Author: James Michaud

For the third and final installment of the Magazine’s series on Austria, we head to the popular resort of Ischgl, which not only offers an extensive, snow-sure winter playground straddling the Swiss border, but also an après-ski scene that’ll test the mettle of even the most hardcore party hounds.

Sometimes referred to as St. Anton’s indefatigable younger brother, Ischgl is truly a place where you can have your schnaps and drink it too — stay in the lively urbane town for easy access to 40+ bars and nightclubs (pole and lap dancing optional) or use one of the quiet nearby villages as a headquarters if you’re only there for the skiing and/or have the family in tow.

Equally noteworthy, the ski area manages to simultaneously celebrate its fun-loving reputation and more than five months of lift operations (stretching from late November to early May) by holding two huge outdoor concerts at mid-mountain to open and close each ski season. Please click through and read:

NY Ski Magazine
Ischgl Austria: More Than Just A Party

Over the years, I’ve compiled a decent record of scoring powder on western ski vacations that were booked months in advance; but based purely on anecdotal evidence, Powderqueen has me beat.

Whenever she leaves Central New York for destination trips out west, fresh snow always seems to be along for the ride. Her March 2013 visit to the wilds of western Montana — split between the state’s two major resorts and a few lesser-known mountains — was no exception.

As she points out, Montana is a place that often gets overlooked by northeasterners as a ski vacation destination, yet the northern Rockies boast quality snow on spectacular, uncrowded terrain. Big Sky and Whitefish look like excellent full-service resorts for multi-day stays, but the many great off-the-beaten-path mountains appear to be Montana’s real secret sauce.

Please click through and read:
NY Ski Magazine
Montana Means Mountains

Mention the Austrian ski resort of Lech and people immediately think of a snowbound Monaco, filled with celebrities, high-ranking diplomats, powerful CEOs, and the otherwise very well off, but that’s only part of the story.

The huge interconnected ski area that this picture-perfect alpine village shares with sister resort Zürs is not only the snowiest major ski destination in Europe — filled with more untracked powder than you can shake a ski pole at — it’s also considered, along with nearby St. Anton, to be the cradle of alpine skiing.

Equally important, two visits during consecutive winters proved that you don’t need the financial resources of the Top 1% to have a memorable vacation skiing Lech Austria.

Please click through to read:
NY Ski Magazine
Lech Austria: Powder and Porches