Ischgl () is a town in the Paznaun valley in the

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

state of Tyrol Tyrol ( ; ; ) is an Austrian federal state. It comprises the Austrian part of the historical Princely County of Tyrol. It is a constituent part of the present-day Euroregion Tyrol–South Tyrol–Trentino (together with South Tyrol and Tre ...

. Its

ski resort A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area–a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In North Am ...

is connected with that of Samnaun across the border in

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

to form one of the largest in the

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

. Ischgl was a major hotspot in 2020 of the

COVID-19 pandemic in Europe The global COVID-19 pandemic arrived in Europe with its first confirmed case in Bordeaux, France, on 24 January 2020, and subsequently spread widely across the continent. By 17 March 2020, every country in Europe had confirmed a case, and al ...

Ski resort

Ischgl is located on the Austrian side of one of the world's largest ski areas. Its (length includes the pistes in Samnaun, Switzerland) of groomed pistes are served by over 45 mechanical lifts including cable cars, gondolas, detachable chair lifts and some T-bars. Three ropeways give access to the ski area from the village: the Pardatschgratbahn, the Fimbabahn & the Silvrettabahn. Only the Fimbabahn and the Silvrettabahn have middle stations.Ischgl.com
/ref> Many of the lifts converge at Idalp, where there is a restaurant. The area above Idalp offers wide, easy pistes and a snow park. Other parts of the Ischgl area, towards Höllboden and Paznauner Thaya, offer many red runs and some more challenging blacks. The steepest run in the resort is a black run with a gradient of 70%, located in the Höllboden bowl, and accessed by the "Lange Wand" chair lift. Paznauner Thaya offers many red runs suitable for intermediate-level skiers.

COVID-19 pandemic hotspot

Ischgl was identified as a major hotspot of the

. Six hundred infections in Austria and up to 1,200 infections in Germany and the

Nordic countries The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or ''Norden''; ) are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe, as well as the Arctic Ocean, Arctic and Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic oceans. It includes the sovereign states of Denm ...

were traced back to the ski resort, starting from Iceland on 1 March 2020, with transmissions occurring from late February 2020. A significant portion of the cases were further traced to the ''Kitzloch''

après-ski A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area–a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In North ...

bar at the resort, where sharing of

whistle A whistle is a musical instrument which produces sound from a stream of gas, most commonly air. It is a type of Fipple, fipple flute, and may be mouth-operated, or powered by air pressure, steam, or other means. Whistles vary in size from a s ...

s were likely conduits of contagion. Even as health authorities in other countries began issuing warnings against travel to Ischgl, the resort remained open, with Tyrolean authorities playing down the risks. The bar was eventually closed on 10 March and the whole town quarantined from 13 March until 22 April 2020. Out of the 1600 inhabitants of Ischgl, two persons died. Nine were treated in hospital, one in an intensive care unit. In April 2020 antibodies were found in 51.4% of the population, in November 2020 it was still 45.4%.

Climate

Ischgl has a

weather station A weather station is a facility, either on land or sea, with instruments and equipment for measuring atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric conditions to provide information for weather forecasting, weather forecasts and to study the weather and clima ...

at an altitude of . This weather station is located within the

alpine climate Alpine climate is the typical climate for elevations above the tree line, where trees fail to grow due to cold. This climate is also referred to as a mountain climate or highland climate. Definition There are multiple definitions of alpine cli ...

zone (

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''ETH''), closely bordering on a

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a continental climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of ...

(

''Dfc''), because the hottest month is only .

Discovery of the Ischgl Meteorite

In June 1976, the Ischgl meteorite was discovered on a mountain road near Ischgl, Austria, after being dislodged by a snow avalanche. Initially unrecognized as a meteorite, it was stored privately for over three decades until its scientific validation in 2008. Classified as an LL6 chondrite with excellent preservation, the meteorite's origin was traced back to a fireball event (EN241170) recorded in November 1970 over Germany. Advanced trajectory reconstruction techniques and radionuclide data confirmed the meteorite's link to this fireball, providing insights into its cosmic history and heliocentric orbit. Subsequently, the Ischgl meteorite was acquired by the Natural History Museum Vienna in 2011 and displayed in their Meteorite hall. With a remaining main mass of 708.1 grams, the meteorite's exterior is fully crusted, showcasing regmaglypts, while its interior reveals a light-gray chondritic texture. The identification of the meteorite's source fireball helps understand its journey through space and its relatively recent fall to Earth. Additional fragments from this meteorite fall could have been recovered in the area.

Gallery

File:Ischgl, katholische Pfarrkirche heilige Nikolaus Dm64328 foto4 2014-07-23 15.00.jpg, Roman Catholic church St. Nikolaus File:Tussen Ischgl en Kappl, rivier de Ischgl foto6 2014-07-23 14.52.jpg, Trisanna river

References

External links

Official Ischgl websitePanoramic photo of Ischgl resort centre
{{Authority control Ski areas and resorts in Austria Tourist attractions in Tyrol (federal state) Cities and towns in Landeck District Verwall Alps Silvretta Alps