Ischgl and the neighbouring villages of Galtür, Kappl and See are part of the Paznaun valley in the Tirol region of west Austria. Ischgl is famed for its winter sports and wild après scene but in the summer the hills are alive with the sound of mountain bikers. On a mountain biking holidays in Ischgl there is downhill aplenty, quality singletrack and rewarding climbs.
With the Swiss border at the top of the mountains to the South when mountain biking in Ischgl you can pop across the border to nearby Samaun. The Silvretta range, which is part of the central eastern Alps, has more than 1200km of trails to explore so every mountain bikers dream.
Summer access to this mountain biking is helped by two gondolas and three chairlifts that will carry you and your bike up to 2700m saving a very hard slog. Access to the cable cars, chairlifts and public transport (helpful should you get stuck) is free with the Silvretta card, which all guests staying over night in Paznaun receive for free.
Like the rest of Europe, the mountain biking in Ischgl is graded using the same colour system as ski runs of blue, red and black (easy, intermediate and advanced). So you can choose riding appropriate to your ability, fitness and the conditions. The Bike Arena pack which includes a 1:50,000 map and a detailed trail guide booklet comes free with the lift pass and details 22 trails in Ischgl that range from 4km to 90km long plus plenty more in the wider Paznaun area.
There is also an app for smartphones called iBike, which has live GPS tracking and includes all the ischgl mountain biking routes for you to follow. GPS data is also available to upload to specialist GPS devices. The most famous (and busiest) trail in the area is the Transalp, a route from Germany to Italy passing through Austria and Switzerland that 100s of mountain bikers use each day. But the rest of the mountain is a lot quieter.
Downhill mountain biking in Ischgl that should be checked out are the Smugglers Route which is 31km of mainly downhill (you ride 3100 down and only 500 up!), Velill trail which is a very difficult 10km downhill and Alp Trida which is a good flowing downhill suitable for beginners and can be combined with a route into Samnaun which becomes a lot more difficult.
For those that like to earn their downhill the Salaasr trail is a 44km enduro classic, there are 3 Ironbike routes which (and the clue is in the name) have up to 4000m of ascent so require supreme fitness and the 90km Fimberpass which uses lifts for some of the uplift but still requires 2500m of uphill for its 4000m of down.
There is plenty of mountain biking in Ischgl for beginners with easy routes down in the valley and plenty of well maintained gravel paths and asphalt to ride on. A mountain biking holidays in Ischgl has something for everyone, and if mountain biking is not for everyone in your group well there is plenty more to do including relaxation and wellness, hiking, climbing and kayaking.
