Samnaun or Ischgl? February half term 2020 with kids.

A snowHead

Any advice would be much appreciated. I am in two minds between Samnaun and the Ischgl area. A bit of background info. We have really enjoyed the Skiwelt for the last 4 years but fancy a change. We are all good Piste skiers. This year, although we had a fantastic time, the snow became very slushy after lunchtime. Fancy trying something higher this year but want to avoid horrendous queues and very busy pistes. Skiwelt has always been very manageable – this year we never had to wait more than 5 mins for uplift even from base station in Scheffau in the morning. Hassle free piste skiing is my main objective .These are the pros and cons of both as I see it.

Ischgl – The après bit is not going to be of interest on this holiday. Accommodation is very reasonably priced in Kappl, but we would be driving 15 minute to the lifts (the apartment is not close to the ski bus stop.) – we will have a hire car. How easy is it to park near the main lifts? It sounds as if the Silvrettabahn should be avoided if possible (queues) – Is it possible to park near to the other lifts with skis and kids in tow? Always love to ski back to resort whenever possible – but there seem to be quite a few voices saying that this should be avoided due to crowded, unruly, and icy pistes – are these comments fair? We would consider a day skiing Kappl and See - this is not a priority but by staying in Kappl we would be forced to buy the area lift pass anyway.

Samnaun – The apartment available is around 600 Euro more expensive than Kappl, but is located in the Laret area near to the end of run 60 which I think is a strong positive. We would need to take the ski bus or drive to the main cable car to get out in the morning. Would this be a much quieter/enjoyable experience in terms of uplift in the mornings and skiing home in the afternoon, as this is what we are really after? Would there be that much difference between here and Ischgl in terms of queuing and crowded pistes?

We won’t be eating out in the evenings as we will self cater. Supermarkets in Samaun look light on the ground, so it looks like a 20 minute drive down the valley to Mpries might be the best option?

I would really appreciate any advice as I am in a bit of a pickle. Struggling to decide which option to go for!!

Cheers all.

A snowHead

Ischgl is very focused on people who actually stay in Ischgl itself, the ski bus set up for those who dont stay in the village is pretty poor by Austrian standards. That said there is a fair sized free car park near to the Silvrettabahn which works well enough for those not staying in Ischgl. Assuming you are not stuck at the far end of the car park it is not too far (though assume 5 minutes through an underpass) a walk to the lift. Do note that Ischgl residents pay less for the ski pass, not much less a couple of Euros a day.

High season queues happen everywhere so yes there is a chance of a wait but dont think the Silvrettabahn will be worse than elsewhere, if you are driving you will want to get there early to be sure of a parking spot so that should help.

No doubt the runs back to Ischgl are the least attractive part of the skiing, they can be icy and moguled. They are narrow in parts and do seem to attract a minority who ski without thought for others. I too much prefer skiing all the way down but if any of your party are nervous skiers or get tired at the end of the day then the lifts down from the mid station are a good option, there really is not much they would be missing out on.

I have only skied down to Samnaun rather than stay there but it seems to be a pretty small place, it is also pretty remote so cant imagine that the choice of supermarkets will be huge and being Switzerland will be expensive. In heavy snow access can be difficult, so it might be more than a 20 minute drive into Austria. Officially you are restricted with what you can take into Switzerland (its not in the customs union). Whilst it is very unlikely that you would get stopped on the way back from the supermarket, Swiss customs have been known to check cars (usually Swiss ones) if they think the drivers have been shopping across the border.

Have you considered Serfaus / Fiss? I would have thought it is more similar to Skiwelt than Ischgl and might be more attractive to you. It has a similar (though slightly smaller) ski area, is pretty high and not as expensive. Not an apres ski hot spot much more family focused but that seems a plus for you. It is very near to Ischgl (there is a plan to link one of the villages lower down the Paznauntal, See, into the Serfaus ski area) so is likely to have very similar snow conditions.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

I've never stayed in Samnaun but usually drop in once or twice a week when I'm in Ischgl and:
- There really doesn't seem to be much at all in town.
- The busses seem to be fairly regular but the stops at the and of 60 not the best signposted with, from memory a rather steep, slippy road down from the end of the run to the bus stop.
- The gondola up is the old 'two huge, double-deck standing-only boxes' type which can mean a lot of time standing around in ski boots.

On the Ischgl side there's abigger than Tesco Metro-sized supermarket and a choice of the large outside car park (that tends to feed in to the Silvrettabhan lift) or the new covered multi-story (with tunnel, probably with travelator, through to the Pardatschgratbahn, or from there a short walk to the Fimbabahn). The home runs end up quite low so tends to get icy ether end of the season - and the end of the Pardatschgratbahn run tends to be mogally by the end of the day. None of this is too much trouble for good skiers but far too many blue-only skiers try to ski it and it's dodging them than is the biggest headache. Unless your children are older and good skiers I'd just bubble down. Hell, sometimes we just can't be bothered with the hastle and bubble down.

