to avoid a long walk back to the hotel. The sky had clouded over, and a fresher wind had picked up overnight, but the run was still soft to ski in the morning. And there were few other people on it first thing. I just made it back with half an hour to spare before our taxi arrived. It was well worth the rush though.

Our small group had enjoyed a thoroughly good visit to the Paznaun, taking in three very different ski areas that are perfectly possible to combine in one trip – and that many people were doing. While Ischgl is the town among them, with its vibrant nightlife and big ski area, Kappl and Galtur have lots to offer too.

Welcome beers at the end of a challenging home run

More about Ischgl here>>

---

Back to all blogs