The liabsence of snow in the early winter made things difficult for the local ski areas – with a few exceptions. In Ischgl there was hardly any sign of the lack of snow. The winter sports area benefits from its altitude: the valley town is already at almost 1,400 m above sea level, the highest point is the Greilspitze at 2,872 m. Tourism visionary Günther Aloys now wants to make this exceptional snow guarantee visible with a "snowman park". It's not the hotelier's first unusual idea.
"It hurt to see the pictures of white ribbons on green meadows. But it hurt even more that the impression was given that it looks like this everywhere in Austria,” emphasizes Günther Aloys. "We couldn't talk about it in Ischgl." Because the reporting was too one-sided for him, he now wants to see the always favorable snow conditions in his home town documented with a symbol for winter joy: snowmen.
Ischgl community citizens as namesake
If the tourism industry has its way, exactly 1,578 snowmen should be made. This is how many inhabitants Ischgl had on the key date of January 1, 2022. Each snowman should bear the name of a citizen of Ischgl. The result would be a large-scale snowman park and another attraction for guests in the Paznaun Valley. The project would have to be realized by the cable car, the municipality and the Ischgl Tourist Association, of which Günther Aloys was a board member for ten years.
The mastermind brought the stars to Ischgl
The mastermind is known for his unorthodox ideas. Some of them are still in the drawer, others have become reality. In 1995 he brought Elton John, the first world star, to Ischgl. Other music greats like Bob Dylan, Rod Stewart, Tina Turner, Bon Jovi, Pink, Robbie Williams and Kylie Minogue followed. All performances have proven to be extremely effective in advertising. Eros Ramazzotti is expected in Tyrol on April 23, 2023. But former US President Bill Clinton has also been steered to Ischgl and gave a well-received lecture entitled “Message from the Mountains”.
Projects from the "Workshop Ischgl" ideas factory that are still awaiting realization include a 180-metre-high glass summit cross with a viewing platform and turbo lift, a covered ski run, Ischgl's own film festival, the most difficult ski slope and the highest glass sauna in the world.
"It needs additional incentives"
Such artistic and architectural lighthouse projects should put Ischgl even more in the limelight in the future. “In terms of landscape and infrastructure, we have one of the most beautiful winter sports areas in the world. But tourists today are more demanding than 20 years ago, so additional incentives are needed. Ischgl must not oversleep this trend,” states Günther Aloys.
He has also proven his creative power in his main job. Aloys built the Madlein, the first design hotel in Ischgl, and triggered the après-ski boom in the party community with the Pacha nightclub. The Arthotel Elizabeth also goes back to his initiative.
The Tyrolean has been an independent hotelier since 1969 (Hotel Madlein and Hotel Elisabeth). Aloys was also a board member of the Ischgl Tourist Association and a member of the supervisory board of the Silvretta Seilbahn AG for 10 years. Through his innovative measures, he gave Ischgl a unique position and this has led to the place being number 1 in the Alps in terms of occupancy, per capita income and property price. The visionary also produces the lifestyle drink "RICH Prosecco" and has been the director of the Ischgl workshop since 1992. He created a 350-page WORKBOOK full of creative ideas, innovations and visions.
