The Loveometer
Skiing
70%
Families
69%
Value for Money
70%
Restaurants
69%
Nightlife
80%
Overall
71.6%
In a Nutshell
Solden is in the same long valley as Obergurgl and offers similar, high-altitude, intermediate-friendly skiing. It has two glaciers to boot. What’s strikingly different, however, is the nightlife – which is younger and wilder than its neighbour’s – and the lack of Brits.
The Stats
Altitude: 1377m
Lifts: 33
Top Lift: 3250m
Ski area: 146km of piste
Adult lift pass: 221.50-246€ for six days
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Ski Map | 
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Benjamin Kneisl was born in Solden, and has been skiing its snow since he was three years old. He owns the Grünwald Resort of chalets and apartments on the slopes immediately above town.
Table of Contents ▼▲
Essential Advice for the Perfect Trip
From Otzi to 007
Guide to the Mountain
Two glaciers guarantee good snow
If it’s crowded, ski against the tide
For experts the challenges are mainly off-piste
Where to Learn
Where to Stay
A growing number of upmarket properties
Where to Eat
Gourmet Cuisine, Natural and Organic Fare
Where to Party
A Dozen Nightclubs Stay Open Until Late
Essential Advice for the Perfect Trip
Looking for a buzzing après-ski scene, broad pistes and soft, cold, wintry snow? Then please, ladies and gentlemen, step this way. Solden sits astride the long road up the Otztal – one of Austria’s most beautiful valleys – and serves up two glaciers, a high-tech ski area, and a host of bars and nightclubs. Up until now it’s been mainly the haunt of Dutch and German skiers. But that’s beginning to change, and the trend is bound to accelerate now that 007 has come to town (see below).
“If you’re after the tranquil Austrian village you won’t find it here”, a British skier recently reported back to Welove2ki, “but you will find some great runs, great bars and great people”. “The lack of charm is far outweighed by the quality of the skiing and the accommodation,” commented another.
From Otzi to 007
It was not far south of Solden, just beyond the Italian border, that Otzi the Iceman was found in 1991: the extraordinarily well-preserved body of a man who seemed to have died a violent death, high in the mountains, sometime around 3,300BC. More recently, Solden has played host to James Bond, during the filming of Spectre. This was the first time a 007 movie has been filmed in Tirol, even though author Ian Fleming lived in Kitzbuhel in the 1920s.
Here’s a video of behind-the-scenes footage. As you’ll see, the views are spectacular. You’ll also notice a super-cool, glass-sided building. It’s the Ice Q restaurant, which opened at the top of the 3,048m Gaislachkogel in 2013.
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Guide to the Mountain
Photo: © Isidor Nösig/TVB Oetztal
Solden’s ski area offers 146km of pistes, which by modern standards is respectable, but not enormous. However, it is both a snowsure and – for athletic intermediates – a scintillating place to ski, thanks to some exceptionally long runs. One, from the Schwarze Schneide (3,340 m) to the bottom of the Gaislachkogl lift (1,370m) is 15km long and drops through a muscle-melting 1,970 vertical metres.
The pistes are also exceptionally wide. The resort claims an average width of 30m, and if you’re up on the mountain early, before everyone else, it’s a sensational place to set your edges against the snow and carve big turns.
Two glaciers guarantee good snow
Solden’s reputation for snowsure skiing in Solden rests on its adjoining glaciers – Tiefenbach and the Rettenbach – which serve up some of the most spectacular views in the Alps. The Tiefenbach is the gentler of the two, while the Rettenbach is steep enough to provide FIS with a giant slalom course on which to open the World Cup circuit at the end of each October.
But it’s not just the glaciers that offer good snow. The Gaislachkogl rises to 3,058m and the Schwarzkogel to 3,018m, while above the Giggijoch there’s lots of skiing between 2,200m and 2,700m, too. Admittedly all these areas are well above the treeline. So if it’s foggy, or blowing a blizzard, you won’t see very much. But that’s the price you have to pay for reliable snow these days: and you can drop down to the slopes immediately above town when the weather’s bad.
If it’s crowded, ski against the tide
Nearly everyone starts the day by heading up the glaciers. So if you want to be sure of quieter pistes, stay low: and then move up to the glaciers at lunchtime. It’s up there you’ll find my own favourite spot for piste-skiing. It’s the World Cup piste on the Rettenbach glacier, but starting at the top of the Schwarze Schneide gondola.
The first section is on a red piste (number 32), which is the best and widest carving piste I know. The second part is down the actual World Cup course, where at the end of the October each year the best skiers in the world kick off the racing season. It’s steep, wide and the perfect slope on which to practise your short turns. In places the gradient is more than 70%, so you’ll need good technique!
The home of Benjamin Kneisl’s favourite pistes – the Rettenbach glacier. Photo: © Ernst Lorenzi/TVB Oetztal.
