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Austria

ISCHGL

TOURIST OFFICE PAZNAUN
Ischgl A-6561, Austria
Telephone: (43) 50990 100 Fax: 50990 199
URL: ischgl.com
Email: info@ischgl.com

PAZNAUN

Ischgl is situated in the Silvretta-Samnaun Gruppe; small village with 1,200 residents; it is both a summer (mountaineering, mountain biking, swimming, tennis) and a winter resort (skiing, snowboarding, cross country, ice skating). A popular international resort with an easy ski access to duty-free Samnaun, Switzerland.

Elevation: Base/Village: 1,317 m (4,517 ft); Top: 2,782 m (9,125 ft).

Vertical: 1,377 m (4,517 ft)

Going up for the long run from Ischgl to Samnaun
in Switzerland. (Photo: Fred McKinney)

Longest Run: 12.0 km (7.5 mi)

Terrain: 230 km (143) of varied terrain for all skiing levels in this large international (Austrian-Swiss) territory

Skiing Circus: You can ski from Ischgl, Austria to Samnaun, Switzerland and return via lifts from Samnaun and ski to the village center of Ischgl

Lifts: Four dozen lifts in the international area include several aerial trams, two dozen chairs, and a dozen draglfits. A monster aerial tram in the Swiss resort of Samnaun is a double decker. (See Spotlight below.)

Types: 3 trams, 2 gondolas, 21 chairs, 16 T-bars

Lift Capacity: 78,465 p/h

Ski Season: Late Nov. to early May

Cross Country: 48 km (30 mi), including tracks up the valley to Galtür

Ski School: Each area has its own learning center

Mountain Restaurants: 12 Alpenhaus, Bodenalpe, etc.

Other Winter Activities: Curling; folklore evenings; hiking; ice skating/artificial; indoor swimming; mono-skiing;

snowboarding; sleigh riding; sports center; nighttime tobogganing on 7 km run

Après-Ski: Bars, discos, cafes, coffee houses

Shopping/Services: Village has all the necessary shops-ski rentals, ski shops, souvenirs, jewelry, etc.

Child Care: Private babysitters, rates negotiable; Nursery. Kids ski school

Lodging: 10,000 beds; variety of hotels, pensions, private houses and apartments in Ischgl

Transportation: Gateway Airport: Munich

Closest Provincial City: Landeck, 25 km

By Air: Munich to Innsbruck, train to Landeck, bus to area

By Auto from airport: Taxi (2½ hrs.)/Bus (4 hrs.)

By Train: Munich to Innsbruck to Landeck with taxi or bus to Ischgl

By Bus: Landeck to Ischgl (55 minutes) Local bus connects all valley areas

Best Deal: Silvretta ski pass includes Galtür, Kappl, Ischgl, See & Samnaun; 6-day lodging/ski package

Rates: See Rates section

Spotlight On Ischgl

(Originally written for OnTheSnow.com)
by Ted Heck

Ischgl is not a word that comes trippingly off the tongue. It sounds like clearing a throat. But it’s a good response to someone who asks for an exciting place to ski or snowboard.

This village in a western corner of the Tyrol is lively round the clock, with great skiing during the day and lots to do after dark.

The skiing stretches from the narrow Paznaun valley in Austria up to vast, interconnected snowfields of the Silvretta Ski Arena, from where you can cruise forever down to the Swiss village of Samnaun. It is the original bordercross.

Between the two countries are 48 lifts, ranging from draglifts to chairs, gondolas and massive cable cars, to serve a nearly mile-high vertical. Snow is always sure at higher elevations in the Silvretta Mountains, with supplementary snowmaking below. Those T-bar schleppers don’t do much for Americans, but the skiers must be impressed with the return from Samnaun in the world’s largest aerial tram. It is a double-decker, in which you can hear ski boots clumping overhead. That is, if you are not having a bout of cognitive dissonance and wondering why you did or did not make purchases in the duty free village.

Despite an already efficient lift system, both sides of the border continue to upgrade, with high-speed chairs, including six and eight-seaters. They keep improving snowmaking facilities too.

Back in Ischgl after a day of skiing, you may think you’ve stumbled into a fraternity party. Carousing starts early. Join in or head over to Niki’s Stadl to catch Ötzi in his twice-a-week “man from ice” show.

There are lots of choices to dine around in this lively resort. Lodging ranges from comfortable bed-and-breakfast pensions to deluxe, wallet-denting hotels. The tourist office will aid the decision-making process.

Galtur is a quiet alternative to Ischgl, just a few Kms up the road. It was in the news in the past decade with its first avalanche in 500 years. But the village has recovered nicely and is a comfortable place to ski or stay. Take it from Hemingway, who based one of his short stories there in the 1920s.

Ischgl is 15 miles from the city of Landeck and two to three hours from either the Munich or Zürich airport.

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