Ischgl ski resort is situated in the Silvretta mountains of western Tirol, just over an hour’s drive from Innsbruck. It’s one of Austria’s most popular snow holiday destinations, famous for its party scene. Ischgl sits on the Swiss-Austria border and is linked with Samnaun ski resort in Switzerland. The Silvretta lift pass also includes skiing in Galtür – a down-to-earth neighbour – to one side, as well as Kappl and See – popular for families – on the other, creating a whopping 365km of piste combined. Buses linking the ski areas are free.
The season is a long one, famously marked with huge opening and closing concerts with big-name performances, with good snow quality thanks to the Ischgl pistes being majority north facing.
Ischgl has extensive side and backcountry terrain that is easy to access from resort, that is also very quiet with most skiers sticking to the piste and party. There are long, challenging descents from the 2864m Palinkopf as well as the more remote Piz Val Gronda. The Heidelberg Hütte is just outside of Ischgl (though it’s technically in Switzerland) and is skiable for adventurous off-pisters. The hut sits at 2264m altitude in the Val Fenga, and is excellent as a ski touring base or a spot for far-out lunches.
Over the winter of 2019/2020, Ischgl earned the accolade of being the “largest climate-neutral ski resort in the Alps” by powering its ski lifts and snowmaking with 100% renewable energy. The resort supports a reforestation project in Peru as well as local programmes in Ischgl and Paznaun to offset any further carbon emissions. The region powers many restaurants and buildings with geothermal energy and using solar and heat-recovery systems, saving Ischgl 80,000 litres of heating oil each year.
The Silvretta Spa, new for the 2022/23 season, is a luxury leisure centre complex with pools, an ice rink and thermal baths, that is heated by geothermal energy. The ski resort has also purchased hybrid snow groomers, which have a 20% lower fuel consumption compared to conventional machines.
Resort information provided by Altitude Holidays