 Poster: A snowHead
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Hello all,
I have been a reader of this forum for years and am grateful for all of the in-depth insights the community has compiled over the years. For someone who only started traveling to Europe for snowboarding 5 years ago, this site has been an immense help. By way of background, I go on an annual 'boarding trip with 5-6 of my friends as our "guys" trip. We are all early 30s, so still get after it and can party with a young crowd but take longer to recover  .
Trails: That out of the way, I just returned from my third trip to Ischgl and overall enjoyed my stay. As I mentioned, I am a snowboarder, so I found the Samnaun area to be the best for the off-piste powder. Unfortunately, we had a microcosm of a full season in the week we were there (spring warmth, ice, then snow & fresh powder), but in the few years that I have gone, I have consistently enjoyed the Ns and M runs for off-piste runs that still end easily back to the lifts (no hiking for me). The main B and C runs are always crowded but offer great views of engineering of Ischgl. The Ds and Es going to Taja (on-mountain apres) and the top of the area can be fun but also seem to be most impacted by low clouds/minor white outs.
Apres: The apres is certainly fun at Trofana, Schatzi, Kuhstahl, Hotel Post, and Free Ride. Champagneheutte is always hit or miss depending on the day and crowd. Thankfully the crowds weren't as kid-laden as other weeks, but it still wasn't an overly young crowd by any means. If you go with a group, there is always something to do, but some apres and post-apres nights are better than others (as to be expected).
Food: Mostly skipped breakfast to make early runs. Lunch was similar most places in terms of offerings but always hit the spot after a late night or an early day off the mountain. That said, we typically ate lunch on the mountain at a lodge where the food is more about sustenance than decadence.
Lodging: We have typically stayed next to Schatzi near the center of town, but we've rotated the exact hotel each year. Aurikel seems to be the best bang-for-buck in regards to location and convenience without any frills or high-end amenities. If you go Aurikel, you'll have a great location at a fair price, just don't expect clean sheets, towels, etc. on a daily basis (once a week restock, at most).
Price: Coming from NYC, the prices for food were very favorable (especially dinner at Salnerhof and lunch at Gramaser). Compared to lift tickets out west in USA, the Iscghl passes were quite affordable, especially with the hotel discount. Overall cost of the trip was $1850 plus airfare per guy and we lived liked kings in regards to food and drinks and festivities.
Overall: I enjoy Ischgl. I know many on this board think it's over-marketed, gash, and/or over-hyped, but I think it has its place for a young guy's rotation if going with a group of friends. If you are looking for a traditional log-cabin village then Ischgl will disappoint. If you want a quirky Euro flair to go with your snowboarding experience and understand there's some up-sell and compromises that come with that, then it's a fine destination.
Next trip: We have already booked Ischgl again for next year (just a deposit for Feb 6th through 13th) but wanted to hedge our booking with another resort and decide later in the year once we start looking at flights. We were thinking of another week to further strengthen the likelihood of having a younger crowd (girls) but worry that late March may make Ischgl a download-only mountain without any proper powder for snowboarding off-piste.
If we leave Austria, it seems that for a "young" guy's trip, Val T., Alpe D'Houez, Les Deux Alpes, and Livigno, are our best potential bets (note we have already done Val D. and St. Anton). Out of Ischgl, and the options I mentioned (as well as any others I missed), where would be the next best place for a guy's trip in terms of 'boarding, apres, and late night post-apres?
I understand that D'Houez used to be tame, but they are hosting this year's Winter Tomorrowland festival and have had the Folie Douce brand as part of their mountain for some time now, so they must have built up a younger apres-friendly scene as of recent. Also, would the best weeks be in mid-to-late March? It seems like French and UK holiday coincides with early-to-mid February, making those mountains filled with kids, decreasing the party scene, and increasing the transit time to/from airports immensely.
Many thanks in advance for your help!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Excuse ignorance but what are the N,M,B,C ,D & E runs please?
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Yes. Sorry for not explaining that. My group wasn't even attempting to butcher the names and just used the letters and numbers. N1 over to the Ms is my personal favorite run since its quick but has steep faces with deep powder and allows you to quickly get back on trail if you get stuck. Also near a lodge and transfers back to Idalp and over to Samnaun.
That said, does anyone have any opinions on other areas for young guys and how they'll stack up against Ischgl (specifically, Alpe D'houze and Val Thorens and how they compare to Iscghl)? Many thanks again for any help and insights!
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