SpotCheck | Paznaun | PowderGuide

The Paznaun - includes the ski resorts: See, Kappl, Ischgl and Galtür. In Ischgl, the freeride map opens up countless off-piste runs. For all other ski resorts such as See, Kappl, Galtür and the ski touring area around the Heidelbergerhütte and Jamtalhütte, you need your own initiative and research, paired with alpine expertise, to find challenging off-piste descents. In short: every ability level gets its money's worth here, regardless of whether you are a ski tourer, off-piste skier or freerider.

The Paznaun offers everything a winter sports enthusiast could wish for. The former mountain farming valley is now characterised by winter tourism. The four non-contiguous ski resorts are See, Kappl, Ischgl and Galtür, starting in the valley. Paznaun is bordered to the north by the Verwall Group and to the south by the Samnaun Group and the Silvretta. On our trip to Paznaun, we took a closer look at See, Kappl and Ischgl, off-piste of course.

Thanks to the mountains, which are well served by cable cars and lifts, you can reach (high) alpine terrain in no time at all. Countless variations or ski tours start from here. Some of the descents end on the valley floor of the Paznaun or in the neighbouring valleys. On a good day, several descents with an altitude difference of over 1,000 metres each can be completed. Ischgl offers the most extensive off-piste terrain close to the lifts. In See and Kappl, everything is a little more manageable, but no less interesting. In these two areas, ambitious freeriders can enjoy fantastic descents on perfectly inclined slopes with short ascents. Experts will find challenging lines in all ski resorts.

Kappl - the freeride pearl in Paznaun

The family ski resort of Kappl was the last tour stop of the Open Faces series in Tyrol in winter 2012/13. The organisation of this event was intended to raise Kappl's profile in the freeride scene, which this event certainly achieved. Freeriders are welcome here all winter long. Only the mountain railway that takes us up to the ski resort is not yet equipped for our wide "slats", as the skis do not fit into the holding devices on the 4-seater gondola. But that doesn't stop us. The staff are friendly and helpful, so we can take the gondola up to the top station with our skis on. Once at the top, we meet up with Benni from the Kappl ski school, who will explore the area with us.

After a brief welcome, we take two more chairlifts to the highest point at around 2,700 metres. Up here, we have a fantastic view of the surrounding mountains and the extensive northern backcountry of Ischgl. Furthermore, only the Malfontal valley separates us from the Rendl area, where masses of freeriders and freeride groups cavort in the terrain. Their tracks can be seen from afar, winding their way across the valley floor towards Pettnau. Such invasive conditions as in the Rendl area have not yet materialised in Kappl! Up here, the morning sun warms us right from the start, as the ski resort is predominantly south-facing.

Descent to the avalanche barrier in Kappl

Benni takes us first in the direction of Lattejoch. This is where the traverse under the Hohe Spitze begins, past the Steinmännchen freeride route. Once there, we are greeted by expansive, hilly terrain. Perfect for big turns. Thanks to the north-easterly orientation, the powder snow lasts longer here than on the other slopes in the area. After around 500 metres of enjoyable descent, the slope ends at an avalanche barrier (probably the largest in Europe). This is where you keep your skis right to get back to the ski resort. The descent was just the thing to warm you up.

Descent through the Gamsgärten on extremely steep terrain! Experts will have fun here.

Now Benni leads us to the "Gamsgärten", which are located between the Alblittkopf descent and the Latten descent. The Gamsgärten offer many short descents in terrain that is about 45° steep. You can definitely spend some time here. If you want to take it a little easier, you can ski down the "Hartlasrinne". At the start, this is well over 35° steep. The descent then leads down moderately steep, hilly slopes in open terrain to the double chairlift. You cover almost 1,000 metres in altitude without having to climb a single metre. For us, this is a perfect freeride route that has a bit of everything.

A short time later, we are back at around 2,700 metres. Benni shows us the ridge (the difficulty of which depends on the snow conditions) via which the Quellspitze can be reached. This is where the Open Faces participants start from. Unfortunately, the sky is now overcast and we decide against climbing the Quellspitze. Instead, we treat ourselves to a freeride route at the end of the day, which leads Skier's Right of the official "Blanka" ski route into the valley. At first we ski on rather flat slopes. A steeper passage follows before the Untere Seßladalpe. The route leads past the lower Seßladalpe, which ends at the Seßladbach. Finally, follow Skiers Right on the summer hiking trail until you reach a forest path. Follow this Skiers Left and you will soon reach the valley descent and can ski down the last few metres at a leisurely pace. There are some potential avalanche slopes to cross on this route, so pay particular attention to the avalanche situation. Definitely a worthy final descent.

We are very impressed by the freeride potential in Kappl. If the untouched powder gets rough, there are still countless ascent options to reach further slopes. Whether this is in the direction of the Kreuzjochspitze via the lower Seßladalp or up to the Schmelzgrubenscharte or the Kappler-Joch-Spitze, it all depends on how fit you are. A classic is the descent via the Malfontal valley to Pettnau, which is possible from Kappl without an ascent.

