Ischgl Ski Resort: Does It Live Up To The Hype?

Last Updated on 4th March 2025

I’ve now skied for many in a row in Austria. As a group, we love it. We’ve done Mayrhofen, Zillertal and Flachau, so this year we thought it was about time we tried one of the big hitters – Ischgl.

For those who like to research your resorts before you go, Ischgl as a ski resort ticked all the boxes:

• Short transfer from Innsbruck Airport (1 hour 15 by car, 2 hours by train & bus)
• Snow sure – many Austrian resorts have a fairly low altitude, but Ischgl sits at 1360m, rising to 2872m
• Good apres – Ischgl was reported to have one of the best apres ski scenes in the world, let alone Austria
• Good size of ski area – 239km of slopes is ideal for 4 days on the piste

So we booked.

After a significant amount of research, we booked Apart Marlen, an an apartment that was effectively ski-in on the Western side of Ischgl, and a 5-minute walk to the main Silvrettabahn A1 gondola.

Ischgl – together with Samnaun over the border in Switzerland – form the Silvretta Arena, a ski area in the middle of Tyrol in Austria. There are 239 km of pistes and 45 modern, fast lifts to whisk you around the ski area.

So, does Ischgl live up to the hype of being one of the best ski resorts in Europe? Absolutely, yes. And here’s why.

What Is The Skiing Like In Ischgl?

Ischgl is a dream for intermediate and advanced skiers. In fact 79% of the ski area is made up of red and black runs. For that reason, I loved it.

Whilst there are often 5 – 10 minute queues at the main base lifts in the morning, you’ll rarely find a queue on the mountain. There was a few queues for the Viderjochbahn, as the runs from the top get the sun in the morning, but even then we didn’t wait more than 3 or 4 minutes. Skiers in Ischgl take their day seriously. First lifts are always around 9am (with said queue), and then people are off – flying around the ski area.

The next point is an important one – I could count on one hand how many beginners I spotted in the resort. There appeared to be a couple of children’s learner areas, but the vast majority of the skiers and boarders in Ischgl were either intermediates or advanced. That means you were never slowed down on the piste, and even the narrow sections of runs were quick, as no-one stopped, let alone turned. As such, based on my Ski Tracks stats, we covered around 40km per day.

Are there any steep runs in Ischgl? Yes, a couple (one red of >50% gradient is well marked off red run 40, for example), and there are some black slopes that challenge even the best skiers.

What about blue runs? Yes, there are plenty of those to keep you happy, but given the speed of all the other skiers, if you’re a beginner you’ll get pretty anxious with everyone flying down the piste around you!

As we went in January and it snowed the week before we arrived, conditions were excellent. We had 3 days of blue sky and sunshine, and 1 cloudy / snowy day. That made the on piste conditions excellent, which also helped us cover as much of the piste map as possible.

There is also a ‘duty free’ run down into Samnaun in Switzerland which is a fun route (part of the Smugglers ski route in fact), where you can ski down, unclip your skis, hop into the Rolex shop to buy a duty free watch, then ski back into Austria. Bizarre and unique!

The last point – and it’s an important one – the vast majority of the slopes (other than the main runs back into the village after 3pm) were incredibly quiet. For the amount of skiers on the mountain, that just shows a) how big the ski area is, and b) what a great resort it is to ski in!

What Is The Apres Ski Like In Ischgl?

I’ll be writing a separate post on this, but safe to say the apres ski in Ischgl is exceptional. In fact my friend said there many be ‘too much apres’.

My top 3 apres ski Ischgl are the Kitzloch, the Kuhstall and the Trofana Alm.

That said, you may (or not) be surprised to hear that are around 12 apres ski bars in the town itself, and the top 5 or 6 are packed to rafters EVERY night. People know how to ski in Ischgl, and they know how to apres too. Between 4pm and 7pm, expect the best apres ski songs, and the best party.

Want to carry on partying after 7pm? That’s no problem either, as the main bars such as the Kuhstall and Trofana Alm keep the tunes playing until midnight.

Over 5 nights, sing with your arms in the air, enjoy a beer and a Jager and make friends with Germans, the Dutch (of course), Danish and Austrians. The 4pm – 7pm music is typically Europop with a few British songs mixed in. And it is brilliant.

The only downside is the apres can get a bit flashy. Cash rich Europeans rocking up to the bar to order a bottle of champagne is par for the course, and don’t be surprised to see wooden flights filled with 5 – 20 (!) bottles of Moet & Chandon with sparklers in them get delivered to tables of thirsty Europeans. Other than that, the apres ski is Ischgl is superb.

A beer in the setting sun at Bodenalp, a sensational burger from Ischgl slope food, and the party getting started at Paznauner Taja.

Just like the other Austrian resorts I’ve visited, most people finish apres between 7pm – 9pm, then you get some food (the donor box on the ground floor of the Kuhstall is 10 euros and incredible by the way), and go to bed at a reasonable time, ready to do it all again the next day.

Check out my Instagram post on my top 8 apres ski bars in Ischgl. You’ll find the Kuhstall and the Trofana Alm in the centre of town, but it’s also worth shouting about the Paznanuer Taja. This place is located at the bottom of the Hollspitzbahn (E2) at 2,000m up on the mountain. You’ll hear the beats blasting around the nearby slopes from lunchtime, and the devout, hardcore apres ski fans hit the beers here from 2pm.

What Are The Prices Like?

Is Ischgl expensive? To be honest it’s much the same as other Austrian resorts. Lunch on the mountain can be expensive, depending on where you go and what you ear. Lift passes are about the same as other top Austrian resorts. Accommodation is more expensive. Beer is about the same.

A one day lift pass in January for example is around 78 euros. Not bad for 239km of piste and quiet slopes.

We got a two bedroom apartment (1 x double, 1 x twin) for the 4 of us, and it worked out at £445 each, for 4 nights, which included breakfast.

Should I Go Skiing In Ischgl?

If you’re looking for a snow sure short break in Austria, with superb apres ski and quiet slopes then yes, Ischgl should most definately be on your shortlist of ski resorts to go to.

Remember, the ski resort isn’t really for beginners, so if you’re only starting out, I do recommend other resorts!