As you won't be looking to hit the apres too hard I'd also look at Mathon for accomodation. Tiny place with just 1 chair/2 runs but only a 5min drive/free bus up the road and qualifies for the VIP pass (247 vs. 290 for 6 days in 17/1 Cool

.

Oh, and for child-friendly apres in Ischgl I'd pop in to the Kitzloch one day and ask them to reserve you a table, saying you have children. They will make sure you get tucked somewhere safe from drunken ski boots.

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Welcome to snowheads @lemoncake,
I know this dilema well.
Just back last night from the Silvetta area. We opted to stay in Galtur at the end of the Paznauntal. The reaoning being that although I've skied Ischgl, Galtur and Samnaun a great many times over the years, we also wanted to have a couple of new trips. We took in both See and Kappl. Has to be sdaid that both See and Kappl were brilliant. no queues other than about 2 minutes on the Kapple Bergbahn on the first assent. Both Areas were excellent, although the massive amount of sun on did soften conditions on the day we skied Kappl, buth this is very unusual for Feb.
The bus service along the Valley is excellent, although will be crowded at peak times, noticeably when exiting Ischgl. We just left te hire car parked up, its too much faffing about, when the bus system is straight forward. Galtur to Ischgl is about 10 mins, Kappl is about another 15-20 minutes, and See another 12 mins.
Realistically getting into Ischgl isn't a problem, use Prenner Tunnel or Florianiplaz (Fimbabahn or Pardaschgratbahn) as your stop for lifts (Silvretta Bahn generates some big queues at morning peak).

For me the variety, options, and qty of skiing means I want to stay on the Austrian side, rather than Swiss. Pricing as you've seen is lower in the outlying villages. So, the decision for me was Galtur, because it gave me close proximity to the majortity of the skiing without 'stupid' pricing. All the villages are well catered for with supermarkets (see is actually quite a large village despite only have a 40k ski area). Ischgl/Samnaun definately tookup the majority of our ski days, and the height does help snow quality. In fact' the snow quality was excellent even with above average temps.
Just to add more 'Brain Ache' the following are also really good options that I've used for Half term, fly to friedrichshafen and use Sixt hire has always worked for me.

Warth Schroken
Damuels
Servaus Fiss

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Many thanks all. The advice is much appreciated and all makes sense! From favouring Samnaun, having read these, I am now swaying back towards the Kappl option!! The accommodation is half the price so any minor inconvenience in parking etc will probably be worth it. If the queues get too irritating then we can always have a play in Kappl/See.

I have looked into Fiss/Serfaus/Ladis - but at the moment there is nothing attractive on the apartment front. I'll continue to keep an eye out.

Thanks Bob - I hadn't heard of Warth Schroken or Damuels so will take a look.

If anybody has any experience of staying in Samnaun then it would be great to hear. I don't want to right it off just yet.

It would also be good to hear from any Snowheads who have had experience of Ischgl and the Ski Welt over half term, in as far as crowds are concerned. Appreciate that it will depend on when German/Austrian and Dutch holidays fall - but in overall terms. It would be good to know what to expect.

Thanks again.

LC

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@lemoncake,
I've been to both Kappl and Samnaun with kids at Feb half term.
I will try and write a bit more this evening when I have a bit more time, but I don't think you will be disappointed with either.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Thanks T Bar

After all it is free

@lemoncake,
Right here goes
Went to the area first time many years ago and stayed in Galtur , however first time we went in Feb was probably around 12-14 years ago and our last visit about 5 years ago we went each year after our first visit whilst the kids were at school because it worked really well. . We have always been with our two kids and another family.

First time was to Samnaun Laret, Samnaun has a reputation of being a bit of an unattractive souless place and the main bit is not the most appealing of places basically being a conglomeration of hotels and duty free shopping. Laret is a hamlet down the road from Samnaun and is a genuinely attractive appealing rustic place which we really liked, though it would not feature highly for those who seek nightlife. We self catered and my memory of the store was that it was quite adequate and not expensive (Samnaun is a duty free enclave) and the prices are not the same as elsewhere in Switzerland.

There is only one way up the mountain and that is by the cable car part way between Samnaun and Laret but with no accommodation immediately to hand. There is a huge car park at the cable car station, the cable car is high capacity but does get some queues in the morning though these on our stay were generally less than those that could occur in Ischgl. You can also get a bus to the station. There is no run directly to the cable car you either can get a run to Samnaun and then have a long pole or short bus back to it or you can ski to Laret and get a bus back to it. If you have parked at the station and skied back rather than get the lift back down at the end of the day the driver will have to get the bus back to pick up the car.

