Ski Ischgl: resort guide

For decades Ischgl has remained the premier Austrian destination for German visitors, but only recently has it begun to acquire a strong following among Brits. This has largely come about not just because of the quality of its pistes, but also because of its music.

Some 20 years ago, the canny village fathers set out to create an international brand that has now firmly established its position on the ski map of the world. Ischgl’s famous start- and end-of-season Top of the Mountain concerts attract an A-list of international stars that have so far included Elton John, Bob Dylan, Tina Turner, Deep Purple, Bon Jovi, Mariah Carey, the Beach Boys and Kylie Minogue.

The slopes are good, too. The 238km of pistes served by 45 mainly modern lifts extend across the Swiss border to the Engadin resort of Samnaun. The main ways up the mountain are by heavyweight gondolas from both ends of Ischgl. A third one, the Pardatschgratbahn gondola, opened in the 2014/15 season, greatly enhancing mountain access. The slopes here best suit mileage-hungry intermediates who enjoy covering lots of ground each day before returning to the resort for some of the wildest table-dancing in the Alps (although not all of this is in the best of British good taste).

Ischgl is home to a 7km toboggan run that drops 950m, open from 7pm onwards on Mondays and Thursdays, after the first wave of après partying. As a result, a large proportion of fellow sledgers tend to be over-lubricated, which can result in them being a danger to themselves and others.

Bold, busy, and yes, a bit brash, is Ischgl, catering largely for testosterone-fuelled males aged 30 to 50. If that’s your thing, you’ll find more pole-dancing and lap-dancing here than anywhere else in the Alps. But despite this tackiness, the resort buzzes with a raucous sense of après enjoyment throughout the winter months.

The Silvretta lift pass also includes much quieter and more family-orientated Galtür and Kappl a few kilometres away up the valley. These provide alternative, less expensive bed bases and are connected with Ischgl by an efficient bus service, which is free if you have a valid lift pass.

New for the 2017/18 season, the four-seat Palinkopf lift will be replaced by a six-seater chairlift with heated seats and weather hoods, taking up to 2,800 people per hour from the valley station to a height of 2,853m in under six minutes).

The village itself remains traditional Tirolean in style, but with some contemporary touches – an airport-style travelator in a tunnel through a giant rock connects the two ends of Ischgl. The most convenient places to stay are not on, but near, the main street (because of late-night noise). The mountain access lifts are just a short walk away.

There’s a wide choice of smart hotels and a bigger variety of restaurants independent of the hotels than you’d expect in an Austrian resort. However, prices tend to be higher than in the Tirolean heartland of the Kitzbüheler Alps with which British skiers are more familiar.

Getting there

Nearest airport: Innsbruck, 90 minutes (100km); Zurich, three hours (235km).
Nearest station: Landeck-Zams. The 4240 bus leaves from the station forecourt and takes one hour.

More info: ischgl.com