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The entertainment capital of any winter, Ischgl ski resort, in Paznaun, in the Tirol region of Austria’s Eastern Alps is one of the best European ski resorts for an all-action experience, both as a ski holiday and off the slopes too.
Much of the ski area is high altitude, ensuring snow sure slopes throughout a long season, and with so many north-facing slopes, the runs stay in shape well into the afternoon. Once you've grabbed your piste map, you'll see there is a great lift system and superb ski terrain for intermediate cruising and beginners - the nursery slopes are at altitude, ensuring even your ski lessons will be on good quality snow.
Ischgl’s huge, high-altitude cross-border 239 km ski area – the Silvretta arena – is best-suited for intermediates, and the slopes stretch all the way to Samnaun in Switzerland, making it the third-biggest ski resort in the Tirol region.
Ischgl’s village is traditional Tirolean in style, with accommodation for everyone from budget apartment up to luxury hotel. One amazing stat is that Ischgl has the highest density of 4* and 5* hotels of any Austrian ski destination.
Don't miss... a soak in the rejuvenating waters of the new Silvretta Spa
Powder paradise
Ischgl is renowned for its off-piste terrain, having one of Austria’s largest freeride areas, with bowls, steep descents and cliff drops providing plenty of thrills for powder lovers. And its snow park – complete with bagjump – is a firm favourite with freestylers. The freeride descents are as varied as your expectations of a perfect ski day. That’s why it’s one of the most popular regions in all of Tirol and ensures plenty of thrill and excitement for everyone.
The Piz Val Gronda at 2,812m is not only the gateway to the Silvretta but also the perfect setting for casual freeriding, especially for the less-seasoned off-piste skier with wide slopes, playful moguls and hollows. The entry point is located right off the slope and is perfect for some practice. The breath-taking panoramic views over the Fimba valley and the Hoher Riffler mountain are a bonus.
A descent through the region Ravaischer Salaas is almost like a rollercoaster ride with plenty of surprises in store for skiers and snowboarders. The starting point can be chosen depending on skill level. You’ll be going down wide hillsides, narrow channels and through a ravine all the way to Samnaun in Switzerland. You’ll even pass a waterfall on your way.
Unmissable events
Perfectly groomed slopes and one-of-a-kind freeride runs and ski tours are only part of the reason why Ischgl is so incredibly popular with winter sports athletes of all kinds. Another reason are a number of top events that attract international stars and their overjoyed fans each year. It's après ski on a supercharged scale. Top dates:
The Top of the Mountain Opening Concert
An annual highlight of Ischgl’s event calendar. Winter sports enthusiasts celebrate the start of the ski season with great live music, a one-of-a-kind atmosphere and the splendid Tirolean mountains as the perfect backdrop. With the evening’s main act wowing the crowd, your Ischgl mountain experience will be nothing less than perfect. This year bill-topper on 26 November is US star Sean Paul.
Spring Blanc
30 March to 1 May 2023 is your month for a festival of spring skiing, featuring a line-up of open-air concerts and culinary delights in town and on the slopes.
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Gourmet Mecca
Another highlight of a visit to Ischgl is the Tirolean cuisine. Ischgl is often lovingly called the gourmet mecca of Tirol, and the resort has the highest density of Toque gourmet restaurants in Austria after Vienna!
For a break from all the slope activity, be sure to try delicious dishes at one of Ischgl’s great restaurants or marvellous mountain huts, such as the mountain restaurant Schwarzwand which combines Tirolean classics such as Riesengermknödel, with the best pizza in Ischgl.
Off the slopes and relaxation
Away from the slopes, the new Silvretta Spa opening at the end of the year with indoor and outdoor pools and stylish sauna area will provide a relaxing wellness oasis. It even has an ice rink running around the circumference of the building!
Active souls can throw themselves into the high-adrenalin world of fatbike snow tours, paragliding, cross-country skiing, ice skating on a natural ice rink in the village centre, curling and tobogganing or wind down with a guided snowshoe hike on hidden paths or horse-drawn sleigh rides.
The SkyFly zipline is a particular highlight Along a 2km-long steel rope, you’ll fly through Ischgl’s Kitzloch ravine reaching up to 85 km per hour! In winter, you’ll have an amazing view of the snow-covered slopes down in the valley during your zipline flight. Skis and snowboards can be strapped to your back for the duration of the flight.
Ski sustainably
Since 2021, all Silvrettaseilbahn AG cable cars and lifts, mountain restaurants, snowmaking machines etc. have been running on 100 % green energy (no CO2 emissions) from Austria.
Thanks to the use of solar and heat recovery systems, Ischgl saves around 80,000 litres of heating oil per year. The Ischgl Slope Food mountain restaurant, the valley station of the Gampen E4 chairlift, and the new Silvretta Thermal Spa are mainly run on geothermal energy, saving about 1,800 tons of CO2 per year.
How to get to Ischgl
The Ischgl ski resort sits – at 2,872m – above the town of the same name, Ischgl, in the Paznaun area of the Austrian Tirol region. The closest airports are Innsbruck airport (100 km), Munich airport, Germany (229 km), and Zürich airport, Switzerland (234 km). Thanks to the train station in Landeck, the Paznaun is perfectly connected to the Austrian railway network. From there, you can catch bus number 260 straight to your holiday resort.
Ischgl in numbers
239km of slopes
73km of cross-country ski trails
11km length of the longest slope, the Eleven
70% gradient of the steepest slope, 14a
For more information about skiing in Ischgl, go to austria.info/en/winter/ischgl
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