 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi Snow Heads- new to the forum, and skiing really!
Looking for comments on Ischgl.
I've had 2 weeks of skiing now (Mayrhofen 2019 and Lech 2020). Looking at Ischgl for 2021.
I've done ski school for a full week each time.
Most recently I started to feel a bit more confident in Lech, pace and ability definitely improved, but I was still mainly on blues (just odd sections of reds).
I'm looking for a resort that is good for an experienced boarder, but isn't going to be really hard for me.
Ischgl has good reviews as an intermediate resort, but some forum comments suggest some Austrian slopes can be graded a bit strange...some blues more reds, some reds more blacks for example.
Do any relatively inexperienced skiers have advice or can share their thoughts on Iscghl for trip 3?
I'm not afraid to push myself a bit, but don't want to end up undoing all the confidence I built up last week!
Thanks!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I've been to Lech once, Mayrhofen a few times and many, many times to Ischgl and I wouldn't say that there is that much difference in terms of difficulty. Ischgl is possibly slightly harder but only slightly. For reference a friend of mine learned to ski in Ischgl and by the end of the week he was skiing red runs. Not sure what you mean by Austrian slopes being graded strangely - in my experience its more of a problem in France. I'd certainly say that Ischgl gets its piste grading right. There are plenty of blue slopes, particularly around Idalp and Alp Trida so you shouldn't have anything to fear.
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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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My wife started skiing in Ischgl, and it worked out fine. I have +20 weeks there, so i know the area very well. You will be fine, but don’t do the homerun late in the day - very crowded 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Thanks a lot.
Re the grading- just what I've been reading on other forums. No experience of my own to base it on.
Quite happy to hear that you think the grading is accurate- less chance of me straying accidentally into a difficult situation.
Hopefully I'll be confident down the reds by the end!
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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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Go for the Alp Trida area the frist day, and you will be fine
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@KateP21, skied once and it was pretty easy skiing compared with other Austrian places we’ve skied, easier than Lech - lots of wide pistes and highly groomed. You’ll be fine.
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Thanks @Markymark29.
Sounds like we've found our place then!
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And, of course, its apres ski is legendary if that's your thing. Its a great place, you won't regret it.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@corky...I've not made the most of apres ski yet, but it sounds like Ischgl is the place to try harder!
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Ischgl was my fourth trip - you will be fine - but as others have said, probably best to avoid the last run home.
It is narrow, crowded and often icey so there is no shame in taking the lift home on tired legs.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@KateP21, You haven't lived unless you've danced on a table in the Kitzloch with your ski boots on.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| Corky wrote: |
| @KateP21, You haven't lived unless you've danced on a table in the Kitzloch with your ski boots on. |
This sounds like a great addition to the 'must do' list
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And why not take more lessons?
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You know it makes sense.
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| pam w wrote: |
| And why not take more lessons? |
I do still plan to take some lessons, but I also want to make sure I go out without the instructor too.
I had a fantastic instructor in Lech, but as the area was so big (and I think I underestimated how much more I was working compared to nursery slopes last year) I didn't go out after the lessons.
I'm really hoping I can do at least another run or two before calling it a day next time.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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The ski school is situated at Idalp where the Fimbabahn and Silvrettabahn gondolas terminate. Though you're not a beginner there's a beginners slope that runs past the ski school. Its a very wide and gentle piste on which you can practice your turns on. There's also a blue, 2b, which would be ideal. Turn right out of the Idalp restaurant for about a 100 yards and you'll see a road. 2b is on the left just past the end of it. Make sure you don't miss it though as otherwise you'll end up on a red back to the village.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@Corky, sounds great!
Shame it's 11 months to wait.
Certainly beats the post holiday blues thinking of the next trip already.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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There are plenty of straightforward runs in Ischgl but the runs home at the end of the day are definitely not for the faint hearted.
They are very pleasant runs early in the day but after mid-afternoon they become very busy and very scraped.
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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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@T Bar, I used to do them every day but gave up as they were too much hassle
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@T Bar, Sounds like I may be getting a lift down!
As long as I can do plenty of runs and safely get back to a gondola, I'm happy not skiing all the way back down.
At least for the first few days till I see how much I still remember.
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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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@KateP21, If you want any other information regarding the skiing or anything else about Ischgl for that matter just post on this thread and I'll be happy to help.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Thanks a lot @Corky
Just waiting to decide when to book.
Hold out for more choice of hotels, or book now with a little discount Crystal have tempted me with?!
If only this was the biggest problem in life.
Thanks to all for their help.
Great to have a bit of reassurance!
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Ischgl is great, but as everyone has said, get the gondola down at the end of the day, the home run is horrible. If you want to give a try, do it in the morning when it's quiet and flatter. The very last pitch down to the Hotel Elizabeth is more black than red, and very bumpy in the afternoons.
https://www.elizabeth.at/en/hotel/location/
| Corky wrote: |
| @KateP21, You haven't lived unless you've danced on a table in the Kitzloch with your ski boots on. |
THIS!!
Also go to Niki's Stadl, The Kuhstall and the Trofana Alm. So much cracking apres.
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Thanks @HoneyBunny,
All this bits of info are just what I need to avoid a disaster!
I definitely think this could be the place to get into the apres ski more.
As we've been going away as a couple rather than a group, we've just usually gone for coffee and cake after the slopes.
Might have to change that this next trip.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Don't think they allow coffee and cakes in Ischgl.
