SNOW-SHOEING AND 13-COURSE MEALS IN ISCHGL
THIS winter I’ve been on an Austrian odyssey, travelling by train (which is cheap and easy) to sample some of its most popular resorts. And this week, I finally got the chance to visit legendary Ischgl in the Tirol region.
Incredibly, in 25 years of skiing, I’d never managed to ski here despite the fact that its aprés scene is famous and I’m partial to a party.
Ischgl’s opening and closing Top of the Mountain concerts in November and April are renowned and 50% of the resort’s guests are German (mostly men it seems) which helps explain the robust aprés-ski scene in bars like Fire And Ice.
Thankfully, there’s more to Ischgl (and me) than dancing in ski boots. If full-on aprés isn’t really your thing, I can report that you can happily holiday there without ever having to twerk on top of a bar table!
Everyone knows that downhill skiing is my favourite thing in the world but there are lots of other activities to try here, so try them as I did.
I started the trip with a snow shoe excursion that took me through forest and lake lands before hiking back down into Ischgl.
Instructor Mario brought his dog Asko along which added great entertainment value.
The best thing about snow shoeing is that anyone with an average level of fitness can do it. There’s little or no skill involved but the rewards are great as you get to see some beautiful areas.
Next, I hopped across to the fam-
ily resort of Galtür – just a short ski bus or taxi ride away – to try cross country skiing. Cross country skiing is a bit more involved with specific techniques for going up and downhill. Going uphill, you learn to plant your poles behind you to avoid slipping back. Going downhill – well, what can I say? I fell at least five times trying to learn to stop using a snow plough technique. Some words of warning very time you fall, you fall right your derriere. Every single time. ome other cross country ski tips ear lots of sun cream and light hing – you will get very hot once start moving. Anyone who’s used to alpine sking will find moving on very skinny s with no edges very strange indeed but the sensation of gliding along flat sections is fantastic and cross country skiing offers a great physical work-out. It’s also a great opportunity to get some ‘me’ time. Along with our instructors Toby and David, we skied 10kms through the lovely Kleinvermunt valley, enjoying glorious sunshine and stopping for a well-deserved lunch in the Panorama Tenne restaurant.
A day’s instruction including equipment costs around €190 for up to six people; great value for families or a group of friendst.
Of course no visit to this area would be complete without some downhill action. Ischgl offers almost 250 km of pistes but I was particularly interested in its impressive free ride options. It didn’t disappoint.
Fully equipped with ABS airbag and safety equipment, Instructor Martin Fovt brought me down the easy Vesil run before ramping it up with a 700m descent on the Nederberg Emax run. There are dozens and dozens of off-piste routes with something for every level.
Another new and exciting way to get down the mountain is via the Ischgl SkyFly zipline, which whizzes you 2kms across a valley, 50m high and at speeds of up to 84kmh. It’s totally safe, great fun and best of all, finishes right in the resort.
So, back to that wild Ischgl nightlife. It all looked a bit testosteronefuelled to me so I opted for aperitivos in the gorgeous 4* superior Hotel Brigitte followed by a fine dining extravaganza at the 5* Hotel Trofana Royal.
In the historic surroundings of the Paznaunerstube restaurant, Chef Martin Sieberer produced a 13course menu full of flavour, innovation, surprise and took us a wonderful four-and-a-half-hours to complete. Not surprisingly, this is rated as one of the best dining experiences in Austria.
No matter what Ischgl does, it seems to do fantastically well - the ski school demo show which takes place every two weeks is the most spectacular I’ve ever seen.
I may have to sneak back in April for Zucchero’s closing concert!