 Poster: A snowHead
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It seems to attract a lot of votes as a bash location but googling suggests that although it's big, with a great lift system and might be perfect for the adventurous intermediate & beyond it might not be suitable for all as it:
"is not ideal for beginners or timid intermediates"
has no easy runs for skiing back to the village (if so, what happens to the less experienced if the conditions shut the gondola down  )
I also found comments that it
has few seriously steep runs for experts to play with
has very little wooded terrain to give shelter in bad weather
is expensive with Eurotrash-style après-ski
Go on, sell it to me, those that know it - tell me about it!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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ignore everything else, this is all that matters "with Eurotrash-style après-ski"
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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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Kristof 
Hmm I am overwhelmed by the responses - so perhaps it isn't that great a resort then!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Where is Axsman he's been singing the praises of Ischgl since he came back from there.
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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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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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How does Ischgl compare to St Anton? Also how is Ischgl pronounced? Is it "ishgul" sort of? 
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| Butterfly wrote: |
| skisimon wrote: |
| Butterfly, it's very simple. Ischgl is in Austria, ergo... |
So's Wengen and I heard more than a few 'not so complimentary' remarks about that resort, particularly its lift system.
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Unless Wengen has moved from it's location recently, you will find it in Switzerland, close to the Jungfrau, Eiger and Monch mountains.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Oops - sorry, thought Wengen was Austrian, probably cos of its German sounding name  .
Serious question: On the basis I have only skied in Serbia and the Haute-Savoie region of France, can you enlighten me as to why Austria's highly rated?
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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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Butterfly, From the point of view of the people on snowHeads that are very fond of it: it's full of mad, fun, dancing and singing p!ssheads.
It's also got some absolutely fantastic skiing. It was the number one destination from the UK until France opened up it's mass-market, cardboard box, megaresorts.
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You know it makes sense.
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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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I'm might make the trip over from Whistler for that!
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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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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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Axsman, it looks just as embrassing when you watch it a second time. Objective achieved. 
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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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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Axsman, what fun 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Butterfly, On a serious note, Ischgl is the best all-round resort I've been to (and beats Chamonix and 3V hands down).
* Lift system is the best in Europe (according to last year's Reuters guide)
* 95% of pistes are above 2000m, so although it's not the hightest resorts, it's one of the most snow-sure.
* Grooming is good
* It's not the cheapest resort in Austria, but prices on the mountain/valley are UK pub prices. None of the 9 Euros a pint lark you get in the big french resorts (I paid 9.50 Euros for a metric pint in Chamonix this year).
* There are not any extreme couloirs, but there's a lot of off-piste due to the open faces above the tree line and several semi-marked ski-routes. If you're a big mountain extreme free-ride skier, go elsewhere, but otherwise you should find enough to challenge you if you know where to look.
* It's a party town, but yet upmarket and very pretty. Compared to the chavy english pissheads in some major french resorts, the happy drunken germans/austrians are great.
In terms of the negatives. The home runs are moderate reds, made complicated by the fact they get crowded, and heavily cut up (and hence icy) at the end of the day. But with 3 gondolas coming down there's an easy option.
If you have complete beginners in your group, then a trip up the road on the free skibus to Galtur provides better beginner terrain.
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What in the name of all things sheep ears is a 'metric' pint. Not happy with their own measures, the French nick a good old imperial measure of ale and give it the metric treatment... 
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kamikaze, sounds just the job-let's go!! Admin, wheeere arrrre yooooou? Please lets go to Ischgl!??
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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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Sounds great. Pity my German is so cr*p, though; I don't feel like a tourist in France, which is always a bonus.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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It'll make a nice change from France for a lot of people too including myself which is nice. I've been to France loads lately, will be nice to go back to Austria again. Last time I went was March 2007 although that was a very low resort indeed and so it had suffered a bit in the poorer 2006/2007 season for snow.
Has anyone who has been to Ischgl before got any suggestions on a hotel etc that might make a suitable venue in case admin decides that Ischgl it is for the SBB?
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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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Axsman, hope you enjoyed being tied up in the basement .
Great video - thanks for posting it. I am actually quite interested in the idea of Austria as I feel so much more at home in a German speaking area than in France. What had really concerned me was the comments in reviews that it's not a resort for novices or timid intermediates and so I could see myself restricted to one or two slopes while everyone else had fun elsewhere. You've seen me ski - would you say I'd get on ok there?
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Butterfly, if you look at the piste plan of Ischgl you can see an awful lot of green and red pistes. I don't think it would be a problem for you. I would recommend getting the lift back down from Idalp at the end of the day because the valley run can get very icy and crowded, and half the people on it are, shall we say, not completely sober
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You know it makes sense.
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Steilhang, am not up for reds yet but maybe next year will be the one in which I have the breakthrough moment
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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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Butterfly, I have not been to Ischgl for some years, but I do remember it as being very tame. I'm sure you will be just fine!
