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!