 Poster: A snowHead
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Austria's best kept secret from the brits (majority of)?
Anyone been? How do you rate it? Done Saalbach (great), St Anton (you have to go at least once) and Schaldming (OK-not great). Can't decide for next year yet.
Heard the apres is crazy!
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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 wuz there, ohhhhhw, 10 years or so ago.
Great skiing I recall. Good piste side powder runs in good conditions (i.e. lift served). Apres is OK if you like whole pubs singing along to crap music.
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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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Going there for the first time this Christmas - I'll let you know 
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Philip, I skied Ischgl in 1968, though we were based (as a schoolgroup) just up the valley at Galtur.
The skiing was great then ... so I guess it's terrific now!
I've also skied St Anton, numerous times, Saalbach twice and Schladming once ... but those trips were mainly a lot more recent. I don't think anywhere in Austria matches St Anton for off-piste. I'd estimate that Schladming and Saalbach both rank about equal to Ischgl for piste skiing. Ischgl, of course, has the interest of the Swiss link.
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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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Philip Prior, go for it.
Great resort for boarders (even though there aren't many there).
Loads of untracked powder by the side of the piste, no flat bits, great park.
PS - I love being in pubs singing to crap music - it's not something you get in the UK.
You could of course go to France and stand in a bar full of brits, close your eyes and imagine you are in London.
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Worked the 85/86 season  Been back a few times over the years for day trips. Unfortunatly Ischgl has sold out. Nearly all of the Off-Piste has been serrvice with new lifts. Apres is great but its allways been.
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Was there for the first time in Feb 06 - great place, excellent lift service for on and off piste runs, and best apres I've ever experienced...and without blowing my own trumpet, I know a thing or two about apres... 
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Was there for the first time in Feb 06 - great place, excellent lift service for on and off piste runs, and best apres I've ever experienced...and without blowing my own trumpet, I know a thing or two about apres...
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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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Philip,
I've Skied Ischgl 4 times. It is one of the best. Skiing is high end intermediate, Apres superb. the only aspect that is less than grat is the run back from Idalp in the evening.
Give it a go you will enjoy it enormously, and remember to go up to Galtur on one day, Sunday is usually best.
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Philip Prior, I was in Iscghl last year, and I thought it was a better overall resort than the 3V or Zermatt that I did in the same year. The infastructure is absolutely first class (last year Reuters 'Where to ski & snowboard' voted it as the best infrastructure in Europe (or possibly the world). There's fast detachable 6/8 seater chairs everywhere. The ski area isn't as large as somewhere like the 3V, but it's varied, accessible and well layed out. As for Apres-Ski, then it's top class Austrian dancing-on-tabels at 5pm in the afternoon. The village itself though is also attractive and very pleasant. Accomodation wasn't cheap, but both prices on the mountain and resort were reasonable (e.g. London pub prices)
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Going there last week of Jan next year... Heard lots of good things about it so looking forward to it. Hopefully it will be full of piste skiers... leave all the lovely powder to me 
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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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Diarmuid, We are going to Ischgl January 20th with Inghams and staying at the Jagerhof Hotel as it looks very central and right next to the moving walkway to the lifts.
http://www.jaegerhof-ischgl.at/
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| Diarmuid wrote: |
| Hopefully it will be full of piste skiers... leave all the lovely powder to me |
I've found it to be better off piste than St Anton cos it's not so full of powderhounds and everythings not tracked out by lunchtime.
There are a lot of families and a lot of pi$$heads and less serious skiers .. works out well cos it leaves the slopes quieter and by the time you get to the bar everyone's been drinking for at least a couple of hours and the atmosphere's nice and lively .. also they tend not be out and about quite so early in the morning.
Top resort ... a few years ago you very rarely heard an English voice but that seems to be changing rapidly .. just hope it doesn't change the atmosphere too much cos the apres is something special.
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You know it makes sense.
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Anybody used a guide in Ischgl for offpiste skiing who they would recommend?
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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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| DB wrote: |
| Anybody used a guide in Ischgl for offpiste skiing who they would recommend? |
I'd be interested in this request too...
surfski Thanks for that but I think my budget will be in the 50-60 E range. ischgl.com seems to have quite a bit there.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Which is the best route to get there on a diy basis?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Quote: |
DB wrote:
Anybody used a guide in Ischgl for offpiste skiing who they would recommend?
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What follows is entirely subjective....When we were there last April looking in the shops we saw very little off-piste gear in the shops, and we didn't find see the guides office. Maybe the local ski school/tourist office would be a good place to start ?
Just up the valley (Heidelburger hut) has some great touring country.. it's about 2 hours on skins, and would be worth staying for a couple of days at least
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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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ski,
As I said before nearly all of the Off-Piste (within the bounds of the Ski Area) has been serviced with new lifts and Pistes so there not much left IMHO.
When I was there in 85 we would take a Helicopter from Galtur and go Off-Piste above Matun (Just up the road from Ischgl). Unfortunatly HeloSkiing is Forbidden in the Tirol now. The main man (Mountain guide then ) was Manfred Lorenz. He is now alot older & the Director of the Avalanche Centre in Galtur . The Lorenz family virutally own Galtur.
