After staying in the middle of the ski area the previous day, I took advantage of today's clear weather to go counter-clockwise around the perimeter. Starting at the mid-mountain hub area at Idalp -- where six chairs and two gondolas converge -- I went looker's right to Höllenkar.
Then down to Fimbatal on the far looker's right:
Up a chair that takes you 3,100 verts to the top of Palinkopf:
Then down a long expressway that drops you across the Swiss border:
... and into the village of Samnaun, which allegedly has 64 duty-free shops selling everything imaginable that you schlep in your backpack to your hotel in Austria. Seems like a lot of work just to save a few shekels, but duty-free is a huge racket there.
You then ride this odd-looking double-decker tram up to the Alp Trida section:
Alp Trida is like a huge volcano crater, easily a mile wide, with lifts going in every direction from its center. I spent the next 2.5 hours trying out the different terrain pods, which had beautiful conditions. Unfortunately, the day's clear, sunny weather went poof as a storm moved in with high winds and stinging graupel, so no pix from Alp Trida. Instead, I went all the way back to the Fimbatal section (where there were trees to help with visibility) and had lunch at an outdoor restaurant/bar/cafe.
One thing you have to come to terms with in the Alps is Euro Disco. It's unavoidable and a distinct part of the culture, so you just suck it up and check out all the people who seem to enjoy it, like this lady who was dancing to a disco version of Whitesnake's "Here I Go Again."
There was also a French couple in matching outfits, which you see here from time to time amongst middle-aged couples:
Skipping ahead to the following day, January 30 -- after spending a nice morning in nearby Kappl, I hopped on the bus, went back to Ischgl, and made it to the mid-station Idalp hub by 12:45.
On my first run, where I was poaching low-hanging fruit along the main arteries, I saw something that I can't imagine in the U.S. -- 14 Pisten Bullies were doing a synchronized groom on a principal trail. On the trail map, there's a "did you know?" blurb that says Ischgl has 36 of them and they cost $650K each:
Also in the Idalp area is a complete helicopter landing area and admin building. This copter had just landed, I assume to pick up someone who had been brought down in the meat wagon:
I then headed to the Alp Trida lodge for a quick lunch:
In my Costco ski coat with a Plattekill lift ticket visible:
For the next 2.5 hours, I did the same thing as at Kappl, lapped untracked snow alongside the trails, but at Ischgl it was in better shape even mid-afternoon. Although it doesn't look like much in this pic, that's a 2,700-vert drop to the bottom of the lift from where I'm standing:
Interesting architecture but not what I want to see at a ski area.
Then down to Fimbatal on the far looker's right:
Up a chair that takes you 3,100 verts to the top of Palinkopf:
Then down a long expressway that drops you across the Swiss border:
... and into the village of Samnaun, which allegedly has 64 duty-free shops selling everything imaginable that you schlep in your backpack to your hotel in Austria. Seems like a lot of work just to save a few shekels, but duty-free is a huge racket there.
You then ride this odd-looking double-decker tram up to the Alp Trida section:
Alp Trida is like a huge volcano crater, easily a mile wide, with lifts going in every direction from its center. I spent the next 2.5 hours trying out the different terrain pods, which had beautiful conditions. Unfortunately, the day's clear, sunny weather went poof as a storm moved in with high winds and stinging graupel, so no pix from Alp Trida. Instead, I went all the way back to the Fimbatal section (where there were trees to help with visibility) and had lunch at an outdoor restaurant/bar/cafe.
One thing you have to come to terms with in the Alps is Euro Disco. It's unavoidable and a distinct part of the culture, so you just suck it up and check out all the people who seem to enjoy it, like this lady who was dancing to a disco version of Whitesnake's "Here I Go Again."
There was also a French couple in matching outfits, which you see here from time to time amongst middle-aged couples:
Skipping ahead to the following day, January 30 -- after spending a nice morning in nearby Kappl, I hopped on the bus, went back to Ischgl, and made it to the mid-station Idalp hub by 12:45.
On my first run, where I was poaching low-hanging fruit along the main arteries, I saw something that I can't imagine in the U.S. -- 14 Pisten Bullies were doing a synchronized groom on a principal trail. On the trail map, there's a "did you know?" blurb that says Ischgl has 36 of them and they cost $650K each:
Also in the Idalp area is a complete helicopter landing area and admin building. This copter had just landed, I assume to pick up someone who had been brought down in the meat wagon:
I then headed to the Alp Trida lodge for a quick lunch:
In my Costco ski coat with a Plattekill lift ticket visible:
For the next 2.5 hours, I did the same thing as at Kappl, lapped untracked snow alongside the trails, but at Ischgl it was in better shape even mid-afternoon. Although it doesn't look like much in this pic, that's a 2,700-vert drop to the bottom of the lift from where I'm standing:
Interesting architecture but not what I want to see at a ski area.
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