For experts the challenges are mainly off-piste
More advanced skiers will find a few testing blacks in the ski area, but most of the challenging terrain here is off-piste – unless you count the Area 47 Snowpark at Giggijoch. Bear in mind that the resort builds its features entirely out of snow, rather than relying on underlying earthworks, so in a poor snow season features tend to be undersized.
For skiers who are relatively new to freeriding both the Hainbachjoch and the Giggijoch, offer open slopes and relatively easy turns. Meanwhile, the Gaislachkogl is where you’ll find the tougher terrain, with descents which drop through 1,000-1,500 vertical metres. My own favourite off-piste run here is the “hängender Ferner” down to Rettenbach valley. You have to hike up to the start, but there’s a superb view over the Ötztal Alps waiting for you at the top, followed by a long and lovely descent afterwards.
Wherever you go, however, hire an off-piste guide to show you the way, and help keep you safe. The recent terrible accident involving members of the US ski team is a salutary reminder of the risks involved.
Among the must-dos for ski mountaineers is the Vent Loop Trail which takes in five spectacular summits – the Wildspitze, Weisskugel, Similaun, Fineilspitze and Fluchtkogel. It’s a tour to rival the Haute Route of the western Alps. The entire region around Solden also boasts a great variety of day tours.
Here’s a short video about Solden in the “Chairlift Chats” series, commissioned by the Tirol’s tourist board.
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Where to Learn
Photo: © Florian Wagner/TVB Oetztal.
Solden is a good resort for learning to ski, with the wide slope at the top of the Innerwald chair a great place to begin. Once you’ve progressed a little, Minilift 16 at the top of Giggijochbahn takes you into the main ski area where all the action is.
The resort is home to some well-established ski and board schools with good reputations: but do bear in mind they’re much more used to teaching Germans and the Dutch than Brits. The list is headed by Skischule Solden-Hochsolden, which is Austria’s largest ski and snowboard school with 180 instructors who teach all year round. Yellow Power is a young outfit which combines a ski school with a ski rental service. It also offers guiding and instruction for ski-tourers.
Vacancia has the usual group and private lessons, but also some unusual courses to try, such as igloo construction workshops, glacier safaris on snowshoes, driver safety training on the glacier, and golf in the snow.
Freeride Center Solden runs a variety of courses including a women’s freeride camp, a 40+ freeride course, and extreme skiing and snowboarding (described as “skiing and boarding steep couloirs…and untracked powder. Belays are waiting for the really adventurous to abseil into otherwise hard-to-reach lines”). This would be my own choice if I were looking for an off-piste guide. It’s widely regarded in Austria as one of the country’s best off-piste schools.
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Where to Stay
Hochsolden. Photo: © Philipp Horak/TVB Oetztal.
Solden, the main town of the Otztal Arena, has developed into an international sports centre, with the bulk of the hotels, restaurants, bars and shops located on the long main street. It’s a linear and rather sprawling place, and it will never win Alpbach-style awards for its looks or charm. There is, however, no doubting the buzz – and you can always stay away from the main bustle of the centre, by booking into Hochsolden. Set on the mountain at 2090m it’s a pretty collection of hotels, guesthouses or apartments with direct access to the pistes (although this is not a sensible place to stay if you’ve come for the nightlife).
At this point can I put in a word for my own property – the Grünwald Resort, a collection of apartments and chalets, set just above the Giggijochbahn lift station? It’s a good option for those who want to be one step away from the centre, but not too far from the apres-ski action. We’re just above town (which can be reached by bus, taxi or a 20 minute walk), and next to the Panorama Alm apres-ski hut. Each morning, you can click into your skis, and drop straight down to the Giggijochbahn lift.
A growing number of upmarket properties
Das Central is the only five-star here and is home to a wonderful three-storey Venetian-themed spa. It has its own childcare – the Otziclub (for three to 14-year-olds) – although you might want to think twice about bringing your family to such a party town.
Meanwhile, the four-star superior Castello Falkner has just had a refit, converting all its rooms into self-contained luxury apartments, although it has retained its 1000 square metre spa, and has a steakhouse for those who don’t want to cook.
Hotel Regina also has a huge wellness area with a swimming-pool, and it is convenient for the Gaislachkoglbahn. The hotel also has four attractive apartment buildings: Haus Sylvia, 10 minutes’ walk above the village, Regina’s Residenz 1km from the resort centre, Regina’s Well-Apart and Regina’s Apart, both of which are near the Giggijoch cable-car and the town centre.
The Hotel Bergland has a large spa and swimming-pool and is located next to the Innerwald funicular lift. Hotel Stefan is next to the Giggijoch lift station.
Appartementhaus Kraxner is a recommended budget option. “Amazing food – the quality was better than I’ve had in many five-star hotels,” said a reporter, and “wonderfully comfortable with exceptional food for the price,” added another. The Gaislachkogl apartments are close to the gondola of the same name. Ski Total runs Chalet-hotel Hermann located above the village.
