Ischgl or Sölden: level on snow, so pick by the skiing

Snow: level, whatever the top lift says

Both are snow sure on our measure. At Ischgl, 90 percent of the piste we measure is at or above 1,800 metres, up to 2,868 metres. At Sölden it is 89 percent, up to 3,306 metres. Those are the 10th and 11th biggest shares of the 55 resorts we cover, and the second and third of the 13 Austrian ones. Nobody can promise snow, but few resorts we cover put more of their skiing above that line.

Sölden's extra is at the very top. Its skiing reaches 3,306 metres by our measure, the highest of the 13 Austrian resorts we cover and fifth of all 55, and 438 metres above Ischgl's. This is glacier country: the Rettenbach and Tiefenbach glaciers link to the rest of the mountain rather than sitting apart as a day trip, and three peaks above 3,000 metres are joined by lift. You can stand on all three in a day.

Size: Ischgl has more piste, and more of it red

Neither resort's ski area total is classified in our data, so we compare on our own measurement of the piste around each village. Ischgl has 152 kilometres, Sölden 135, a gap of 17. Ischgl's skiing also crosses the border by lift to Samnaun in Switzerland, where you can stop for lunch, shop duty free and ski back.

The shape differs more than the size. Both resorts grade the Austrian way, so the shares compare fairly here. More than half of Ischgl's piste, 54 percent, is red, and only 28 percent is blue and easier, 43 kilometres of it. Sölden runs the other way: 57 percent blue and easier, 77 kilometres, and 29 percent red. That is 34 kilometres more easy running at Sölden, and for a mixed group it may be the difference that matters most.

The skiing: Ischgl has more steep ground, Sölden steeper runs

Here the measures pull in different directions, and both are worth knowing. On quantity, Ischgl is the stronger skier's resort. It has 27 kilometres of black, the fifth most of the 55 resorts we cover, against 19 at Sölden, both well above the 14.1 at a typical resort we cover. It has 10.6 kilometres of marked off piste itinerary, where we measure none at Sölden. And 34 percent of its piste is steeper than one in four, against 30.

Who each one actually suits

Ischgl suits groups of friends and couples who want big days on red and a big night after. Confident intermediates get the most from it: a mountain of forgiving reds and fast lifts, with the blacks and itineraries there for the strongest in the group. The village is compact, most beds a short walk from the two main gondolas, and the après starts at the foot of the slopes in ski boots and carries on into clubs, with open air concerts to open and close the season. Families can make it work from a base away from the loudest streets, or from Samnaun, which is calmer in the evenings. Beginners have less to work with: 43 kilometres of blue and easier, gentle as it is.

Sölden suits mixed groups who want the party and a lot of blue, and anyone who sleeps better knowing there is glacier above them. It is lively and functional rather than pretty: a long village strung along the valley floor with a busy road through it, so where you stay matters. Hochsölden, a small cluster of hotels and chalets up the mountain at around 2,000 metres, is the quieter base and the one for young families. Off the snow there is the ice Q restaurant, above 3,000 metres on the Gaislachkogl, and the 007 Elements installation beside it, from the resort's time as a James Bond location.

The bit nobody tells you

Sölden sells itself on height, and the 3,306 metres is real. But the body of the skiing sits at almost the same height at both resorts. Half of Ischgl's piste is above 2,363 metres. Half of Sölden's is above 2,402, just 39 metres higher. Above 2,200 metres, it is 67 percent of the piste at Ischgl and 68 at Sölden.

What the glaciers add is a high top slice: the highest tenth of Sölden's piste starts at 2,950 metres, against 2,692 at Ischgl. That is worth having. For most of a week, though, you are skiing at the same height either way, so do not pick Sölden over Ischgl for snow alone.