We liked the place so much that we tried to go back the following year but the place we had rented was not available and everywhere else that was seemed a lot more expensive so went to Kappl.
There is a lot of accommodation sold as being in Kappl but the area it covers is very strung out. The first year we were down in the valley below the main village and on the main road up to Ischgl I would not recommend this it is a steep sided valley and the bottom is very cold and dark in Feb it was also pretty noisy with traffic and suffered a bit with diesel fumes when outside. Though the accommodation itself was of high quality inside.
We then found a place above the valley though outside the main village which was reasonably priced and with a very pleasant landlady to which we kept returning whilst the children were at school.
You mention supermarkets, we self catered and found the supermarkets got absolutely rammed in both Ischgl and Kappl when the lifts closed , a much more pleasant option was driving tot he MPries just outside See which was cheaper and far less busy.
There is a bus service to Ischgl but it does not pass all the accommodation and we always drove and parked near the Pardatschatgratbahn, the parking was free but filled up very quickly in the morning there was also an underground car park which you could pay for . If you wanted free parking and came a bit later there was a lot of it over the road but it involved a bit more of a walk. The queues for the lift first thing were not to bad but there always were queues and got a lot busier 9-10, later on was fine. They have upgraded the lift since our last visit which may have made a difference.

I cannot compare the queueing here with Ski Welt as the only time I went was so long ago that the lift system will have changed(it was my first skiing holiday) We did go to other places in Austria prior to this though, in general it was better for queues than Flachau but a bit busier than Lech , probably on average about the same as our visit to Obertauern however it varied a fair bit from year to year . We live in Scotland and our holidays are not always the same as England sometimes they were. However the factor that made the biggest difference was Fasching, when our holiday coincided with Fasching things were significantly busier.

Up the mountain there could be queues in places though they were generally easy to avoid when you learned where they were at certain times of day.

In general prices here are higher than the Austrian norm and look at booking ski hire on line outwith Ischgl if possible Kappl is much cheaper. Lessons are also expensive. After great lessons at Samanun we always put our kids into ski school there though this involved an early rise to get them over in time.
The other areas in the valley are worth skiing but in all honesty for a first visit there is masses to do in the Ischgl Samnaun area and looking elsewhere is not necessary.

Any questions please ask.

I have stayed in Kappl when skiing at Ischgl, though not high season (if I go to Ischgl it is either early or late season). I would say it is a much nicer place than the collection of flashy hotels, brash bars and swanky shops clustered around the bottom of the lifts at Ischgl though obviously without the rather good skiing area attached. Driving to Ischgl and back is no great grief, though it is possible the car park might fill up at busy times (the covered ones are not free, certainly for non residents). Whilst I have had no real queue issues high season is likely to be different. Besides the issues with the home runs, the only other potential negative for the skiing is that it is pretty exposed, in bad weather there is little skiing amongst the trees and the lifts, especially on the border ridge, can get closed. In good weather there is some really nice skiing, the runs down to Samnaun being a highlight, there is a reasonable amount of off piste too if that is of interest.

I have skied at Skiwelt in high season and there are noticeable bottlenecks such as at Aualm, Kälbersalvenbahn and in the afternoons Osthang (though less now with the new lift). The pistes can get pretty busy too, the home run to Scheffau often gets crowded for example. Brixen seems to be very popular with Dutch visitors and is noticeably busier during Dutch holidays. February ski conditions are usually good, this year has been exceptional and soft pistes have been the norm everywhere in the alps. The only piste I can think of that often has poor snow conditions is the red run down to Brixen.

Warth is part of the Arlberg, lovely place with some nice not too challenging skiing but with as much challenge as you can cope with in other parts of the area. However it is very small and, as all the Arlberg is, not the cheapest spot. Given your comments above I doubt you will find accommodation at a price you might like, no harm in trying though.

Damüls is reputed to be the snowiest place in Austria (Warth claims the same thing) but it is not so big, certainly nothing of the size of Skiwelt.

Do note that this year "high season" has been very spread out. This week is Fasching / Karneval week which is one of the busiest of the year. This is down to a very late Easter but in many places half term weeks eg UK have been much earlier. Some years Fasching (Shrove Tuesday) falls in the middle of February, maybe coinciding with UK half term, which makes for much busier, sometimes crazy busy, holiday weeks.

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Thanks T Bar and Munich irish for your fantastic posts. I have hunted down some YouTube videos of the runs into Samnaun and it very much looks like the apartment is a couple of hundred yards from the bottom of piste 60. It looks like a lovely long run too! I am between a rock and a hard place, and although the more expensive option, the ski in ski out factor of Samnaun is nudging its nose ahead again......indecisive moi?!!!

Bob - I have had a quick look at Warth......and it looks fantastic. BUT at the moment it is an option too many as my brain is fried! One to look into more seriously next year for sure.

As an aside one thing I forgot to add is that we are driving from Stuttgart... (don't ask!).. Very Happy

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@munich_irish[/b], ')Damüls is reputed to be the snowiest place in Austria (Warth claims the same thing) but it is not so big, certainly nothing of the size of Skiwelt.

Yep, and they are both relatively close. On my visit to Warth, a caught the 6:30 flight to FDH, drove to Damuels, skied the afternoon there (nostalga kick.) then drove the rest of the way to Warth. Bloody loved it..

It was the claimed snow status that interested me on my first visit. Last time we were there was brilliant 60% off piste for a week.......

Help!!

Samnaun or Ischgl? February half term 2020 with kids.

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