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Ski Holidays in Sölden
It has everything from high-altitude snow-sure pistes, world-class accommodation, an electric apres scene and great family entertainment. Sölden has also made it onto the big screen, featuring in the James Bond movie Spectre and has since established a 007 Elements exhibition.
Located in the Ötztal Valley, Sölden offers a truly fantastic skiing experience. Home to not one but two glaciers ( Rettenbach and Tiefenbach), it has 144 kilometres of excellent pistes stretched across slopes ranging between 1,350 to 3,340 meters in altitude.
The area has 3 peaks all peaking above 3,000 metres and all made accessible via 31 world-class mountain lifts including, chairs, drags and cable cars. The Sölden ski area has a very good snowfall record and state-of-the-art snowmaking facilities ensuring that the slopes are adequately supplemented when required. It comes as no surprise that Sölden is host to the first Alpine World Cup races every year in October.
Sölden is blessed with 144 kilometres of pistes that conveniently suit just about all skiing abilities however its large numbers of red and blue means that intermediate skiers get the most fun at the resort. When visiting, we would strongly recommend getting the Ötztal Super Skipass as it grants holders access to the ski areas in the Ötztal valley including Obergurgl-Hochgurgl, Hochoetz-Kühtai, Niederthai, Gries and Vent; totalling up to 356 kilometres of pistes. Most of the local Sölden slopes are accessible via either the Gaislachkogl or Giggijoch gondolas.
Beginners should search out the gentle slopes at the top of the Giggijoch gondola where they will find the nursery slopes as well as a number of tame blues on easy gradients. Additional challenging blues can also be found further afield in Innerwald. Intermediates have a ton of options to choose from tree-lined valley runs to the wide-open pistes coming down both glaciers. There are also challenging runs to be found at the top of both Gaislachkogl and Giggijoch gondolas, however, the main favourite for first-timers at Sölden is no doubt the Big 3 Rally which tackles all 3 peaks at the resort. Advanced skiers have 28 kilometres of black runs to explore at Sölden including the additional steep reds on Gaislachkogl and HochSölden. Thanks to its excellent conditions, there are also several off-piste opportunities to take advantage of as well.
Regardless of your ability, whether beginner or pro, there's a lot to enjoy at Sölden Austria for snowboarders. Free riders are treated to long open runs on steep reds coming down the glaciers, most of which are red and perfect for intermediates. The blues above the Giggijoch gondola are just about ideal for early boarders. The Area 47 snowpark is an excellent haven for snowboarders and is regularly upgraded. It is an impressive 744 metres long offering the best shredding experiences for free riders and freestylers alike. Sitting at 2,450 metres it welcomes all ski ability types. Designed by QPark designer Konstantin Iordanidis it also features chill-out zones and even has the options to record your runs.
Snow Conditions in Sölden
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Sölden ski resort has a fantastic nightlife and apres-ski scene littered with several bars, pubs and clubs. It is a well-known snowboard destination with an immense party scene. The party starts from the mountain huts and DJ parties on the slopes during the day and carries on in full force back at resort level through the night. An ideal resort for party animals, there is so much on offer for skiers looking to let down their hair and blow off some steam.
Halli Valli/Kaminbar
Located in the 4-star Valentin Hotel next to the Glaislachkogel gondola, Halli Valli gets the party started early from 3 pm before closing at 6 pm. Great place to kickstart the apres evening of fun, Halli Valli is one of Sölden's most vibrant party scenes. Get in on the mulled wine and cocktails at the bar and ease into dance mode from the non-stop DJ sets. Located in the heart of the resort, most of the Söldens bars and pubs are a 5-minute walk from Halli Valli making it the perfect starting point. After 6 pm when the party ends, you can still enjoy a few more drinks in the hotel's classy Fireplace lounge before moving on.
Schirm Bar
The legendary Schirm Bar has a monumental reputation in Sölden. Immensely popular and one of the resort's favourite hangout spots, it has earned the “Top of the Mountains” award numerous times over the years. Located at the bottom of the Giggijochbahn slopes, it features an umbrella-style circle setting with a middle bar made completely out of glass. A well-known meeting place after coming down the slopes, Schrim Bar is a fantastic spot to get the night going. It has an electric atmosphere that is almost infectious and is bound to get you into the apres mood right away. Open every day from 2 pm until 8 pm it features some of the area's most famous DJ sets with loud music and dancing. A must visit on your apres evening.
Black and Orange Rock Bar
Opened in 2000, The Black & Orange offers an amazingly diverse apres-ski experience and is one for rock and roll fanatics. A Harley Davidson-themed bar, the atmosphere here absolutely rocking. Perfect for skiers looking for a shift from popular music, the Black and Orange Rock Bar offers true rock fans something to shout about as they sing along to the numerous rock classics blaring from the speakers. Open until 2 am it is also well known for its fantastic drinks menu featuring caipirinha cocktails, 40 different whiskeys and over 25 different gins. Even if you are not a rock and roll fan, the bar is the ideal place to discover and release your inner rock persona visit the Black and Orange Rock Bar for an unforgettable experience.
