Relax! If you can! For years it has been the slogan of the most famous village in the Austrian Paznauntal: Ischgl. If you have ever been there then you know that this slogan does not directly apply to skiing and boarding. Ischgl is also called the Ibiza of the Alps and that has a reason. If you would like, you can après ski here every day from three o’clock in the afternoon to three o’clock at night.
How different is the atmosphere in Kappl. Sometimes Kappl seems to be nothing more than a sattelite town of Ischgl where people take a daily taxi to the Ischgl ski area without ever taking a the lift in Kappl. That’s a shame, because in Kappl is the home of international freeride competitions and has fantastic facilities for families. It is an area that focuses on families with children and freeriders. And if you happen to be a freerider with children, then you score double bingo.
The village is built on a steep southern slope with the ski area directly above it. With a modern gondola lift you can float upwards and be at the middle station in no time. During the ride up you get a good views of the steep treeruns that are often at their best from the middle of the winter until the end of winter. More terrain opens up above the tree line. Large open valleys are interspersed with mellow lines and steep couloirs. Terrain that novice freeriders can easily discover under the guidance of a local ski instructor.
If you already have more experience, you can make the descent through the backside to Pettneu. And when you really want extreme terrain and you have the skills for it, then the descent that the Freeride World Tour has set down in Kappl is the way to go.
Kappl may no longer be the secret spot it was in the past, but there is still little powder panic here. Kappl gives the Paznaun Valley it two faces. On the one hand, hedonism seems to be rampant here in all its facets, on the other it is a really good location to ride powder for a few days. Maybe not for the hardcore freeriders who don’t get all that frills, but if you look through the après ski (or do you secretly like it a bit ;)) then you will find great terrain without powder stress.
More information:
- Kappl website (including the possibility to book accommodation directly)
- Kappl Ski School