The run down to Samnaun is probably one of the most impressive bits of scenery I've ever seen. Not to be missed. Just don't forget that there are Austrian customs guys standing at the top on the way back 
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Steilhang wrote: |
| Butterfly, Just don't forget that there are Austrian customs guys standing at the top on the way back |
Ooh, men in uniform.....
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Butterfly, do you need a large ski area and the worlds best aprer? Because Ishgl is NOT cheap. There are loads of great Austrian resorts at half the price.
What is it that you want from the holiday?
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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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| VolklAttivaS5 wrote: |
| Has anyone who has been to Ischgl |
Oh yeah, ski bummed the whole season in 1985 before it was really discovered. Even back then it was a party town but exclusively German & Scandinavian. Virtually no one spoke English.
Thats all changed now as they have people form all over the world so English is widely spoken.
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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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Butterfly, Ischgl has a good mix of easy, moderate and bum clenching runs (I avoid the latter). Theres also an easily accessible 'beginners park' with practically flat greens (far too easy for you  ) If as Steilhang, suggests you take the gondola back down rather than the red ski run back you'll be fine. The run over to Switzerland (which is where most of my video was shot) is a very gentle and scenic red , which is about the same in terms of difficulty as the blue 'Chalets' in VT (but much prettier).
However as Frosty the Snowman, suggests ISCHGL is not a cheap town. If stomping apres, and a large ski area are not your top priorities other Austrian resorts would give you the flavour at less cost. We had a great week at Maria Alm which is small, friendly, and has some very easy blues right on your doorstep.
BTW if you do try Ischgl, don't make the mistake (as we did ) of getting your duty free as a group, and then splitting up before you get back into Austria (we thought we had crossed the border but we hadn't). Having one more pack of cigarettes in my bag than our allowance cost me 40 Euro plus loss of the fags (and I don't even smoke!) The customs guys stop EVERYONE with a backpack.
Despite that little adventure, and the day when the winds were so high and visibility so bad that anywhere else would have shut the lifts (in Wengen they close them in a stiff breeze), we LOVED Ischgl. The (late teenage) kids don't want to go anywhere else and we are definitely going back next Easter. If the 's Birthday bash is there (and I can think of nowhere better) I'll sign up tomorrow. I believe a couple of other fellows from our VT apartment have similar plans Is Ischgl ready for us? 
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| Butterfly wrote: |
| has very little wooded terrain to give shelter in bad weather! |
How true is this line??? The lack of wooded terrain in La Ros would put me off going back there....
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kitenski, 1 week earlier.... 
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Butterfly. I went there first time this year early April. However stayed in Kappl about 5Kms down valley, accommodation is much cheaper and bus to Ischgl ran like clockwork. Lift system is best I've come across even compared to US. Also amazed at the amount of skiable off piste between pisted runs and some big bowls.We had 2ft new snow over 2 days and probably best skiing I've had for years. Free timed speed course is intersting. Not many Brits and didn't really sample apres, Silvretta end of resort quite civilised although the austro-german disco music in the bars bit strange, everyone knew all the words except us! I'd give it a go I think you'll enjoy it a lot.
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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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Butterfly,
I have skied Ischgl three times including the last two years. I have never actually stayed there as with family the apres ski is not important to me. (Stayed in Kappl, Samnaun and Galtur.)
I would not actually recommend the area for beginners/nervous intermediates on their own as there are plenty of other areas at least as good and less expensive. As part of a group though there is still quite a lot for them and others. There are quite a few blue runs that are high with good snow. The only caveat is that they are just about all in the central area so you cannot really see a lot of the more attractive peripheral valleys. I have only been in high season(Xmas/new Year and Feb) These central areas do get very busy and crowded most of the time.
Downloading is pretty essential for nervous skiers the runs are far worse (icy and crowded though not too steep) than most that people complain about at the end of the day.(Green to La Daille etc.) I think it highly unlikely that the downloading would stop working there are three different gondola / gondola cable hybrids and they are reasonably sheltered in the valley at least from the half way point.
kitenski, There are trees to the bottom of the valley but it is steep and rocky and opportunities for excursions off piste to the bottom are probably very limited. Higher up there are only a few trees.
I have never been stopped by customs in spite of aways wearing a back pack when skiing. A German friend though told me of a very irate customs official who chased them unbeknownst to them when touring and was furious when they had nothing and he hed to skin all the way back up as they were in a blind valley.
One downside of staying outside Ischgl if you only intend to ski the area is that you cannot buy a purely local pass unless you are staying in Ischgl/Mathon. You have to buy a full valley pass which is a fair bit pricier. In Samnaun they don't seem to worry.
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FAQ
... I'll be in Whistler instead. 
Ischgl is a lovely resort and has challenges (or rather "improvement opportunities") for all levels of skiers. At the end of the day the run to the village tends to be like the run of the Lemmings and it may be more prudent to take a gondola back.
