Sölden is a modern ski resort

The resort village of Sölden is located in the valley of Yotztal (Ӧtztal), its dead-end end rests against the mountains along which the border with Italy passes. From the entrance to the valley it is about 35 kilometers, from the airports and beyond – more than 250 kilometers from Salzburg or Munich, if there are traffic jams, the road can be very long. Therefore, if there is an opportunity, it is better to get there via Innsbruck, it is only 83 kilometers and an hour away.

Yotztal is located in one of the highest mountain regions of Tyrol and the whole of Austria, around dozens and dozens of three-thousanders, including the main Tyrolean peak – Wildspitze (3774 m). The panoramas are really impressive. The town itself, like all ski resorts, is small in area, its feature is the length along the track that runs along the bottom of the valley. The main street is Dorfstrasse, its name translates as “Village Street”, an echo of the times when there were no big skis here yet. Streets with this name can be found in almost every Austrian resort.

The length of Dorfstrasse is two and a half kilometers, along it there are a large number of hotels, restaurants, shops, all the active life of the city, including night life, is concentrated here. The main car traffic of the Otztal valley passes through it, so if you like silence, it is better to settle a little further away, behind the Otztaler Ache river, over which the city is crossed by five bridges, it is easy and pleasant to cross them.

The history of these places is lost in the depths of centuries, only echoes in the form of archaeological finds reach us. Here, near the village of Vent (Similaun) on the Similaun glacier, in 1991 at an altitude of 3,200 meters, a perfectly preserved human mummy, whose age is about 5,300 years old, was found. The finder was given the name Yotzi (Ӧtzi), now it is exhibited in the museum of archeology in Bolzano, Italy. Who was this person? Whether it was a hunter, a villager, or a priest – scientists are still debating, but it can be said for sure that this find greatly contributed to the influx of tourists to local places. Right here, next to Vent, the sites of hunters of the Stone Age were discovered. Around the first millennium BC, people came here from the Vinschgau (modern Italy) through the mountain passes and established settlements throughout the valley.

Hochzolden, a resort on the route

Those interested in the history of the region will be directed to a detailed list of important dates in the corresponding section of the official website, while we will move on to the most relevant topic of today – downhill skiing. The first lift was built in 1948 on Hochselden, the upper satellite of Sölden. Several hotels have been built at an altitude of 2,090 meters, today it is one of the highest mountain stations in Austria (higher only the nearby Hochgurgl, 2,150 m) with 100% skiing from the door according to the ski-in / ski-out principle. Accommodation there is mainly for quite wealthy people, the level of hotels is very high.

Most of Sölden’s guestssettle below, in the valley. Today, two cabin lifts, the lower stations of which are located right on the main street, go from the village to the skiing area. The distance between them is one and a half kilometers, ski buses run regularly around the city, so getting to the lift from almost any point is not a problem. In addition, as a rule, you can store your equipment at rental points near the lift for 2-3 euros per day. Part of the housing stock – the Unterwald, Innerwald and Ausserwald districts – are not located at the very bottom of the valley, but on a kind of shelf-eaves raised above the city by 50-100 meters. Although they are located directly next to the tracks, it may not be very convenient to live there, since these areas are connected to the center only by a lift that operates until ten in the evening. There is, of course, a highway, but taxis are not cheap, and walking along it is quite tiring.

Haislahkogl station, 3048 m

Well, friends, it’s time to go to the mountains! We start early in the morning, preferably with the first lift. If you come a little later, with the main mass of people, then the queue for half an hour, or even longer in the high season, is practically ensured. Each of the two city lifts throws into its skiing area. The main ones, perhaps, can be called the cabins overlooking Giggijoch (Giggijoch, 2284 m), where Sölden’s main training ground is located – several pleasant wide blue runs. Next to them are a couple of blacks. There are always quite a lot of people: someone hangs here and masters the local slopes, someone rushes to the glaciers, someone returns from there – eternal Brownian motion. In this sector is also located a fairly large snowboard park “Area 47”. From here you can descend to the very bottom through Hochselden on the red or black tracks with almost a kilometer of altitude difference.

The second large sector of skiing above Sölden is Gaislachkogl, the highest point of which is 3048 meters. To the top from Söldenlift cabins are also thrown. Queues from the city are usually a little shorter here. The area has a good balance of trails of varying difficulty: experts, intermediate skiers, and beginners will find several interesting long trails here. It is not bad to have lunch right there in one of the restaurants on Gaislachalm (1982 m), and at the end of the day to slide through the dense forest directly into the city. In general, there are not many forest tracks in Sölden, about twenty percent, there are mostly open slopes, most of which are laid at a considerable height. It is quite easy and quick to move from Heislachkogl to Hygioch, the sectors are connected by tracks and chairlifts. For the most indefatigable climbers, there is an evening lighted track from the Mittelstation (2174 m), black or blue version.