Ischgl - the Alpine lifestyle mecca for winter sports enthusiasts

Relax. if you can ... is the official motto in Ischgl. The sky shines in soft shades of blue and the first rays of sunshine make their way over the snow-covered mountain peaks into the valley. On a morning like this, the many hotels in Ischgl are of secondary importance. As we walk through the village to the mountain railway early in the morning, we are astonished to see crowds of people streaming down with us. Fortunately, we make good progress despite the many winter sports enthusiasts and a short time later we are on the Idalpe, which is the beating heart of this developed mountain world. If you're looking for solitude, you're in the wrong place here. Fortunately, we are not interested in the hundreds of kilometres of pistes, but in the extensive off-piste terrain. Within a very short space of time, we see countless lines that we absolutely want to ski.

The clear terrain between Idalpe and Idajoch is ideal for getting started. Everything can be reached without an ascent, but is quickly tracked. But just right for warming up. If you want that big mountain feeling, then the gullies from the Pardatscher ridge down to the upper Velillalpe are just the thing. The gullies are often over 40° steep in the upper section and run through rocky terrain. The descents on the west side towards the lower Velillalpe are no less interesting. Enjoyable turns are the rule here. The Pardatscher Grat, with its steep north side and challenging descents on the west side, is definitely recommended on good days after fresh snowfall.

The freeride paradise in Ischgl is the area around the Paliner Kopf. The area stretches from Gampenalpe at approx. 1,900 m to Paliner Kopf at approx. 2,860 m. The entire area to the left and right of the cable car is easily accessible without any ascents. Each individual descent offers almost 1,000 metres of ascent! The terrain is playful and offers everything from short steep steps and natural obstacles that invite you to jump. Due to the north-westerly orientation of the slopes, the powder here stays fluffy for a long time in high winter.

The descents towards Samnaun are all south-facing and the sun destroys the powder quite quickly. The descents through the Zeblas are easy to see and don't present any particular difficulties. The descents to Ravaisch or Plan on the Swiss side are different. Here you should inform yourself well in advance, as the route to Ravaisch goes through a snow-covered stream and to Plan over a steep step, the difficulty of which depends on the amount of snow and its condition. On our descent, this section was completely icy and we had to climb down with our skis on our backpacks. I would have liked an ice axe here. In general, the slopes on these two routes are very prone to avalanches, especially in spring if they have not yet been cleared.

In the Alp Trida area, the descent via the Flimsschulter and from Piz Munschuns is recommended. There is still a chance of finding good lines here some time after the last snowfall. The off-piste terrain in Ischgl and Samnaun is very extensive and offers many metres of descent without an ascent, although après-ski is a constant companion in these areas.

View from the Visnitzkopf / The freeride map is a useful tool in Ischgl.

If you climb up to the Visnitzkopf, you will be greeted by unrivalled terrain. The Vesulspitze, Grübelekopf and Riererkopf are prominent mountain peaks in this backcountry. Behind the Visnitzkopf you dive into perfectly inclined slopes for long freeride turns and after just a few turns you have left the Alpine lifestyle Mecca behind you and are moving in complete tranquillity. There are countless interesting downhill options here, which often involve ascents. The descent to Kappl requires no further ascents. We will introduce you to this terrain in a freeride tour of the week.

See - the tour tip in Paznaun

The first town in Paznaun is the comparatively quaint village of See. This is where the small and seemingly inconspicuous See ski resort is located. You immediately realise that families are in charge here, as many children and their parents gather at the valley station early in the morning. With three lifts, you can quickly conquer the almost 1,300 metres in altitude and enjoy the panorama at around 2,400 metres. The area offers north and south-facing slopes. Most of them are short descents in moderately steep terrain. However, this area has the greatest potential for touring. From up here, peaks such as Kübelgrubenkopf or Furgler can be climbed. Depending on your taste, a traverse to Serfaus or the neighbouring valleys can extend the day's touring.

Descent from the Medrigjoch in the finest powder snow

The freeride potential in See, including the Medrigalpe, is very suitable for beginners. We were impressed by the resort's touring potential. If you use the lifts, you can reach many peaks, some of which are over 3,000 metres above sea level, with ascents of around 800 metres. In good conditions, you then have well over 1,500 metres of ascent to the valley. The descents very often run along slopes on the shaded side and can therefore offer longer powder runs. The motto here is: earn your turn!

Conclusion

Freeride magazines often report on spots that are either difficult to reach or require very long journeys. The focus is usually on adventure. Presumably the stories of freeride trips to Canada, Japan or the southern hemisphere in summer are better received by friends and acquaintances? During my stay in Paznaun, I remembered the words: "Why go far away? Look, the good is so close". How true! What's more, the weather and avalanche information is excellent, which increases the chances of being able to take advantage of good conditions at short notice.

Facts about the areas:

See: 1,050 - 2,400 m.a.s.l. (small freeride terrain on the north and south sides; many touring peaks from the area)
Kappl: 1,200 - 2,650 m.a.s.l. (south-facing freeride terrain with descents over 1.000 metres above sea level; descents into the side valleys with long return routes)
Ischgl: 1,400 - 2,900 metres above sea level (extensive freeride terrain in all exposures with descents over 1.000 metres above sea level; touring options in the area of the Heidelberger Hütte)
Galtür: 1,600 - 2,200 metres above sea level (small freeride terrain on the north and east sides)
Silvretta (Jamtal): 2,200 - 3,200 metres above sea level (the basin around the Jamtalhütte offers numerous tours, most of which run over glaciers; long (10 km) ascent to the hut)