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Where to Eat
The Ice Q Restaurant & Lounge. Photo: © Rudi Wyhlidal/TVB Oetztal.
There are around 30 mountain restaurants in Solden, but the one everybody talks about is the Ice Q (+43 664 96 09 368) – the glass-sided, mountain-top restaurant on the Gaislachkogl. The menu mixes traditional and modern food – I love the green curry soup – and the wine list champions Austrian vintners. They even have their own wine, Pinot 3000, which is blended from wines made in Austria, Germany and the Südtirol.
Gampe Thaya (+43 5254 5010) is another favourite of mine. It’s a mountain hut, hung with cowbells, in middle of the ski area. Many of the ingredients come from the owner’s farm, and, as the website says, “Anyone looking for burgers, chips and après-ski parties should not come to the Gampe Thaya”. My favourite dish is Schelfelar (potatoes, cooked with cheese and butter, a one-time staple of Tirolean farming communities.
Other good mountain restaurants include the Heidealm (+43 5254 508875) which is well-known for its stunning setting, and Gruners Wirtshaus at Giggijoch, which has waiter-service and good food. Eugen’s Obstlerhütte is recommended for its traditional cuisine. The Gampe Alm huts are good for local specialities, as is Huhnersteign in the Rettenbachtal.
In town there are over 40 places to eat. Start with breakfast at Cafe s’Rimele which is Solden’s “authentic coffee house” with a choice of cappuccino, black coffee, latte macchiato or espresso shots. Later on, homemade tarts, cakes and Apfelstrudl are a speciality, followed by a range of different snacks such as prosciutto with parmesan or pizza baguettes accompanied by a glass of wine.
Gourmet Cuisine, Natural and Organic Fare
Hotel Central’s Feinspitz restaurant is where to eat gourmet cuisine created – since 1988 – by award-winning chef Gottfried Prantl (a Gault Millau toque). Try the fish specialities or native Tirolean delicacies. Culinaria Solden uses only natural flavours and serves Austrian wines exclusively. It has an in-house food and wine shop, so you can take home the ingredients from your favourite dishes. Its sister restaurant, Restaurant Corso, serves Mediterranean, international and vegetarian cuisine.
La Tavola in Hotel Rosengarten has a large choice of pizzas and Austrian specialities. Pizzeria Gusto, Die 2 Pizzeria-Lounge (+43 664 9217 967), and Gasthof Waldcafe are all recommended, along with the Schnalser Stube in Hotel Liebe Sonne. Try the Hotel Bergland for its duo of Solden lamb and dishes from the charcoal grill such as fillet of beef with herb butter. Die Mooseralm has a homely ambiance. Heiners is a rustic eatery with a sun terrace, that serves “innovative, good plain cooking”.
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Where to Party
Kata Pult. Photo: © Rudi Wyhlidal/TVB Oetztal.
Solden is known for its lively apres-ski scene, with over 80 venues to choose from. From around 3pm until 7pm the village turns into a party location, with crowds thronging the many open-air bars along the main road. However we’re not convinced there’s a place for a “table dancing” club in a ski resort.
Apres-ski begins at Eugen’s Obstlerhutte mountain hut on the piste between Hochsolden and Solden, where there’s live music on Friday afternoons. Also at the big self-service restaurant at the Giggjoch hub of lifts and pistes, above Hochsolden – where there are bands playing at the weekend. Bubi’s Schihütte on Gaislachkogl is where to go if you want to experience some traditional oompah music.
It then fans out to a whole host of bars, including Giggi Tenne, KPS & Friends (+43 664 304 3327), the bar in Gasthof Felsenstuberl, Grüner’s Almstube, Philipp at Innerwald, and the Cuckoo Bar at the bottom of the Gigijoch gondola (“great atmosphere with nationalities from all over the world having a good time together”).
Photo: © Martin Solveig/TVB Oetztal.
A Dozen Nightclubs Stay Open Until Late
After dinner, the village gets going again in a dozen different nightclubs, including the popular Kuhstall and Fire & Ice (the latter has international DJs) keep visitors on their feet until the early hours. There are some cosy bars such as The Grizzly Bar (“fireplace and candles”) in Hotel Tyrolerhof, Die Alm, and Harley’s Rock Bar (“brilliant service”).
Chris & Co’s Irish Pub has reasonably-priced beer. The Joker is a noisy place decorated with a Hell theme and suspended chair-lift seats, and playing music and skiing videos. Otzi Keller (+43 5254 2240) has a pool table and darts, as well as dancing and skimpily-clad waitresses. The Rodelhutte is where you’ll find the lap-dancing and a ‘Showgirls – non-stop show’.
The clubs include Mirage, Black & Orange, Kata Pult, Mogul, and The Lucky Shag (+43 664 210 3876).
Up in Hochsolden, the action centres around SnowRock Cafe & Bar, which has good music, live and mixed – until late.