Freeride against the background of the World Cup track and lifts on Rettenbach

Well, the two lower areas have been considered and tested, let’s move on to dessert. What in Söldenthere is a third large region that connects two glaciers – Tiefenbach and Rettenbach, the tracks on which start at 3250 meters. The height differences are 400-500 meters, the length of the tracks is up to 2.5 kilometers. Here is the largest area for skiing on glaciers in Austria – twenty square kilometers! Wide descents, mostly blue. For experts, there is not much interesting here, but can only the complexity of the tracks be of interest?! Isn’t the feeling of free flight and the immeasurable width of the surrounding spaces what we actually come to the mountains for?! It is not by chance that a large number of skiers go to the glaciers in good weather. There is only one way here and it is quite long, especially considering the queues: from the top of Rotkogljoch (+2662 m) there is a descent to the so-called “Golden Gate” – the Einzeiger four-chair. And then on the three lines of the cabin lift to the Schwarze Schneide. On the way, experts should stop at the descent from Rettenbachjoch (3014). After all, it is here at the end of October that the Alpine Skiing World Cup starts every year with a giant slalom. The track, however, is not very long, about a kilometer, wide, with an average slope of about 35% (19 degrees) and a height difference of 300 meters.

The wide fields of Tieffenbach’s glacial expanses

On a sunny day, the views from the glacial expanses are simply stunning. On the so-called BIG 3 Rallye, a route that allows you to climb three different peaks of the region more than 3,000 meters high, special viewing platforms with cantilever bridges are equipped so that you can feel like a grain of sand flying over the endless expanses of snow fields. It is definitely worth getting there to rise above the “hustle and bustle”, to dream…

In case of bad weather, skiing on glaciers becomes very uncomfortable: strong wind in open, well-ventilated spaces, noticeable cold and poor visibility are not the best conditions for skiing pleasure. Unfortunately, in bad weather, which happens quite often, the road to the glaciers can be closed. In this case, the skating area is significantly reduced. Maybe it is worth arranging a day of rest in this case? Moreover, all conditions are created for this in Sölden and its surroundings.

Aqua House in Langefeld

First of all, these are people’s favorite water entertainment. The easiest option is to steam in the sauna of your hotel. More advanced is the Freizeit Arena sports complex with a swimming pool and a wellness center. And finally, the last, the best, is the Aqua Dome thermal complex in nearby Langefeld, twelve kilometers away by bus, taxi or car. A futuristic complex of fantastic beauty, carefully inscribed by designers into the landscape of the surrounding mountains. A large number of open and closed pools with slides, several types of baths and saunas, spa procedures, etc. Lying outdoors in hot water and admiring the snow-covered slopes and peaks is a special pleasure that is not often found in ski resorts. Water, naturally heated to a temperature of 34-36 ° C, comes from a well from a depth of 1,865 meters.

David Guetta performs at Electric mountain festival

As for après-ski, everything is in perfect order here. Sölden is one of the most “party” ski resorts, it is sometimes called the Alpine Ibiza. Someone agrees with this definition, someone believes that Ibiza is already too much, but the fact remains that the nightlife in the village is quite active: there are many bars, several clubs, even a strip club – everything is there. The audience in each institution is crowded: somewhere young, somewhere older people. Everyone can easily find adventures for the lower back part of the body if they wish. In the high season, most popular restaurants are fully booked, it is better to take care and reserve a table in advance.

Local residents are very sincere and kind to the guests of the resort. The quality of service is also at a high level everywhere. One word – Austrian service. By the way, it is not necessary to live in Sölden itself, you can book accommodation in one of the neighboring villages, in the same Langefeld it will be a little cheaper, quieter and calmer. And you can get to the mountain by bus.

Night Zelden

Many people, coming to Sölden, ski only in it and absolutely in vain. After all, twelve kilometers up the valley is Obergurl with its 110 kilometers of pistes. There are four times less people on the tracks there, the tracks themselves are long, interesting, suitable for all levels of skiing. Funny fact: the British have the opposite situation. Until recently, their tour operators took their tourists only to Obergurgl, and only recently began to work with hotels in Sölden.

If you consider Sölden separately, then, putting your hand on your heart, the resort, due to its features, is not so big and diverse in terms of skiing. For example, many advanced skaters go around all interesting tracks in two or three days, and then they have to ride on a few of their most favorite ones. For those who like variety, ski safaris can get boring by the end of the week, especially if the weather is unlucky and the upper slopes on the glaciers are closed. True, the compensation can be quite good off-piste skiing.

Sunset over the Otztal mountains

We should also note the rather high traffic of the tracks: by lunchtime, all the lower ones break down very decently, and then it becomes especially difficult for beginners. It can be said that the resort lacks a bit of balance: there are few difficult tracks for professionals, and for beginners there are broken lower tracks in the afternoon. So always have Obergurl in stock, many people do not suspect that there is a large and interesting skating area nearby. For many years, the resorts did not have a common ski pass, and now, finally, the unification took place: if you buy a ski pass for three days or more, you can ski in any of the zones of your choice. So now, in terms of skiing, the trip will definitely turn out to be very rich, varied and interesting. What we actually want from a ski tour.

In conclusion, we note that Sölden is an excellent option to open the season for those who ski several times during the winter. The resort has been steadily operating since the end of October. Now you can combine your visit with watching a live stage of the World Cup and, inspired by the feats of slalom, go conquer the surrounding peaks yourself. The same peaks that James Bond conquered some time ago. The film called “007 Spectrum” was released on world screens in 2015, and the filming of the winter and mountain part of the film took place in Sölden. Several episodes were shot at the Ice Q restaurant at the Heislachkogl station at an altitude of 3,048 meters, on tracks and mountain roads, in the valley. Spectators from all over the world were able to get acquainted with the wonderful and majestic landscapes of the Jotztal Alps. Isn’t it time to see these mountains live?!