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Ischgl has most of the ingredients that make Austrian resorts so popular - a traditional village, lively nightlife. And to this familiar recipe Ischgl adds important extras: by Austrian standards its ski area is big (linked to Samnaun in Switzerland) and high, with good, reliable snow.  For a group of mixed-ability intermediate skiers, it's worth putting on your short-list. The village is set in a steep wooded valley and gets little sun in early season. The main street is bypassed and almost traffic-free, making it a pleasant place for a stroll in the early evening. The architecture is a mixture of old original buildings, traditional Tyrolean-style hotels and shops, and more modern-looking recent additions. It's possible to walk from one end of the village to the other in ten minutes or so. It's far from flat though - and the ups and downs can be quite treacherous when there's snow or ice on the ground.

• Old Tyrolean village which has grown quite large but retained much of its atmosphere and charm
• High ski area by Austrian standards, with reliable snow record
• Lots of good intermediate skiing, extending over the Swiss border to Samnaun
• Lively après-ski

There's a good selection of bars, an excellent sports centre and a fair number of shops to stroll round. Ischgl has a fair-sized, relatively high, snow sure ski area ideally suited to intermediates. Most of the pistes are red, with very few black or easy blue runs. The opportunity of skiing over the border to Samnaun in Switzerland adds spice to the skiing. Gondolas from both ends of the village go up to the sunny Idalp plateau at 2310m, where the ski school meets. A third goes about 300m higher to Pardatschgrat, from where it's an easy ski down to Idalp - with the alternative of testing red and black runs towards Ischgl. Lifts radiate from Idalp, leading to a wide variety of predominantly north-west- and west-facing intermediate runs. A short ski brings you to the base of the drags serving the Hollenkar bowl, leading up to the area's south­western extremity at Palinkopf. There are further lifts beyond Hollenkar, on the slopes of the Fimbatal. The mountain ridge above Idalp, ranging from around 2700m to 2900m, forms the border with Switzerland. On the Swiss side the hub of the skiing is Alp Trida at 2265m, surrounded by south- and east-facing runs. From here an enjoyable and scenic red run goes down to the hamlet of Compatsch, from where there is an infrequent bus to Ravaisch, for the cable-car back, and Samnaun. From the Palinkopf area there is a very beautiful run to Samnaun itself, away from all signs of lifts, down an unspoilt valley. It is not difficult skiing, but it doesn't always have ideal snow conditions and is prone to closure by avalanche risk.

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