Ischgl Hopes to Open in Mid-February
27th January 2021
Last modified on May 13th, 2021
The Austrian resort remains closed though some slopes are open for ski tourers and people going snow shoeing. It has spent €750,000 on Covid-19 protection measures and wants to ensure safety.
Ski resorts are allowed to run their lifts in Austria but the resort of Ischgl wants to be certain of safety before it opens.
Hotels and restaurants across all the ski resorts in Austria remain closed to the general public.
The resort in the Tirol had hoped to open this month but that date has been put back, Ischgl hopes to open in second half of January
“The prerequisite for the start of the winter season remains the further stabilization of the general corona situation,” said the resort.
When it opens the resorts says it will have a multitude of protection measures in place “our extensive health management, is far beyond the official requirements” it claims.
Ischgl was badly hit at the start of the pandemic last spring and has been blamed as a super-spreader of the virus.
It is making every effort to shed the reputation and restore itself.
Ischgl, Austria
“The official start of the winter season is planned in the middle of February due to the ongoing regulations,” said the resort in a statement this week.
Some slopes and ski paths in the Austrian side of the ski area above Ischgl are now open.
“This is not least because the use of the ski slopes is enjoying increasing popularity, especially with local ski tourers, but also with snowshoe and winter hikers,” said the resort.
The slopes are currently not secured and so people are advised that is it at their own risk.
“Should slope grooming or safety work (avalanche blasts) be necessary again at short notice, for example due to snowfall or wind movement, we must reassess the situation,” the resort added.
Heavy snow is currently falling in the area with an avalanche risk of 4 on a scale of 5, so conditions are extremely treacherous at present.
There is a reported 1m of snow on the lower slopes and 2.3m at the top of the resort.
Hotels and restaurants remain closed, but an evaluation will be made in the middle of next month.
The lifts are running in some neighbouring ski areas.
The Kappl and See ski areas are open to locals and day trippers.
In the Galtür ski area, lifts will be open on the weekends/week 30./31. January, 06.-14. February, 19./21. & 26./28. February 2021.
Here at PlanetSKI we’ll keep you posted.
