It's not enough these days for ski resorts to rely on the reputation of their snow to attract big numbers. A bit of pizzazz is required. And it doesn't get much more glamorous than perching one of the biggest celebrities on the planet on top of your mountain.
When the Austrian resort of Ischgl thinks glitz, it thinks big. Next weekend, Michael Jackson will introduce the second year of Message from the Mountains, a worldwide children's charity project announced to the world by Bill Clinton in the town last year. Besides Jacko and Bill, the resort has also persuaded the likes of Bob Dylan, Jon Bon Jovi, Sting, Diana Ross, Tina Turner and Rod Stewart to pack their fur coats and make an appearance over the years. And Ronan Keating launched this year's season.
Jacko, in his first European public appearance since that now notorious TV interview with Martin Bashir, will be performing amid the dramatic snowcapped peaks of the Idalp mountain. Fingers crossed he doesn't take to dangling his nippers off the stage - it will be 2,311m up.
But there is more to Ischgl than megastars. According to almost every Austrian we met, the 200km of the Silvretta Arena slopes are served by the best lift system on the planet. Three gondolas and what was once, they add, the world's first eight-person chairlift head an upgraded network of 42 lifts that straddle slopes on either side of the long ridge forming the border with Switzerland. Frankly, having experienced it, it would be hard to disagree.
And the Boarders Paradise Funpark at Idjoch claims to be the biggest and one of the best in Europe, boasting areas for freeride, mogul and new school, and containing a fine half-pipe and no less than 30 obstacles, graded for beginner, intermediate, and totally off your trolley.
All these frequent claims and boasts may stem from the fact that Ischgl is just a few kilometres from firm Brit favourite St Anton, yet few people in the UK have ever heard of it. A long-established resort, mainly frequented by wealthy Germans, Ischgl also claims to have some of the best skiing in Austria. Quite a boast. But, overall, it seems best suited to intermediates. Beginners could grumble over the fact that there is only one resort-level lift and no blue runs that take you back to the resort, so first-timers have no real choice but to head home via by gondola; and, at the other end of the scale, there is a limited supply of genuine black runs.
Still, there's no denying that this town takes its entertainment seriously. Drive there at night, in the thick of the après, and you will probably hear the place before you see it. One of its main selling points, other than the scenery and snowsure high altitude, is its wide choice of bars and nightclubs, and the "lively village atmosphere". Thumping, kitschy, oompah-euro house and general unexplainable alpine favourites are everywhere.
But Ischgl has other options. The stylish Hotel Madlein, Jackson's choice of residence, contains the trendy Pacha night club and the Coyote Ugly, which has topless pole dancers. The prices are high enough to make a tiny dent even in Jackson's budget. There's also the nightclub below Hotel Post, and Hotel Elisabeth Eisbar is loud and boisterous with dancing girls ornamenting the bar.
After a good night's sleep in the four-star Hotel Solaria, a standard alpine establishment with more than a hint of chintz but boasting spectacular views of the valley, I opened the curtains to find it was still snowing (during our short stay, it averaged 15-20cm a night). A few excited moments later, we were on the gondola up to the top and then blasting down some tree-lined slopes. It doesn't take long to realise that, if you are a skier, the region provides vast coverage and a good range and variation of riding. But boarders may bemoan the lack of features. There are tree-lined sections and interesting natural elements to play with but they are limited. So, for the boarders in the group, it was time to explore. Fresh snow means a paradise of powder off-piste, and that's exactly what we got: deep, untracked drifts of soft, fine snow that elicited smiles as wide as the valley.
Then the weather closed in, which meant that the only indication of steepness came when your stomach suddenly had the sensation of being aboard a hurtling rollercoaster. But it's powder, so you just lean back and laugh out loud. And if you do suddenly find yourself invol untarily somersaulting head over heels and ending up with snow wedged up you nostrils and in your ears, it's okay - it's soft and you're unhurt.
Just over the Swiss border is Samnaun, which offers duty-free shopping. With alcohol at low prices, and rucksacks for sale to ferry the goods back home over the mountain, it's a popular trip. Plus the return journey involves a ride on the Pendelbahn, the world's first double-decker cable-car. Be warned though: smuggling excessive amounts back from Switzerland is dangerous. There are customs officers on the slopes and, according to our travel company's brochure, the penalties are "unbelievably severe".
On the last night, we skipped the packed bars of the boisterous après and opted for the gourmet food at Paznaunerstube restaurant in Hotel Trofana Royal, the town's premier hotel, which is a member of The Leading Hotels of the World and is run by one of Austria's former chefs of the year. I ordered braised ox in truffle mousseline. It evaporated on my tongue as I gazed through the ornately framed alpine window at the still-falling flakes freckling the night-time Ischgl sky. Now that's what I call a dream come true.
Way to go
Getting there: Inghams (020-8780 4433, inghams.co.uk) has seven nights' full-board at the four-star Hotel Solaria from £615pp including direct flights and transfers. Ski pack items can be pre-booked: six-day adult lift pass starts from £119; six days' ski & boot hire £93 and three days' ski school £84. One child (aged 4-7) gets free ski and boot hire for every adult pre-booking ski and boot hire.
Further information: ischgl.com.
Country code: 00 43.
Flight time: Gatwick-Innsbruck 2 hrs.
Time difference: +1hr.
£1 = 1.40 euros.