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@Corky, 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Five half-day lessons and practice on the other halves. (Fnarr...)
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Like a couple of others in this thread I learnt to ski in Ischgl and it was only a few years later I learnt that it's apparently "not very good for beginners". Seemed fine to me!
It's perfect for a "week 3" skier though:
- The blue above Idalp (main bowl gondolas drop you into) is big and wide.
- Drop the other side in to Alp Trida and you have a choice of 2/3 nice blues.
- Both those are off the B2/B3 chairs which can be busy first thing so you may want to take the blue down to Hollboden (keeping right if you want to avoid the steeper section) and the blue off of the top of C2 is lovelly.
Once you have your ski legs back work your way over to Alp Bella for an early lunch one day. Rotisserie chicken/salad/roll = perfection. It's all reds but they are usually fine early doors but can get a little cut up and harder if you go for a later lunch (and depending on snow conditions).
Others have mentioned the home runs and I actually think they are quite nice red runs...if you do them in the morning and the snow's good. At the end of the day they get busy and while generally wide where they are steep they tend to bottlenecks before each steep section. If it's cold the bottom sections can get icy and if it's warm they get wet and sticky.
| Corky wrote: |
| @KateP21, You haven't lived unless you've danced on a table in the Kitzloch with your ski boots on. |
Naa. You haven't lived unless you've played the "Can you get up and over the rafter in the ceiling of the Kitzloch with your ski boots on" game.
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You know it makes sense.
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Or there's the best game of all where you climb over the railings on the mezzanine floor in Niki's Stadl with your ski boots on and dive head first into the crowd below hoping that they'll catch you. Only to be done when a drink or two has been taken. 
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@Mjit, fantastic info. Thank you.
I've not gone far outside of my lessons before.
Info like yours and from the others makes me feel more happy to have a plan of where I can safely go!
Not sure I'm enough of a party animal for this apres ski malarkey.
It sounds awesome!!!!
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Mjit, it's my confidence on reds I'm yet to find.
Even if I forget getting down in style, I'm not sure I could guarantee getting down in skis yet!
Still sounds like a good place to develop though.
It will definitely be nice not to be setting alarms quite so early every day for ski school!
Looking at the lessons here, they seems to only be 3hrs with no lunch (all my previous have been 4hrs with an hours break) so I think this format will naturally encourage me to explore more.
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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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My memory of Ischgl ski school was that in one way the timing was good - a more relaxed morning and change to do a couple of warm-up runs before the lessons. The down side was that with a post-lesson rest it was getting a bit late to ski with my non-lesson friends so I'd gondola down and only really got to ski with them on the last day.
The other memory I have is of always getting more time than we paid for. Lunch was meant to be an hour but the instructors were relaxed about getting their full hour break so if, as was often the case, we got back to Idalp late the lunch window would get trimmed and we'd be back out on schedule, as opposed to a shorted afternoon block.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Ischgl is suitable for drunk Dutch guys high on weed and not much else
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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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@Ionizingskin, Nonsense
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Yes @Ionizingskin, we get it. You don't like Ischgl and seem to have joined SH just to moan about it.
I've just had a look and all of your 9 post so far have been bitching about Ischgl. How about posting something positive, say a report on a resort you like?
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Ischgl should be fine for week 3 skiers.
The hardest runs are off to the right of the map, the easiest are off to the left in Switzerland where the reds shown are pretty easy - those around the new Visnitzbahn which allows better access to a quiet area (as does the new Velilleckbahn to one of the best runs, red 7 back in Austria). Damn them putting in new lifts to two of my favourite areas - they were nice and quiet!
Idalp bowl gets heavily skied so not much fun in the afternoon.
Maybe best to download later on in the day - the home runs aren't great and get very busy
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| KateP21 wrote: |
@T Bar, Sounds like I may be getting a lift down!
As long as I can do plenty of runs and safely get back to a gondola, I'm happy not skiing all the way back down.
At least for the first few days till I see how much I still remember. |
Depending where you stay, downloading on the Silvrettabahn half way can work - the bottom half is basically a road (so although busy, is generally fine), and it splits 4 ways at the bottom and has direct or near direct access to a large number of hotels - saves a walk from the bottom of the lift. Look at red 1 and the way it splits across much of the village/town. I stayed near the right hand most fork last year, and this year I am right on the left hand most!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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One thing I don't think any of us have touched on is the "Which gondola in the morning" question.
Clearly if you out the top end of town then it's hard to walk past the Silvrettabhan to one of the others but if you're in more the middle, or even bottom end of town we generally find the smaller Fimbabhan has the shortest morning queues. Easy to access via the Dorft tunnel (travellator with lift down to it from the top of the hill in town) or a short walk/lift or steps from the Pardatschgratbahn.
If you're doing lessons and running early there's a nice warm-up blue down from the Pardatschgratbahn top station to Idalp where the ski school meets. Conversly if you're running late both the Silvrettabahn and Fimbabahn drop you straight in to Idalp. Off either Silvretta or Fimbah the ski school office/normal meet point is at the opposite end of all the tables and benches outside Idalp, between the kiddy pen and the (I think B1/Velillbahn) chair lift.
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| Quote: |
Austrian slopes can be graded a bit strange...some blues more reds, some reds more blacks for example.
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To some extent these are all relative. For example in Italy and Austria most blacks appear to be bashed smooth, more like red runs in France. There is no universal standard for grading runs.
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FAQ
