Ischgl is in the Paznaun valley in western Tyrol, Austria. Its ski area, the Silvretta Arena, crosses the border to the duty-free Swiss resort of Samnaun. The lifts run from 1,377 metres (4,518 feet) to 2,872 metres (9,423 feet) at Greitspitz. There are 239 kilometres (149 miles) of pistes on about 515 hectares (1,273 acres): 47 km blue, 140 km red and 47 km black, with runs up to 11 kilometres long. The resort says it’s the third largest ski area in Tyrol. Forty-six lifts and cable cars carry about 97,000 people an hour.
The Smuggler’s Trail follows old smuggling routes across the Austria-Switzerland border. It has three routes: Gold is the hardest, and Silver and Bronze are easier, with Bronze mostly on blue runs. The season runs from late November to early May.
Ischgl Village shows the village at 1,400 metres. Ischgl TV is the resort’s live stream, listed at 2,320 metres. Idalp, at 2,320 metres, covers the middle of the mountain. Pardatschgrat (2,624 m), Piz Val Gronda (2,812 m) and Greitspitz (2,872 m), the top of the ski area, show the high runs. Alp Trida (2,260 m) is another high cam, and Samnaun TV (2,488 m) is a still from the Samnaun side of the ski area.
Compare the village cam with Greitspitz to see how snow cover changes over nearly 1,500 metres of height.
By car, take the A12 and the S16 to the Paznaun/Ischgl exit, then the B188 up the valley through See and Kappl to Ischgl. Austrian motorways and expressways need a vignette. The Silvretta High Alpine Road from Vorarlberg is closed in winter. By train, go to Landeck-Zams and take bus 260 into the valley. Innsbruck Airport is about 100 kilometres (62 miles) away, and Munich, Zurich, Salzburg, Memmingen and Friedrichshafen airports connect by train to Landeck-Zams.
From 1 November to 15 April, Austria requires cars to have winter tyres on all four wheels when there’s snow, slush or ice on the road. Chains on at least two drive wheels may be used instead, but only when the road is fully or almost fully covered in snow or ice. Winter tyres need at least 4 mm of tread.
Ischgl is on the Ikon Pass, with 7 days on the Ikon Pass and 5 on the Ikon Base Pass, shared between Ischgl and Samnaun. It isn’t on the Epic or Indy Pass.