You need to get over to the Swiss Side in Ischgl, here you have more Off-Piste opportunities. So I reconmend finding a Swiss Guide out of Samnaum.
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tessaventer, Ischgl is only an hour or so from Innsbruck if you hire a car, a direct bus or a train to the bottom of the valley (can't remember the name of the town off hand...). All in all, it's not difficult to get too....
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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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| Guvnor wrote: |
| (can't remember the name of the town off hand...). |
Landeck.
It's driveable from Munich, Friedrichshafen & Zurich as well ... there don't seem to be that many flights to Innsbruck unfortunately.
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apparnetly ischgl is the gay skiing capital of the world or something?!
so if youre after apres you may want to reconsider!
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marctimms, Didn't see anything to confirm that rumour when I visited....but there was some fabulous decor and everybody had immaculate hair
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Guvnor, i'm not speaking from personal experience - i've just read it in a couple of places! i think its a quite recent thing...
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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As far as I know many large Austrian ski resorts (like other countries) have gay weeks (male and female). The whole resort isn't taken over it's just that the gay population increases and they are more outgoing. There's a gay week in St Anton and Ischgl had a gay week in 2005 (this might be a annual event too).
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tessaventer wrote: Which is the best route to get there on a diy basis?
Tessaventer, we drive to Ischgl every year and have been doing so for the past 23 years. I'm not suggesting that the road route we use is the best route, period - but as far as we are concerned, it's the best route for us. Anyway, you got to get to Calais first. We always allow ourselves 14 hours with plenty of breaks.
From Calais we would first turn off at Reims and head for Strasbourg and then on to Mulhouse. From Mulhouse we would head on to Basel and then head toward Zurich. From Zurich we would head on toward Feldkirk to hit on the Innsbruck road to Ischgl. Passing through 3 sister ski resorts.. See, Diss, Kappl, and through 3 short tunnels before being greeted with open arms by Ischgl's scaly mascot- the giant green alligator!.
There a no visible off piste ski school that I know of, but 7 years ago we got chatting to a couple of off duty ski instructors and they proudly pointed out to us that Ischgl has a number of long itinerary runs and invited us to join them skiing a few of them after lunch.
Even these days Ischgl still retains a somewhat uncompromising stance with their first language. I suppose that's what makes Ischgl stand out against a cosmopolitan ski resort like St Anton.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Can someone confirm that:
They take Swiss Francs in the Austrian half of the ski area
They take Euro in the Swiss half of the ski area
Staying in Samnaun and would like to know how many currencies I'll need!
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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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Over the last few days I've been looking at going at Christmas, but the accommodation in brochures and advertised on web seems extraordinarily expensive. Has anybody any recommendations for a good three star hotel which isn't going to cost an arm or a leg?
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JUST BOOKED HOTEL GARNI-IDA FOR A WEEK IN MARCH B&B 4STAR WITH INGHAMS @ 533PP INC FLIGHTS AND TRANSFERS SEEMED GOOD TO ME
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You know it makes sense.
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hobbiteater, you should be OK with Euros. The swiss are not picky about the origins of their money, as long as it's real money. The Austrians are like minded. I always used to be able to pay with Deutschmarks in Austria, so at a guess I'd say they won't reject your Francs either.
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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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NEILSKI, the difference in prices between Xmas and March is what you might call substantial... plus add your evening meal, another £250 a week probably, and it starts not looking so good!
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Poster: A snowHead
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STILL CHEAPER THAN HALFBOARD OPTIONS AT SOME HOTELS WITH A ABILITY TO CHOOSE YOUR DINING TASTES AND TIMES
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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hobbiteater, Although Swissland is not a member of the European Community, Samnaun will still accept euro currency as well as swiss francs. It is unlikely that Ischgl will readily accept swiss francs, you'll probably have to twist their arm a bit. What's wrong with Euros?
Enjoy, Samnaun.
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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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NEILSKI Switch off the CAPS LOCK please, not good etiquette
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hobbiteater,
It is quite a while since I last visited Ischgl (Back in the days of Schillings) but in my experience most x border ski currency areas will happily accept each others currency but you stand to lose quite a bit on the exchange rate compared with buying at the bank.
I am off to Samnaun myself this year and intend taking both currencies but paying for as much as possible by credit card as this usually works out cheapest.
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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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If you eat in Samnaun you will be asked before it is rung up on the till if you are using Swiss Francs or Euros. Everything is priced in both currencies. Switzerland accepts everything, on the last day earlier this year we paid the first part of the food bill in CHF and the balance in Euros - not a problem and the till handled it easily.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Jane L,
In Switzerland they accept any legal currency
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Jane L, any other handy hints about Samnaun?
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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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| hobbiteater wrote: |
| Jane L, any other handy hints about Samnaun? |
don't go there .. it's deathly boring and you've a massive punt or bus to get to the cable car .... oh yeah, and it's got a cable car ( i hate them)
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Anybody been skiing at Ischgl around Easter time?
Was thinking of going there this season but am a bit unsure of the quality of the snow around that time - How does is it compare to the snow elsewhere at this time of the year (last two Easter were spent at Solden and the Stubai glacier)?
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FAQ