Live Bar
Aptly named, Live Bar or Live Music Bar is where you need to be to experience a great night of drinks, conversion and awesome live music in the heart of Sölden. A very cosy bar, it is also well known to hold surprise open mic evenings where you can expect to catch some incredible live music sets at any given time. It is a very friendly and welcoming bar with awesome staff. Open every day from 7 pm until about 9:30 pm, Live Bar is slightly less raucous than some of the bars and lounges at the Sölden but still maintains a vibrant atmosphere.
Sölden has very good facilities across the resort from its lifts and gondolas, accommodation, leisure facilities and off-slope entertainment. Receiving a relatively large number of visitors every season, it is adequately equipped with the necessary facilities to ensure that all its visitors are catered for all throughout the season.
If you intend to hire ski equipment when you get to Sölden, there are a number of shops at the resort you can visit however if you are visiting the resort under one of our ski holiday plans, we will suggest hiring your ski equipment from us directly. We have very good and trusted partnerships with a host of ski hire shops across the Alps including Sölden. We have teamed up with the very best and most trusted ski hire stores to ensure that all your hired equipment is of the highest quality and from well-known and recognisable snow sports brands. Save yourself the trouble and extra journey of visiting the ski hire stores in person and simply select the equipment you require and add them to your booking. It is by far the easiest and quickest way to secure your ski equipment for your holiday. It is particularly helpful if you are hiring equipment for your family or travelling group.
Book your Sölden ski pass way ahead of time and as part of your ski holiday package with Erna Low. No need to wait until you arrive at the resort; travel stress-free and with the knowledge that your ski pass has been secured before you you even get to the resort. Ordering your ski pass for Sölden saves you a great deal of time and effort; allowing you to avoid the long queues at the ticket machines and tourist offices. It is super quick and very convenient. It also presents you with the opportunity to take advantage of any online-only offers or early bird savings and discounts available at the time. You can easily arrange your ski pass to Sölden by selecting the ski pass option on the Ski Extras page and adding the pass to your overall order. Do not hesitate to contact us for more information.
Sölden has a very good selection to choose from when it comes to spas, wellness centres, and swimming pool facilities. Relaxing and recharging your mind and body after a vigorous day on the slopes with a spa session, massage or swim, is certainly one of the best ways to spend any downtime in the Alps and Sölden has fantastic options ranging from its aquatic leisure centre to a number of luxury and spa hotels. The Hotel Aqua Dome Tirol Therme in Längenfeld has perhaps one of the most luxurious spas and swimming pool facilities in the area. Located about a 15-minute drive from Sölden, this facility has world-class equipment across the board. It has up to 12 indoor and outdoor pools with 34 - 36°C warm water, some of which are open in the winter. Some of the outdoor pools are “floating” thanks to the brilliant architecture and design of the facility. The sauna is a fantastic authentic and rustic throwback using Alpine beams and stone on the walls and ceilings with hot burning coals in the middle. There are also thermal baths and treatment rooms where you can select from a number of massage treatments.
Shopping in Sölden's is far from dull and does not fall into the generic ski resort shopping experience. Its shopping mile offers a few temptations to carry out some retail therapy while on holiday. It also makes for a lovely backdrop if you just wanted to do some window shopping. The shops here range across designers, fashion boutiques, well-known snow sports brand stores, gift & souvenir shops and local grocery shops.
Sölden has fantastic facilities not only for children but also the entire family ensuring that parents and other members of the family can get involved with the children during their time at Sölden. The facilities cover just about everything from slopes, accommodation, childcare and entertainment both on and off the slopes.
Sölden does not lack ski schools and instructors for your children's ski lessons as there are several options available to choose from. If you are visiting the resort under one of our ski holiday packages, we would strongly recommend that you book your children's ski lessons directly with us as part of your all-inclusive package to the resort to the resort this season. Over the years, we have established very good relationships with some of the Alp's most trusted and experienced ski schools ensuring that your children get the best lessons available at the ski resort when you book their ski lessons with us. Our booking process is super easy and can be completed by simply selecting the option to add the ski lessons to your order as part of your overall package. Not only is it easy, but it also allows you more time at the resort and free’s up your itinerary so that instead of walking around looking for a ski school upon arrival, you can use that time for other activities.
Children are entertained both on the slopes and off it at Sölden. The nursery area has an outdoor playground in the snow with slides and swings. There are also a lot of children's favourites such as ice skating, ice hockey and curling. There are also toboggan slopes open until nighttime and even have lit slopes for nighttime tobogganing. Most of the ski schools here have kids clubs which have activities during the day as well. Away from the cold and snow, you can take the kids for a splash either in the Freizeit Arena or the Aqua Dome facility in Längenfeld as both have kids swimming pools and paddling pools. Sölden also has a resident cinema which always features the latest children-rated blockbuster movies and is a brilliant entertainment option if you wanted to relax after a long day.
There are several childcare options available in Sölden. The majority of ski schools in the resort have a form of childminding activities. There are also independent nannies and babysitting services available. We recommend also inquiring at the local tourist offices for recommendations.
The majority of pistes here sit above 2,000 metres and are mostly located on the Big 3; Gaislachkogl, Tiefenbachkogl and Schwarze Schneide. The glaciers Rettenbach and Tiefenbach provide additional slopes of mostly red and black runs.
