 Poster: A snowHead
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Christmas in Ischgl is fine. Over the previous couple of years many other resorts have struggled but Ischgl has not.
You are correct in that it may be that all 238km of piste are not open throughout the whole season, this can be caused in a few places by not enough snow coverage, however a more common cause is too much snow in the wrong places....Red 7 for example runs through an amazing valley, but sometimes it is closed while avalanche control takes place. Snow is managed very well at Ischgl.
At either end of the season the main slopes down to Ischgl can be a little patchy, but the piste bashers and snow cannons minimise this. The pistes throughout the season are expertly cared for. There is no shortage of off piste if that is what you like. There is overall a good range of grades of slope.
There are also some other resorts close by (Kappl Galtur See) these are all in the same valley and can be reached easily by skibus, however most people remain in Ischgl.
Ischgl is not a 'chocolate box' type resort but is still very pleasant. You can have 'party all night' or 'nice and quiet', which ever you want.
Accommodation is plentiful, you can choose to stay in Ischgl itself or one of the villages either way along the valley. You can choose to stay in exclusive hotels or small apartments. The ski bus is really good and when this service stops there are many taxis.
There are three lifts up to the main areas. Many use them up and down. Skiing down to Ischgl is certainly not for beginners.There are plenty of lockers both at the valley and mountain stations. You can ski over to Switzerland. There are many restaurants and bars up the mountain as well as in Ischgl itself.
The lift system is very modern, and getting around is very easy. There is even a travelator from the centre of town to one of the gondolas up.
There are no shortages of places to eat or drink in Ischgl, it may be an idea to make a reservation if you decide to eat in a certain place, but in my experience you can get away without doing this most of the time.
Ischgl is very focused on winter sports as the main revenue generation, therefore everyone works very hard to try to provide for the tourists.
Hope this helps.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Ischgl is a good choice for Christmas. Obviously the condition of the piste very much depends on the overall snow cover. Generally the pistes are kept in good condition with reasonable grooming overnight every night. The run back to the village does get very 'cut up' towards the end of the day but that's true of most resorts. It is a very easy village to get around. the central area is predominately pedestrian with just service vehicles now and again. There are loads of restaurants to choose from, but, it would still be advisable to choose one and book in advance for Christmas day. There are several access points from different areas of the village so check where they are in relation to the hotels you may be looking at. Again, fairly obvious I know but you will pay more to be close to the central access. Ski Total has a small hotel The Abendrot centrally located but probably already full.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Off to Schladming for the week Before Christmas? Flying on the 16th. Anyone had any experience of Schladders pre Christmas?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I was in Ischgl last Christmas and New Year and will be there again this year. Even given last year's very slow start to the season the snow in Ischgl was pretty much as good as anywhere. Piste preparation is excellent. The lift system is arguably the best in the world - I certainly haven't been anywhere better and can't understand why people choose to put up with resorts in Switzerland, France and Italy with old systems lacking investment and leading to unacceptable queues at peak times.
In terms of opening you should probably expect 60-70% of the lifts to be open for Christmas day and 90-100% by around 28th when it starts to get busier.
Regarding restaurants there is a good choice but I would try to book 2-3 days in advance if possible and maybe before you go for Christmas Eve and NYE.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| james75 wrote: |
| Off to Schladming for the week Before Christmas? Flying on the 16th. Anyone had any experience of Schladders pre Christmas? |
You'll have a fantastic time. Schladming is empty at that time but the vast majority of the lifts will be open subject to normal snow conditions. The only thing that sometimes happens is that the links aren't always open and so you would need to get the free bus between the mountains. There will be times midweek when you will feel as though you have the whole mountain to yourself.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Not sure what Ischgl is like for the Xmas week on its own but when we planned to go years ago for Xmas/New Year we couldn't get accommodation at all trying to book in October and ended up staying in Galtur, I would recommend booking early.
The skiing was great on our visit, we have been many times subsequently though later in the season.
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